Free agent Ian Kinsler has reached a deal with the San Diego Padres. The terms of the deal include $8 million for two years. The Padres have a club option for a third year. The deal will be completed once a physical has been done.

The Sporting News reports that Ian Kinsler was previously traded to the Boston Red Sox from the Los Angeles Angels, last July. Kinsler is a four-time All-Star player and a two-time Gold Glove winner. He is a member of the 30/30 club, achieving the feat with the Texas Rangers in 2009 and 2011. Kinsler ended up signing a five-year deal worth $75 million with the Rangers in 2013.

During his time with the Rangers, he hit .271 with 248 home runs, 887 RBIs, and 241 stolen bases. Kinsler also previously played with the Detroit Tigers.

Ian Kinsler brought star power to the Red Sox

The Red Sox brought in Kinsler when it was clear that second baseman Dustin Pedroia was lost for the season. Kinsler ended up performing well, batting a .242 with 16 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 37 games for Boston.

Ian Kinsler joins the Padres as a utility player, meaning that the Padres will probably be moving Luis Urias to shortstop at the beginning of the 2019 season. Urias gained plenty of experience at shortstop during his time in the minors. The Padres could also move Fernando Tatis Jr. to shortstop.

The Padres are rebuilding their team

The Padres are continuing to rebuild their organization. Last offseason, they made headlines by signing Eric Hosmer.

I think they could be a dark horse when it comes to the free agent market the rest of the way. The Padres are not showing signs of stopping with just the signing of Kinsler and I think fans should expect more big-name additions. I don't know who, but I think it is coming.

The Padres organization currently does not have an official role in mind for Kinsler.

It will most likely depend on the moves that San Diego makes between now and the start of the season. It appears that with their crop of young players, Ian Kinsler could appear at multiple positions over his Padres career. San Diego is actually coming in at No. 5 in the power rankings heading into the 2019 season. But that is just for the NL West.

The signing makes the 36-year-old one of the oldest players on a youthful Padres team. He could be one that many of the young players look to for advice when it comes to hitting and defensive playing. Prior to Kinsler making a deal with San Diego, the Nationals, Brewers, Athletics, and Tigers were all interested in signing him.
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