SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Padres today announced they have agreed to terms on a contract extension with outfielder Chris Denorfia through the 2014 season. Executive Vice President/General Manager Josh Byrnes made the announcement.
"We are excited to extend Chris to a two-year contract through 2014," said Byrnes. "He has proven to be a valuable and versatile player for us over the last three seasons, and his style of play is infectious."
Denorfia, 32, was signed by the Padres to a minor league contract with a spring training invite in December of 2009. Over parts of three seasons with the Padres (2010-12), he has hit .279 (244-for-874) with 44 doubles, nine triples, 20 home runs, 85 RBI, 120 runs scored and 28 stolen bases in 319 games played. The right-handed hitter has hit .314 (144-for-458) against left-handed pitching in his career and is a .276 (115-for-417) in 161 games played at Petco Park.
Originally signed by the Cincinnati Reds as a 19th-round selection in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Denorfia has hit .279 (302-for-1082) with 56 doubles, nine triples, 23 home runs, 104 RBI, 153 runs scored and 32 stolen bases in 419 career played with the Reds (2005-06), Oakland Athletics (2008-09) and Padres (2010-12). The outfielder is a career .304 (24-for-79) pinch-hitter, the sixth-best pinch-hit average among all active players with a minimum of 75 pinch-hit appearances.
