Garces signed a minor league contract with the Padres that includes an invite to major league spring training.
Garces spent the past two seasons with the Padres working as one of their few big league-ready left-handed relievers. He regressed to a 5.21 ERA last season and also posted a 1.658 WHIP while striking out only 30 batters against 22 walks over 38.0 innings. The fact that he's a left-handed reliever will help his odds of making the Opening Day roster, but he'll need to dial in his command and cut down on walks to earn a spot in the Padres' bullpen.