Padres Release Jason Bartlett

The Padres released former starting shortstop Jason Bartlett on Monday, ending his disappointing career as a Padre. Bartlett, who was acquired prior to the 2011 season, was expected to give the Padres a steady, veteran presence at shortstop. Bartlett failed to deliver.

Bartlett had a decent, but unspectacular 2011 season. He hit .245, with 2 homers and 40 RBI’s in 139 games. Bartlett’s best year in the big leagues was in 2009, when he hit .320 for the Rays. He never came close to duplicating that production again.

The wheels came off in 2012, as Bartlett posted a cringe-worthy triple-slash line of .133/.240/.193, with no homers and four RBI’s. Bartlett also stuck out 27 times in 97 plate appearances.

Bartlett signed a 2-year, $11 million contract prior to last season. Bartlett had a vesting option for 2013, that would kick in after 432 plate appearances. Instead, the Padres will pay Bartlett a $1.5 million buyout.