An extremely versatile reserve who played every position but catcher in 12 major-league seasons, Salazar was a Padre three different times. He was traded to the Chicago White Sox along with Tim Lollar and Ozzie Guillen for former Cy Young Award winner LaMarr Hoyt. He returned to the Padres as a free agent in 1987, then signed with the Tigers in 1988, before being dealt back to San Diego in 1989 for Mike Brumley.
The Venezuela native was the Padres’ third baseman in 1982-83, hitting 22 homers and stealing 56 bases over two seasons, and in 1988 played 130 games for Detroit (mostly in the outfield), hitting .270 with 12 home runs and 62 RBI. He was traded to the Chicago Cubs in mid-1989 along with Marvell Wynne in exchange for Calvin Schiraldi and Darrin Jackson.
With the Cubs, Salazar played predominantly third base, batting .254 in 1989 with 12 HR and 47 RBI. He was a career .308 pinch-hitter in 88 at-bats, with four pinch-homers and 17 runs batted in.
