Nieves signed a minor league contract with the Padres on Monday that includes an invite to spring training, Corey Brock of the team's official site reports. Nieves spent most of the season with the Phillies in 2014 serving as the backup to Carlos Ruiz, and finished the season with a .254/.270/.344 batting line with one home run and seven RBI in 36 major league games. He will likely compete with Tim Federowicz for the Padres' backup catching job behind Derek Norris.