The Padres have emerged from the last two international signing periods with some of the top prospects available.
However, when this year’s signing window opens on Wednesday, don’t expect much activity — at least not until Japanese superstar Roki Sasaki makes his decision.
The Padres are among the finalists for Sasaki, alongside the Dodgers and Blue Jays. Landing him would be a financial windfall for any team, as his payday will be capped under MLB’s rules for players under 25 entering as international free agents.
Both the Padres and Blue Jays can offer Sasaki up to $6.26 million, while the Dodgers are limited to $5.15 million. However, teams can trade to increase their bonus pools by up to 60%, potentially allowing the Dodgers to offer $8.23 million and the Padres and Blue Jays up to $10.02 million. Teams cannot begin making trades to expand their pools until the window officially opens on Wednesday.
This situation adds another layer of complexity to what is typically a long, calculated process.
In recent years, the Padres had built strong relationships with prospects like catcher Ethan Salas (2023) and shortstop Leodalis De Vries (2024), making their eventual signings more or less a formality. This year, however, the Padres are not linked to the top-tier prospects because their focus is squarely on Sasaki.
According to Baseball America’s top-100 international prospects list, the Padres are connected to players like Dominican shortstop Jhoan De La Cruz (No. 43), Venezuelan shortstop Deivid Coronil (No. 50), Dominican left-hander Carlos Alvarez (No. 69), and Venezuelan outfielder Sebastian Peña (No. 77).
The Padres could potentially push some of their handshake agreements into the 2026 signing period, but such a move is far from simple.
Other teams have already experienced setbacks in the Sasaki waiting game. For example, the White Sox recently swooped in and signed Venezuelan outfielder Orlando Patiño (No. 81) for $570,000 after the Dodgers had offered $400,000. Similarly, the Dodgers lost Dominican shortstop Darell Morel (No. 20) to the Pirates, who doubled their offer.
The Padres could face a similar risk, losing players linked to them while waiting for Sasaki’s decision. If Sasaki opts to sign with the Dodgers or Blue Jays before his 45-day posting window closes on Jan. 23, the Padres may scramble to secure their other targets or even attempt to sign players initially set to join the team that signs Sasaki.
Until Sasaki’s decision, the only international prospect signings the Padres are likely to announce will be for players earning $10,000 or less, amounts that do not count against bonus pools.
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