Padres are finalizing signings of two of Dominican Republic’s top international prospects, lefty Carlos Alvarez and shortstop john de la cruzAccording to Will Sammon of The Athletic and Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com. According to Romero, Alvarez will receive a signing bonus worth approximately $1MM. De La Cruz’s bonus is unclear, but Romero previously hinted that he and the Padres reached a $2 million deal. Baseball America’s Ben Badler previously valued De La Cruz at between $1MM and $1.5MM. The broader conclusion, however, is that Romero tweeted that multiple sources indicate the Padres believe they are now out of the running for the Japanese star right-hander Riki Saaki.
Salmon added that Alvarez was initially committed to the Padres but has been exploring other opportunities since reaching the Sasaki final. He will now indeed sign in San Diego, which supports the idea that the Padres are no longer likely to sign Sasaki.
San Diego was one of Sasaki’s three finalist teams, along with the Dodgers and Blue Jays. There is no sign yet that Sasaki has made a final decision. The Dodgers are reportedly exploring trades to add extra room to their MLB-low $5.146MM international bonus pool. The Jayhawks and Padres have slightly larger bonus pools, averaging $6.262, though San Diego is also reportedly considering trades to increase their maximum potential bonuses.
However, Special Agent Joel Wolfe has previously said Sasaki’s decision will not come down simply to who offers the most bonuses. After all, if Sasaki’s priority was maximizing revenue, he could have waited two more years, until he was 25, to become a “pro” rather than an “amateur” under MLB’s international free agent structure. this is the route Yoshinobu Yamamoto Ultimately, the 25-year-old pitcher signed a record $325 million contract with the Dodgers.
There will be more to come.
