Could Padres Steal Cuban Phenom Lazarito

Cuban phenom Lazaro “Lazarito” Armenteros is expected to sign shortly – and the Padres are hoping to steal him away from a slew of other teams that are interested in him. He is currently ranked #8 on the MLB International Pipeline List and the Braves and Phillies are expected to be the top two teams on the list.

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Just sixteen years old, the teenager has drawn tremendous interest from a multitude of teams and could demand a lot of money to go with it. He is very excited to play baseball professionally.

"“I’m always ready. I’m realizing my dream to play professional baseball. I’m planning on making a decision on [Wednesday], but only God knows what will happen and when I will sign. I’m not worried about it. I’m just waiting on the right opportunity.”"

The bigger question around Lazarito is not if – but when – he signs. The Padres fall into the same category as the Phillies and Braves who have spent aggressively in the international market this off-season. Because of that, if Armenteros wants to sign with one of those people he needs to wait until July 2nd when the new signing period starts.

Other teams like the Cubs, Giants, Dodgers and Royals could sign him this period but it would need to happen soon. These teams have the money but time could be against them.

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Armenteros established residency in Haiti in May and has been doing workouts for teams in the Dominican Republic over the last month or two. He was a star in Cuba’s championship run in the Under 15 Championship hitting .462 with 3 doubles and 5 triples in just 9 games. While most kids are thinking about getting their drivers permit, Armenteros could demand a signing bonus of $15-$20 Million.

At 6’2″ 205 pounds he could make a dramatic impact for a team in a couple of short years and be the next big Cuban superstar.