Padres international free agency update as Roki Sasaki decision still pending

With the 2025 international free agency period now officially open, the San Diego Padres will be looking to continue their success in finding the best young talent on the international market. With the push to sign Roki Sasaki dominating headlines over the past weeks, a number of other players the Padres are expected to sign have flown under the radar.

Of course, every Padres and MLB fan will be anxiously waiting for Sasaki's decision, but with an international class as full of talent as this one, it would be a disservice to the other impressive players not to give them some time in the spotlight. According to Baseball America's top 100 international bonus board, which ranks players by their expected signing bonus, the Padres are looking at signing four players in addition to Sasaki.

Padres looking at two switch-hitting shortstops

The prospect expected to get the largest signing bonus from the Padres that is not Roki Sasaki is 17-year-old Jhoan De La Cruz, a shortstop from the Dominican Republic. De La Cruz is expected to be a contact hitting middle infielder, but could gain more power once he grows into his 6-foot-3 frame. A switch-hitter, De La Cruz is described as having the ability to hit the baseball to all parts of the field, while having a decent arm and good defensive skills. He is currently ranked 27th in Fan Graphs international prospect ranking list, and is expected to receive a bonus upwards of $2 million.

Deivid Coronil, another 17-year-old shortstop, this time hailing from Venezuela, is described by Baseball American as having "one of the more exciting combinations of tools, athleticism and physical upside in Venezuela." Also a switch-hitter, Coronil and De La Cruz bring very similar skill sets to the table for San Diego, however Coronil is expected to have more power at the plate. Higher ranked than De La Cruz coming in at the 15th spot on Fan Graphs list, Coronil could see a signing bonus around the $900,000 mark.

The final two prospects expected to head to San Diego did not make Fan Graphs top 50 international prospect's list, but do still show some upside. Carlos Alvarez, a 6-foot-5 left handed pitcher from the Dominican Republic, has a fastball that already sits in the low 90's, and a breaking ball that hovers around the low 80's. Sebastian Peña, an outfielder from Venezuela, has been described as having power to the pull side. A left handed hitter, Peña has the ability to play all three positions in the outfield.