Padres land a dynamic shortstop as international free agency opens with a new priority

The San Diego Padres didn’t wait around for international signing day to “get interesting.” They jumped early. And that’s worth clocking.

Cuban shortstop Joniel Hernandez is officially in with the Padres on a $1.4 million deal as the 2026 international signing period opens. San Diego is clearly making a real commitment to a player type they keep chasing: athletic, up-the-middle, and toolsy enough to dream on.

Hernandez comes with a strong offensive baseline right out of the box: 55 hit, 60 power, with solid grades elsewhere and a 55 overall. He’s definitely not a throwaway dart. This is a bet on a bat that can be more than a “project,” paired with enough defensive versatility to keep development pathways open.

Padres’ Joniel Hernandez move hints at a necessary pivot in how they build

Not a full identity change, but maybe a subtle nudge. For all the noise around A.J. Preller and prospect trades, the Padres have also shown they love building leverage. And the quickest way to create leverage is to keep stocking legitimate talent, especially in international classes where the best organizations consistently find value.

The interesting context with Hernandez is the development pathway already baked into his story. MLB notes he trained in the Dominican Republic with Jaime Ramos at an academy tied to MLB’s Trainer Partnership Program, and he’s known as a hard worker who leans into strength training and constant refinement.

You can’t oversell this as San Diego suddenly becomes patient to the point of purity. Preller still trades prospects. He always has. The Padres don’t collect young talent only to watch it mature; they collect it so they can decide, at the right moment, whether it becomes a contributor in Petco or a chip that helps land the next big-league upgrade.

So the most honest read is: Hernandez can represent a development-forward investment and a Preller-style flexibility play at the same time. It’s the Padres buying upside early, letting the system do what it does, and keeping the big-league board ready for the next flip.