The San Diego Padres have signed top international prospect Leodalis De Vries to a $4.2 million bonus. The shortstop’s signing marks the second consecutive year the Padres signed the top prospect. Last year, they signed catcher Ethan Salas, who is now in Double-A.
According to Baseball America’s Ben Badler, De Vries is a polished hitter who gets on base consistently. He covers the plate with his adjustable swing and maintains command through above-average hitting power and bat speed.
Leodalis De Vries is my favorite international prospect for this year.
— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) January 4, 2024
When I went to the Dominican Republic, I saw him play the first day of a tournament, then we spoke after the game and he told me he was going to hit a home run tomorrow.
Well, the next day, second at-bat:… pic.twitter.com/PIAZu2UWIv
Aside from his intuitive play, he has shown enough mechanics that the Padres farm system could work with to make him a solid shortstop or second baseman.
Aside from De Vries, the Padres also signed Mexican right-handed pitcher Humberto Cruz and Venezuelan left-handed thrower Yunny Tovar. They also acquired outfielder Clay Winklaar from Curacao and Dominican Pitcher Marco Eluscat.
The Padres brought in Venezuelan international prospects Juan Martinez and Kevin Tamburini. The team spent $4,652,000 in signing these international free agents. The Padres need help on offense after losing Juan Soto to the New York Yankees.
They also need pitching reinforcements after losing starters Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha to the Kansas City Royals. Josh Hader and reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell might have also played their last game for the Padres.
-Lance Fernandez