Rule 5 Draft and Winter Meetings

Unlike last year, when the San Diego Padres made a splash by trading outfielder Juan Soto to the New York Yankees for a haul of players headlined by pitcher Michael King, this was a quiet Winter Meetings for the club. Still, there was some action.

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The biggest news from a San Diego perspective was the posting of Japanese superstar pitcher Roki Sasaki on December 10. While teams may begin negotiating with him now, the new international signing period opens on January 15. He will have until 5 p.m. ET on January 23 to sign a minor league contract.

San Diego has $6,261,600 to spend on “amateur” international players – Sasaki has not played the requisite six seasons in Japan to come over as a full-fledged free agent – and can trade for up to 60 percent more to increase what they can spend on Sasaki and more traditional international free agents. There are 14 teams with more funds than the Padres, but it has been widely assumed that they and the Los Angeles Dodgers have the best chance to sign him. The problem for the Dodgers is that they and the San Francisco Giants have the least money in the pool for the new signing period.

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In the Rule 5 draft, the Padres selected right-handed pitcher Juan Nuñez, from the Baltimore Orioles organization. The Dominican native pitched in High-A last year, posting a 2.45 ERA in 29.1 innings with a strong 38:10 strikeout-to-walk ratio. According to various scouting reports, the 5-foot-11, 190-pound Nunez has a mid-90s fastball with above-average ride and a decent slider, and developing sweeper and changeup.

What exactly the Padres got in the talented righty is unclear. He just turned 24, has yet to pitch above High-A, and didn’t pitch after May last season because of a shoulder injury, though he is expected to be healthy for spring training. Nuñez, who didn’t sign his first contract until he was 20, was acquired by Baltimore in a trade with the Minnesota Twins in 2022.

Last season, San Diego selected Stephen Kolek, who was one of six players who remained with their drafting club all year. In the minor league phase, which has no roster requirements to retain a player, they acquired infielder/outfielder Clay Dungan and lefty pitcher Omar Cruz. Cruz, who began his career with San Diego before being included in the Joe Musgrove trade, was particularly impressive in the upper minors in 2024 and has been added to the club’s 40-player roster.

This year, they took three players in the minor league phase: right-handed pitcher Eiker Huizi, outfielder Jake Snider, and catcher Andy Thomas.

Huizi, 24, was in the Detroit Tiger’s organization, where he spent most of the season in Single-A Lakeland, posting a 2.36 ERA with a 48:21 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 45.2 innings. All of his appearances were in relief. Snider, 26, is a left-handed hitter who can play all three outfield positions, but is mainly a corner outfielder. He posted a .992 OPS in Low-A Fresno for the Rockies organization to open the season, but struggled in 272 plate appearances in High-A Spokane with a .237 batting average but still posted a .736 OPS, primarily driven by his .383 on-base percentage. The former University of Louisville Cardinal should be a candidate to fill out the San Antonio Missions roster next season.

Former Baylor Bear and Murrieta Mesa High School star Andy Thomas, 26, joins the Padres after spending the last few years in the Giants organization. The former fifth-round selection of the Seattle Mariners has slashed .230/.338/.348 in 1,338 plate appearances in four minor league seasons and should provide depth at either El Paso or San Antonio.

San Diego did not lose any players in the big league phase after adding Cruz, Ryan Bergert and Henry Baez to the 40-man roster. In the minor league phase, the Giants selected lefty reliever CJ Widger, who had signed with the Padres as a minor league free agent only last month.

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The Padres went into the offseason with 30 openings on their minor league roster, which goes up to 175 slots in the winter. They have been active in the minor league free agent market, bringing back familiar faces including catcher Brandon Valenzuela, pitchers Raul Brito, Jose Espada, Jose Geraldo, Logan Gillaspie, Yerry Landinez, and shortstop Mason McCoy.

In addition to Widger, the Padres have brought in six other players from outside the organization on minor league deals, highlighted by outfielder Oscar Gonzalez. The 26-year-old outfielder was a solid contributor (and something of a cult hero for his walk-up music) in his big league debut for Cleveland in 2022, but regressed in 2023 and spent last season in Triple-A for the Yankees. He will get a big league invitation to spring training and could be in the mix for an outfield role with the big league club.

The Padres have also signed relievers Harold Chirino, Eduarniel Nuñez, infielder Francisco Acuña, and outfielders Trenton Brooks and Yonathan Perlaza. Perlaza, 26, is a switch-hitter with pop who spent 2024 in Korea. He’s always produced offensively, posting strong walk rates without concerning strikeout totals, but he’s a bit miscast defensively. He and Nuñez, who looked primed for a big league debut for the Cubs in 2024 before his control absolutely disappeared at Triple-A, are likely the two names to watch in March.

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Finally, the Padres weren’t impacted by the draft lottery at the Winter Meetings. Their run to the NLDS means that they will pick 25th in next July’s draft. However, now that the results are in and the full order of first-round picks is known, the initial wave of mock drafts has landed.

The early forecasts made for the Padres can hardly be considered surprising. For Baseball America, Carlos Collazo has San Diego taking a left-handed-hitting prep infielder and MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis counters with San Diego selecting 6-foot-5 prep third baseman Quentin Young, the nephew of former first-rounders Delmon and Dmitri.

The last time the Padres didn’t go to the prep ranks for their first pick was in 2016, when they tabbed Stanford right-hander Cal Quantrill. They’ve called three left-handed prep pitchers, one right-handed high school hurler, and four left-handed hitting position players first since then.