Quote from Sergio Ascencio on November 3, 2024, 11:35 am

Better to find out now than 2-3 years after his signing. Obviously the top candidates are likely already committed to teams but kids of class of 2027 are still 13-14 yrs old so there is still a lot of growth spurts and talent development to occur. Pads scouts need to earn their money uncovering unheralded talent to save January 2027 international class which I have no doubt they will.

Quote from Randy Manese on November 3, 2024, 2:54 pm

Sergio,  I saw the MLB listing of top 50 international prospects for 2025 but didn't see any teams they are expected to be signing with in that article.  Is it in another article you read?  If so, where can I find it.

Thank you!

RAMSES II

 

Quote from Sergio Ascencio on November 3, 2024, 3:10 pm

https://forum.orioleshangout.com/topic/54913-2025-international-“j2”-class-jan-15-dec-15-2025/

Quote from Randy Manese on November 8, 2024, 8:15 am

Padres had a long list of minor league free agents including most of the El Paso team, however, there were three players who I had as free agent eligible that did not show up on the list.  Those were Brandon Valenzuela, Albert Fabian and Raul Brito.

Valenzuela, a switch-hitter, who is very good defensively at catcher but probably a little below average offensively, is likely to be put on the 40 man as a cheap(er) alternative/fallback to Campusano until Salas is ready.   Has good patience at the plate but doesn't hit the ball with much authority - he will be a career back-up at best.  Still believe Higgy will return as the #1 catcher in 2025 (probably split 60/40 with Campy) so Valenzuela will get to see more time at AAA.

Fabian, LH hitting LF/1b looked like he finally had put it all together at Ft. Wayne until he slammed into the wall back-first while trying to catch a deep fly.  Injury didn't look too severe when it happened but less than a week after going on the 7 day injured list was put on the full season injured list on 1 June.  Back injuries are very tricky but if healthy and if he can pick up where he left off last year, has a chance to move up to San Antonio during the 2025 season.  Still only 24 years old, so still a little bit of hope that he can regain legitimate prospect status.

Raul Brito, RH RP, was signed as a free agent last year and performed consistently well again for SA this year.  Could develop into more than just an organizational player but the true test will be if he is promoted to El Paso.

Quote from brent wolff on November 12, 2024, 7:34 am

Quote from Sergio Ascencio on November 3, 2024, 11:24 am

The 3 top international signees for Pads on January 2025 are: SS Jhoan De La Cruz, SS Deivid Coronil and LHP Carlos Álvarez. De La Cruz is rated 20th in MLB top 50 international prospects and Coronil is rated 34th and Alvarez is 38th. Alvarez is highest rated international pitcher in Top 50.

Now that Sasaki is going to be posted, won't any team that gets him have to give up their entire international pool money after it resets on Jan. 15th?  So, what happens to the potential signees listed above?  Thanks in advance for any replies.  Go Pads!

Quote from Randy Manese on November 12, 2024, 8:02 am

The difference among MLB teams in International Bonus Money Allocation is not significant if you are looking to sign someone like Sasaki or Ohtani.  He's going where he wants to go irrespective of the money involved.  What is significant is what you asked above - the impact on those prospects who teams may have been committed to as early as 3-4 years ago.

The team signing Sasaki, as you indicate, will likely have to give up all or most of their signing bonus allocation since it would be seen as insulting to Sasaki not to do so.  That could cause quite a scramble among other teams who may not have committed all of their money or who had lower end prospects with much lower bonuses "in hand"; some teams could have some very good prospects fall in their laps.  However, it also could put any club in a disadvantageous position in future years because of reneging out of these potential switches - it all depends upon how strong that club is in the international market.

If the Padres were to sign Sasaki for all or most of the allocation, they can still sign numerous prospects for $10,000 or less which is what they have been doing the past couple of years.  They could even sign those they are tied to in 2025 but those prospects are likely expecting much more than 10K.  For that reason, teams are going to want Sasaki to announce, as soon as possible, who he is going to sign with so they'll know what course of action to take.  We're in it to win it!!  GO PADRES!

Quote from MrPadre19 on November 12, 2024, 1:21 pm

I don't want to jinx it but I feel pretty positive about our chances with Sasaki....not sure why exactly...I just have this feeling.

Than again,it may just be gas.

 

Quote from BoosterSD on November 12, 2024, 2:17 pm

Quote from MrPadre19 on November 12, 2024, 1:21 pm

I don't want to jinx it but I feel pretty positive about our chances with Sasaki....not sure why exactly...I just have this feeling.

Than again,it may just be gas.

 

Just saw an interesting blurb on CBS. It states that if Sasaki does not wait until January 15th to sign, only two teams have over $2M left in their international signing bonus pool. LAD and BAL. If Sasaki signs prior to Dec 15th 2024, SD could only offer $2,000 as a bonus.

IF he waits for the next bonus pool period to open up, then SD will be back at full dollars, and can offer him as big of bonus as possible.

So, it will be interesting to see when he gets posted, and how long he waits to sign.

Quote from Randy Manese on November 12, 2024, 6:21 pm

Sasaki is not out to maximize his earnings potential in the near term otherwise he would have stayed a couple of more years in Japan; he's potentially losing tens, maybe hundreds, of millions of dollars coming out early.  However, 6M is still a lot better than 2M, so why not wait another 30 days irrespective of when Chiba Lotte posts him - he officially signs on 15 January although we'll know before then with whom he is going to sign.  GO PADRES!