San Diego Padres sign 17-year-old international prospect Leodalis De Vries
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – For the second consecutive year, the San Diego Padres have signed the player considered by many baseball experts to be the best international prospect.
The Padres on Monday announced the signing of 17-year-old Leodalis De Vries of the the Dominican Republic. FanGraphs and MLB Pipeline both placed the teen at the top of their respective international prospect rankings.
The 6’2”, 175-pound switch-hitting infielder “possesses a projectable frame equipped with bat speed and advanced discipline from both sides of the plate. His speed and body control allow him to impact the game both defensively and on the basepaths,” the team stated in a press release.
In January 2023, San Diego signed 16-year-old catcher Ethan Salas, who was ranked the top international prospect in last year’s class.
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Padres Reportedly Shopping Ha-Seong Kim for Pitching Help
The San Diego Padres have already made moves that have shaken up the MLB world this offseason (looking at you, Juan Soto). As we approach the 2024 season, the Friars may not be done trading key pieces.
The Padres are in desperate need of pitching, and as things stand, the possibility of moving a star infielder continues to rise. According to MLB insider from USA Today, Bob Nightengale, the Padres are actively shopping infielder Ha-Seong Kim
. The Padres have a lack of pitching depth thanks to multiple key departures this offseason. They currently have Yu Darvish and Jose Musgrove, and… that’s about it. Reigning Cy Young winner, Blake Snell, is unlikely to return, and they’ve already lost Seth Lugo, Nick Martinez and Michael Wacha from last year’s rotation.
To fill the needs in the rotation, the Padres may need to trade Kim, similar to how they traded Soto for four controllable pitchers.
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The 28-year-old Kim had the best season of his young career in 2023, as he recorded career highs across the board. The Korean star slashed .260/.351/.398 with a .749 OPS, 17 home runs, and 60 RBIs in 152 games.
Kim is in the last year of his four-year deal and due for a huge contract next offseason. If the Padres don’t want to pay what it’ll take to land him, they may be better off moving him this offseason and netting a return.
