Padres May Have Found the Steal of the International Signing Class

The Padres took a different approach to international signings this offseason than they have in years past. Instead of allocating most of their money to one top name, they prioritized depth.

The goal of this strategy is to add multiple players to a thin farm system and hopefully produce a few “diamonds in the rough.”

It’s not an easy task, but Preller and international scouting director Chris Kemp may have hit the nail on the head by landing what could be the steal of this year’s class: Diego Serna.

The 16-year-old Mexican international signed with the Padres for just $1 million, making him one of the more affordable top prospects. Despite the modest price tag, Serna is one of only two southpaws ranked on Baseball America’s top 100 international prospects and has yet to show any glaring weaknesses.

Out of Ciudad Obregón, Serna boasts an impressive 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame that is notably strong for a player his age. Those physical traits translate well to his arsenal, which features a low-90s fastball, a low-80s changeup and a high-70s breaking ball.

That combination of size, velocity and pitch-speed separation is extremely rare for an arm this young. Many pitchers don’t develop a 12-plus mph gap between pitches until they reach the major leagues.

Beyond those tools, Serna’s early career in Mexico has provided invaluable experience that should carry over into his development.

He made multiple appearances for Mexico’s national team during the 2024 U-15 World Cup in Colombia. In two outings, Serna struck out 12 batters over seven one-hit innings, helping Mexico secure three wins in the tournament.

He also logged a single appearance with Leones de Yucatán in Mexico’s professional league. Despite being 14 years younger than the average player, he tossed one full inning, allowing one earned run while recording a strikeout.

“He throws a lot of strikes,” Kemp said, “and he’s had a lot of production in international tournaments with Team Mexico.”

There’s plenty to like on a fundamental level as well. As a big, hard-throwing left-hander, there are natural injury concerns on paper, but Serna arguably has the most fluid mechanics in the class. Visually, he resembles Garrett Crochet, with the looseness of Jon Lester.

The key for Serna and the Padres’ development staff will be keeping him healthy while molding these traits into a complete major league pitcher.

Naturally, he has some things to work on. He’ll have to get more comfortable using his off-speed as a wipeout pitch in professional games and slowly build up his fastball velocity while maintaining the speed gap with his off-speed.

Those are normal developmental steps, and at 16, he's already well ahead of the curve.

Diego Serna - remember the name.