Inside The Padres

Padres Reach Agreement with 16-Year-Old Phenom Who Could Change the Franchise’s Future

The San Diego Padres have reportedly reached a pre-agreement with a teenage Dominican pitching prospect regarded as one of the most electric young arms in the international class.
Dakota Gray|
Jun 17, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; A detail view of a San Diego Padres hat on a glove in the dugout in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
Jun 17, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; A detail view of a San Diego Padres hat on a glove in the dugout in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

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San Diego Padres

The San Diego Padres have reportedly reached a pre-agreement with Dominican prospect Yoel King, a 16-year-old flamethrower who is already touching triple digits.

 King has been clocked at over 100 mph on multiple occasions, a rare feat for a pitcher of his age. The pursuit of the international prospect is another aggressive effort by general manager A.J. Preller to rebuild a farm system that has been thinned by recent trades.

The agreement, however, is non-binding. A pre-agreement is a tentative arrangement often made with young, high-profile international prospects prior to them becoming officially eligible to sign. This “pre-agreement” does not mean King has officially signed with the Padres, nor does it guarantee he will sign later. Because it is not enforceable, King could still choose a different organization if a more appealing opportunity emerges when he becomes eligible to sign. Even so, the early connection gives San Diego a stronger position than most clubs when the time comes to finalize a deal.

While it's not guaranteed King ever joins the Padres organization, Preller has made moves like this in the past that have come to fruition. Most notably was the pre-agreement reached with catcher Ethan Salas. The Padres had a long-standing verbal agreement with Salas well before he was eligible to sign, and he ultimately inked a $5.6 million deal in 2023. While Salas hasn’t exactly been the prospect the Padres had hoped he’d be, that history provides some optimism that King could ultimately sign with the team.

King is exactly the type of high-ceiling talent the Padres need to replenish their pipeline. International arms with his velocity and projection don’t come around often, and his development will be closely watched across baseball. Although he cannot join the organization for some time and could ultimately land elsewhere, his upside is enormous. If he does arrive in San Diego, he could develop into a future ace or become a valuable trade chip to help the Padres add immediate major-league impact.

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Dakota Gray
DAKOTA GRAY

Dakota Gray is a sports journalist and photographer pursuing a Communications degree at San Diego State University. He also serves as a beat writer and photographer for the San Diego State men’s basketball team, combining his passions for writing and photography to deliver in-depth game coverage. Since a young age, sports have been a constant in his life, both as a fan and as a player. He turned that love for sports into a career and has since covered NCAA basketball, college football, the NBA G League, professional wrestling, and other events for multiple outlets.

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