San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller is known for his knowledge of the international market and his first big splash may come in the next few days, according to an MLB.com report.
Outfielder Lazaro Armenteros, 16, told MLB.com he would make a decision on who he’d sign with on Wednesday, but is still mulling options from many different teams.
The Padres, Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and Philadelphia Phillies are all reportedly in the running for the highly touted outfielder.
MLB.com reported earlier in the offseason that the Padres are expected to be big players in the international market this season. Moving contracts like Craig Kimbrel, Joaquin Benoit and Jedd Gyorko, along with the departures of Justin Upton and Ian Kennedy has opened up a lot of payroll for the team.
“I’m not worried about it. I’m just waiting on the right opportunity,” Amenteros told MLB.com Tuesday about his upcoming decision.
The Padres would have to exceed their international signing slot to sign the 16-year-old, unless they can convince him to wait to sign until the 2016-17 international signing period.
Armenteros was declared a free agent by Major League Baseball on Jan. 11.
