NewsFriars not planning international sequel
No followup expected to '08 spree on Dominican free agents
Kevin Towers expects no movement when the international signing period opens on Thursday. (AP)
By Corey Brock / MLB.com
07/01/09 8:30 PM ET
SAN DIEGO -- A year ago, the Padres made a splash on baseball's international signing day, spending nearly $5 million to sign four highly regarded players from Latin America and an Australian outfielder. The Padres won't be as active on Thursday, the first day of the international signing period, according to general manager Kevin Towers, who said the team will not likely announce any signings tomorrow. Randy Smith, the director of professional and international signing said last week that he was holding out hope the team can "land a premium player, unless we're not comfortable with the way the bonuses are going." The Padres were said to be high on outfielder Jose Alberto Pena and pitcher Cristopher Cabrera, according to Jorge Arangure of ESPN the Magazine. But Arangure posted an entry on Twitter on Wednesday that the team won't sign either player, possibly due to financial considerations. The Padres still have yet to sign three of their top four Draft picks, first-round (third overall) outfielder Donavan Tate, second-round outfielder Everett Williams and fourth-round pitcher Keyvius Sampson. Pena and Cabrera weren't among the list of top 25 players who are available beginning Thursday, according to Baseball America. Smith said the class of players available this year "might have a little more depth but is without as many high-profile players as a year ago" when a top-heavy class of players, headed by pitcher Michael Inoa, who agreed to a $4.25 signing bonus with the A's, hit the market. A year ago, the Padres signed right-handed pitcher Adys Portillo (Venezuela), shortstop Alvaro Aristy (Dominican Republic), outfielder Luis Domoromo (Venezuela) and right-handed pitcher Elvin Tavarez (Dominican Republic), as well as an outfielder, Corey Adamson (Australia), reaffirming the Padres' commitment to Latin America. All of the players were 16 years old at the time they were signed. Three months ago, the Padres cut the ribbon on the opening of their state-of-the-art $8.5 million training facility in the Dominican Republic, a facility that Smith said is "far and away the best in Latin America." The Padres forked over a franchise-record $4.85 million in signing bonuses to procure the five players they reeled in last year, including $2 million to land Portillo, who was considered to be the second-best pitcher in the pool of available players behind Inoa. "Last year, [the Dominican facility] put us on the map internationally," Smith said. "We plan to sustain it over the long run."Corey Brock is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
