After two consecutive years of signing the No. 1 overall prospect in the international class ¨C and reportedly making a Herculean effort to do so for the third straight year with right-hander Roki Sasaki ¨C the Padres have taken a different path in 2025: spreading around their bonus pool to land three members of MLB Pipeline¡¯s Top 50 group.

Shortstops Jhoan De La Cruz (No. 21 overall) and Deivid Coronil (No. 35), and left-handed pitcher Carlos Alvarez (No. 39), have all agreed to deals to join San Diego, giving the club another high-profile class, albeit in a different manner than in years past.

Both De La Cruz and Alvarez will receive $1 million signing bonuses, while Coronil will land $900,000. The club received $6.26 million in pool money this year.

From the same city as Padres right fielder Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Pedro de Macor¨ªs, Dominican Republic), De La Cruz draws rave reviews from evaluators for his in-game aptitude and knowledge. He has supremely quick hands that help him get the barrel of the bat through the zone from both sides of the plate. Equipped with plus knowledge of the strike zone, De La Cruz has a short stroke that plays well within his 5-foot-11, 170-pound frame.

De La Cruz has solid footwork and instincts with the glove, which gives him a chance to begin his pro career as a shortstop after spending his time there as an amateur. A move off the more demanding defensive position may be the move in the long term to allow his offensive upside to dictate his growth.

Competition will be fierce between De La Cruz and Coronil for reps at the six as they begin their pro careers. Despite his 6-foot-3 frame and extensive track record at shortstop, multiple evaluators believe Coronil is the most gifted member of the 2025 class when it comes to defensive acumen. There are loads of projection still to come with the 17-year-old surefire shortstop, who trains with David Concepci¨®n Jr. at his academy in Cagua, Venezuela, a facility that is part of the MLB Training Partnership Program.

Also a switch-hitting shortstop, Coronil showcases a quick bat path from both sides of the plate. With not much muscle presently on his frame and a swing geared for contact, he projects as a prototypical tablesetter with the bat who has a propensity to put the ball in play.

Prior to Sasaki reclassifying to join the 2025 international class, Alvarez was slotted in as the top hurler available. Clubs are understandably reluctant to hand out extravagant bonuses to young pitchers due to a multitude of factors that include limited reps against top-tier competition as an amateur and the necessary physical growth that will need to occur before stuff and command can be truly gauged.

But already 6-foot-3 at 17 years old, Alvarez is a prospect worth rolling the dice on. Combining his projectable frame with upside and knowledge of how to attack batters, the southpaw has been clocked north of 90 mph for years now. A former outfielder, the native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, has a supremely fresh arm due to the limited numbers of innings he¡¯s thus far accrued.

Working with short arm action inside of a repeatable delivery, Alvarez¡¯s feel for three offerings -- fastball, slider and changeup -- makes him an exciting project for the club to add to its arsenal of pitching prospects. While he may not be at the current ceiling of 2024 left-handed draftees Kash Mayfield (SD No. 3) and Boston Bateman (SD No. 4), he could quickly ascend into a Top 30 group that already features a staggering 20 pitchers.

Maybe no organization has made a bigger impact on the international market over the past two years than San Diego, which has turned Ethan Salas (2023¡¯s No. 1 international prospect) and Leodalis De Vries (2024¡¯s No. 1 prospect) into a pair of Top 30 overall talents. The club has been steadfast in its desire to hold on to both players, while choosing to utilize a deep prospect crop to supplement the big league club. Currently, 12 members of the Padres¡¯ Top 30 list are players who joined the pro ranks as international signees.

An international player is eligible to sign with a Major League team between Jan. 15 and Dec. 15. He must turn 16 before he signs and be 17 before Sept. 1 the following year.

That means players born between Sept. 1, 2007, and Aug. 31, 2008, will be eligible to sign in the current signing period. Players must be registered with Major League Baseball in advance to be eligible to sign.