Padres 'ready for anything' ahead of 2025 Draft

SAN DIEGO -- The fruits of recent Drafts are just about everywhere on this Padres roster.

Playing center field? 2021 first-rounder Jackson Merrill. All-Star setup man Jason Adam? Acquired for ‘22 first-rounder Dylan Lesko. First baseman Luis Arraez? Acquired for ‘23 first-rounder Dillon Head.

In terms of extracting value from their top Draft picks, lately the Padres haven’t missed. And they’ll be looking to continue that trend Sunday night, when the 2025 Draft gets underway from the All-Star Game in Atlanta.

“We just want to keep the momentum rolling,” said Padres scouting director Chris Kemp. “Keep creating value, whether it’s a guy like Jackson that gets here or it’s a guy that ends up in a trade that helps us get a Jason Adam, Luis Arraez, more All-Stars. It’s fun, and we’re ready for anything.”

They’ll need to be. The Padres select 25th overall on Sunday, which is already a relatively unpredictable spot, at the back end of the first round. They won’t have a second-round pick -- the product of signing qualified free agent Nick Pivetta.

But that’s the only pick they’ll forfeit, because they stayed below the Competitive Balance Tax in ’24. They’ll round out Day 1 of the Draft with the 99th overall selection.

“We’ve got our scouts in town, we’re in the auditorium, got the board set up,” Kemp said. “A lot of good debates. We’re talking about future big leaguers.”

The 2025 Draft has been condensed to two days, with Rounds 4-20 set to take place on Monday. Because the Pivetta signing negated their second round pick -- and because they’re picking so low in the first place -- the Padres’ overall bonus pool is third lowest in the Draft, higher than only the Mets and Yankees.

They’ll have $6,569,100 to work with. Then again, this San Diego scouting group is no stranger to dealing with these challenges. They’ve done so in the past, most notably when they lost two selections after signing Xander Bogaerts before the 2023 season.

“Any time we’re making moves to get an All-Star and get this team better, keep 40,000 coming here every night -- if we lose a pick or lose some Draft pool money, I don’t care,” Kemp said. “We’ll find depth to draft guys. It’s a good challenge. We like it.”

On that front, Kemp said the team interviewed about 120 different players at last month’s Draft combine, which he estimated might’ve been the most among all teams in attendance. That’s an effort to leave no stone unturned.

“Getting as much information as you can, meeting with as many players as you can -- you’re looking for an edge, right?” Kemp said. “The more information you have, and meeting with a lot of players might give you a bit of an advantage.”

Given the past history, it stands to reason that the Padres might target high school players. They haven’t selected a college player with their first pick since Cal Quantrill in 2016. But Kemp (who has said this before) insists that isn’t a trend.

“Right now, there’s college guys in discussion that we’re looking at,” Kemp said. “Really, that’s just kind of how it’s been. Best player available, highest-upside stuff -- it’s just been high school lately. But I think we’re right in the mix to take anything this year.”

• Day 1 picks: 25, 99
• Bonus pool allotment: $6,569,100, 28th most in MLB
• Last year’s top pick: LHP Kash Mayfield … The high school lefty out of Oklahoma has posted a 3.48 ERA in 11 starts this season for Single-A Lake Elsinore. He currently checks in as the team’s No. 3 prospect, per MLB Pipeline. (Or, the top-ranked prospect outside of the organization’s big two, Leo De Vries and Ethan Salas.) In 31 innings, Mayfield has racked up a whopping 49 strikeouts, showcasing the swing-and-miss stuff the Padres always envisioned for him.
• Breakout 2024 pick: RHP Tyson Neighbors … A fourth-round selection out of Kansas State, Neighbors tore through the High-A Midwest League, posting a 1.19 ERA in 18 appearances with close to two strikeouts per inning. That earned Neighbors a promotion to Double-A San Antonio, and it’s reasonable to think he could be knocking on the door of the big leagues as soon as next season.