Can the Padres Lure Alexander Ramirez Away from the Angels?

15-year-old Alexander Ramirez is ineligible to sign a professional contract until his 16th birthday. There are reports that he has a deal in place with the Angels, but there are also indications that the Padres could be in play for the young player. Can the Padres lure Ramirez away from the Angels or is money too big a factor to overcome?

Just because the San Diego Padres are currently being penalized by MLB for their 2016-17 spending spree on the international market, doesn’t mean that they have not been busy trying to get better in a very competitive market.

The team spent upwards of $85 million on the open market in 2016-17 and have been limited to a maximum of $300,000 per international prospect for the last two years. During the 2019-2020 period, the team will once again be able to offer top dollar for potential prospects.

Despite that handicap, the team has excelled at attaining young talent from Latin American countries and beyond. You have to give it to Chris Kemp and his staff for finding these future relevant prospects. Coming up with these names is not easy, as they literally look at thousands of players all over the globe. Not all have what it takes.

In recent years, the Padres have found players in the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Venezuela, Colombia, Cuba, and even Australia. At no other time in the history of this club has the franchise embraced the international market like they currently are. It will be exciting to see if this change in philosophy will result in success.

The following players have been signed by the San Diego Padres since the new market opened on July 2, 2018:

We did a short write-up on some of these men, if you’d like to check it out.

Charlie Aquino, ss, Dominican Republic — $300,000 signing bonus
Euribel Angeles, ss, Dominian Republic — $300,000 signing bonus
Albert Fabian, of, Dominican Republic — $300,000 signing bonus
Wilmert Paula, ss, Dominican Republic — $300,000 signing bonus
Reginald Dowston, of, Dominican Republic — $300,000 signing bonus
Axcel Peralta, of, Dominican Republic — $300,000 signing bonus
Enmanuel Rodriguez, of, Dominican Republic — $300,000 signing bonus
Edwin Rojas, of, Venezuela
Jose Miguel Velez, of, Dominican Republic — $300,000 signing bonus
Justin Diaz, ss, Dominican Republic — $300,000 signing bonus
Eddyson Moreno, of, Dominican Republic. — $100,000 signing bonus
Alex Ramirez, c, Venezuela
Nerwilliam Cedeno, ss, Venezuela
Wilfredo Tovar, c, Venezuela
Eduardo Hidalgo, of, Venezuela
Victor Duarte, c, Venezuela
Jairo Iriarte, rhp, Venezuela

Some of these teenagers could be viable prospects one day. The team has already shown the ability to pull diamonds out of the rough like they did with Colombian’ pitcher Luis Patino or Mexican’ hurler Manuel Partida. Both were signed at the $300,000 limit and have excelled in the system in the last year.

15-year-old Alexander Ramirez from San Cristobal in the Dominican Republic could be a great signing for the team, if they can lure him away from the Angels. The right-handed hitter and thrower has shown excellent power already and could develop even more in time. The 6-foot-2, 180 lb outfielder will surely grow and get bigger as he furthers his advancement in the game of baseball. He is not eligible to sign until August 29, which is his 16th birthday.

There are conflicting reports that the Angels have already signed the player for around $1 million, but there are also reports that the young Dominican has possibly agreed to play for the Padres at $300,000. It is hard to believe he would turn down nearly $700,000, but stranger things have happened in the world of baseball.

Until the 29th, we will all just have to speculate on where he will sign. Perhaps the Padres can pull of a miracle here.

Take a look at the video of this teenager. He has very impressive tools that could easily become better with professional coaching.

Ramirez is very athletic and has a plus arm. He looks to be a corner outfielder as his foot speed is average at the moment. He tracks balls very well and gets excellent carry on his throws from deep in the outfield.

Reports indicate that he constantly barrels up baseballs to all fields. He already is showing very good power and the thought is that he will be a plus hitter throughout his baseball career. The talent is surely there for this Dominican, and his age makes him even more interesting.

The Padres are creative, but luring this young outfielder from the Angels could be tough. Perhaps Ramirez puts off his signing until July 2, 2019, when he can get top dollar from the Padres. Perhaps he doesn’t care about the money and wants to play in a developing system like the Padres. Or perhaps he is waiting until the 29th and he will sign with the Angels and set up his family for life. Option three seems like the likely choice, but Padres fans can still dream, can’t they?

James Clark

James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.