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    Notes about the coming MLB Draft or draft picks go here.

    10 rumors in this category

      Steve Drumwright

       

      The San Diego Padres have nearly completed signing all 21 of their selections from the recent MLB Draft.

      As expected, there is still one player who remains unsigned and is likely to remain that way.

      The Padres' bonus pool is $9,479,000 and with these reported figures by Baesball America, Padres Mission's Draft tracker has the team at $346,394 over, which falls within the allowable 5%. Teams pay a 75% on that overage.

      According to Baseball America, the Padres cemented deals with 20 draft picks. Here is the class in its entirety with signing bonuses:

      Draft choices in Rounds 11 through 20 can receive up to a $150,000 bonus without counting against the bonus pool. Anything over $150,000, such as the $100,000 extra given to Quatrani, the 18th-round pick, goes toward the bonus pool.

      Lord is the only player yet to be signed and with less than $100,000 emaining in that 5% threshold, will remain that way. No team in this current system has ever gone above 5%, which involves losing a first-round draft choice. Projected as the No. 54 draft prospect by Baseball America and No. 80 by MLB Pipeline, Lord has a commitment to Mississippi State. He took to Instagram following the fifth round of the draft to say that he did not wish to be drafted and would honor his college commitment. But Lord is also the teammate of Borthwick, the Padres' first-round selection, at South Walton High School in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla., giving the Padres a decent shot to sign the right-handed starter.

      The Padres are holding an orientation for the draft picks this weekend at their facility in Peoria, Ariz.

       

      Steve Drumwright

       

      With just days until the deadline to sign draft picks, the San Diego Padres secured the services of another one of their 21 selections.

      Fourth-rounder Robbie Lavey, a catcher out of George Washington, received a signing bonus of $600,000 from the Padres, MLB Pipeline's Jonathan Mayo reported Friday. That is slightly below the slot value of $620,300 for the 124th overall pick. To see how the Padres are doing with their bonus pool, check out our Draft Tracker.

      Lavey makes it the top four draft picks to have signed. They have six of their top seven picks, now just missing fourth-round compensation selection Alex Conover, an outfielder from Oklahoma State.

      Lavey is a versatile catcher with a decent hit tool and decent arm, better all-around than terrific in any single aspect.

      The deadline to sign draft choices is Monday at 2 p.m. PT.

       

      Steve Drumwright

      The San Diego Padres continue to make progress on signing their 21 draft choices.

      Third-rounder Ryan Lynch, a right-handed pitcher out of North Carolina, has signed with the Padres, MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis reported Thursday. Lynch received a signing bonus of $1 million, which is an overslot deal. The No. 97 pick had a slot value of $808,100. Check out the signings and how they impact the Padres' bonus pool in our Draft Tracker.

      Lynch's deal means the top three picks and five of the top 10 rounds (11 selections) and six of 21 overall have put pen to paper. That includes first-round pick Coleman Borthwick, who signed Wednesday.

      The 21-year-old Lynch, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, is likely to begin his pro career as a starter and possesses a power sinker that can get up to 97 mph while typically sitting at 94 mph. His results as a starter this spring were mixed, but the Padres are hoping to iron those out as he turns pro. If not, he projects as a potential late-inning reliever, possibly a closer.

      Steve Drumwright

      The San Diego Padres reeled in their biggest fish from the MLB Draft. Does that help them catch another big fish?

      First-round draft choice Coleman Borthwick, a high school pitcher out of Florida, has signed with the Padres on Wednesday, according to his Instagram account. On Friday, Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline reported the bonus to be $3.8 million, with the 21st overall pick had an assigned value of $4,224,700, saving more than $400,000 for other picks. The Padres also came to terms with sixth-rounder Nu'u Contrades, a shortstop from Arizona State, who received a $300,000 signing bonus, MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis reported Thursday. Contrades had a slot value of $350,100.

      Borthwick, at 6-foot-6, 260 pounds, was the top high school pitcher selected in the draft and signed his contract at the Padres' complex in Peoria, Ariz. Depending on if Borthwick received an under-slot deal, the Padres could use that money toward one of his teammates at South Walton High School in Santa Rosa Beach, Fla. That would be right-handed pitcher Denton Lord, whom the Friars selected in the 17th round after he announced on Instagram following the fifth round that he would honor his commitment to Mississippi State. But if the Padres can cobble enough money together from other draft picks, they could land Lord.

      As a senior, the 18-year-old Borthwick went 11-0 with a 0.21 ERA, .082 opponent average and 12.9 strikeouts per seven innings.

      Contrades, 22, finished his redshirt junior year at Arizona State with a .366/.434/.762 slash line.

      The Padres now have five of their 21 draft choices signed, including their top two selections.

      Steve Drumwright

       

      The San Diego Padres have landed their fifth-round draft choice.

      Kansas State right-handed starter James Guyette has signed with the Padres for $400,000, MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis reported Wednesday. That is just slightly below the slot value of $449,500. You can keep tabs on the Padres and their draft pool with our Draft Tracker.

      A 6-foot-3, 215-pounder, Guyette was a surprise selection for the Friars with the 157th pick. He was not ranked by either Baseball America or MLB Pipeline. A SoCal native who attended Newbury Park High School, Guyette joined the Kansas State rotation this season as a junior and had a 5.56 ERA with 35 walks and 105 strikeouts in 79⅓ innings. He has a really nice slider in the mid-80s and a good sinking fastball that sits 93-94 mph. He also has a changeup that can become a plus pitch.

      Guyette is the third of the Padres' 20 draft choices to have been signed, joining second-rounder Elliot Lascelles, a high school shortstop from Toronto, and 11th-rounder Chris McHugh, a first baseman from North Carolina State.

       

      Steve Drumwright

       

      The San Diego Padres have reeled in their second draft pick of 2026.

      Toronto high school shortstop Elliot Lascelles, the Padres' second-round pick, has secured a signing bonus of $2,800,394, the highest amount for a Canadian position player, according to MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis.

      That is an above-slot deal. The No. 60 selection had an assigned value of $1,561,000. To keep tabs on how the Padres are spending their draft pool of $9,479,000, check out our Draft Tracker. Previously, the Friars had given a $170,000 bonus to 11th-rounder Chris McHugh, a first baseman from North Carolina State. For those drafted in the 11th through 20th rounds, only the amount over $150,000 counts against the draft allotment.

      Lascelles, 18, played at Upper Canada High School in Toronto and brings a terrific hit tool. In a spring tour of the U.S. in which his team faced a lot of minor-league pitching, Lascelles hit .389 in 59 at-bats with four extra-base hits. He is likely to have to eventually move off shortstop due to questionable arm strength, with second base a strong Plan B.

       

      Braden Ramsey

      The San Diego Padres selected James Guyette with pick No. 157 in the 2026 MLB Draft. Guyette is a right-handed pitcher out of Kansas State University. The slot value for the pick is $449,500.

      Guyette, a rising senior, produced a 5.56 ERA in 16 appearances (15 starts) with the Wildcats in 2026. He tallied double-digit strikeouts in three starts last season, including 13 punchouts in a complete game victory over the Cincinnati Bearcats on May 10.

      "[Guyette] went to training camp with the U.S. collegiate national team last summer," MLB Draft analyst Jim Callis said on MLB's live stream. "What stands out with him is the East-West contrast on his sinker and slider. He's got a 92-94 MPH sinker that breaks [arm side], a low 80s slider that breaks [glove side]... has also got a fading changeup that keeps guys off balance."

      Guyette was an All-Big 12 Team Honorable Mention in 2025, when he operated exclusively as a reliever. As a starter in 2026, he racked up 105 strikeouts in 79 1/3 innings.

      Steve Drumwright

      With their final pick on the first day of the 2026 MLB Draft, the San Diego Padres got their first power bat.

      That came in the form of Oklahoma State junior outfielder Alex Conover, who was taken with a compensation pick in the fourth round, the 134th overall selection. The Friars received this pick as a result of the qualifying offer given to right-handed starter Dylan Cease, who signed with the Toronto Blue Jays for seven years and $210 million in free agency. The 134th pick has a $563,900 bonus slot.

      Another left-handed bat, the 6-foot-4, 202-pound Conover slashed .357/.476/.625 at Oklahoma State with 14 homers, 37 RBIs and 16 stolen bases.

      All of his tools were given a 50-grade on the 20-80 scouting scale by MLB Pipeline.

      He made huge strides in cutting his chase rate from 2025 to 2026, going from 26% down to 19%. He rarely swings and misses when the ball is in the zone and does go gap-to-gap. One drawback is he does tend to hit too many groundballs. Conover also has solid speed but played mostly left field at Oklahoma State, though he did see action in center. His arm is rather average, which probably leaves him in left with first base also a possibility.

      As a minor bonus, he did catch in high school.

      Steve Drumwright

      Not that the San Diego Padres needed additional catching depth, but they went out and drafted another backstop.

      With the first of two fourth-round selections, the Padres selected George Washington junior catcher Robbie Lavey with the 124th overall pick. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound left-handed hitter had a .339/.462/.526 slash line this season with 20 extra-base hits and 37 RBIs.

      His slot number is $620,300. Lavey is 20 years old.

      Lavey does a lot of things very well, but nothing overly well. His best trait is his arm, which has been graded as 55 on the 20-80 scouting scale. He is a line-drive hitter who makes good contact and can drive the ball.

      Defensively, he might need some work, but is a positive there more than a detriment behind the plate. The Padres have good catchers at every level, led by No. 1 prospect Ethan Salas.

      Steve Drumwright

      After going undrafted out of high school, right-handed starter Ryan Lynch bolstered his profile high enough for the San Diego Padres to select him in the third round (97th overall pick) in the 2026 MLB Draft.

      Lynch finished his sophomore season as part of North Carolina's starting rotation, posting a 4.21 ERA with 36 walks and 89 strikeouts over 98⅓ innings in 19 games, all but one a start. Lynch has a tremendous sinker that has reached 98 mph and sits at 94-96 mph. He also has a 83-85 mph slider that shows good depth. He also has a changeup that needs more development.

      At 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, he has an excellent frame, yet didn't have big strikeout numbers this year. He did excel in a relief role as a freshman and some see him more in that role than as a starter, with the potential of being a closer if he goes to the bullpen.

      The 97th pick has a bonus slotted at $808,100.

      DiamondCentric's Jamie Cameron had this to say about Lynch, who was 95th on his big board:

      "Lynch is a young for the class college pitcher who will turn 21 a month before the draft. He's occupied a number of roles in his two years for the Tar Heels, beginning as a reliever, before transitioning into a starting role in 2026. It's a frame with ingredients for starting. Lynch stands 6'3, 235 pounds and can maintain his velocity into his outings. There's some interesting release traits too, as Lynch gets good extension and throws from a low release height. There's interesting stuff, too. His best pitch is a power sinker with a ton of run. It typically sits 94 mph but has been up to 97 mph. Lynch frequently mixes in a slider with some depth and sweep, a curveball, and a changeup, although he relies on his sinker/slider combo. Results have been mixed as a full time starter in 2026 and there's some reliever risk here until Lynch can more consistently tap into a more diverse arsenal with regularity and effectiveness. Lynch ended 2026 with a 4.88 FIP in 98.1 innings of work, striking out 20.3% of hitters and walking 8.2%."

      He has delivery of more of a slinger, which helps with deception on his pitches and could also lead to some of his control issues.

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