Credit: AP Photo
The Padres have been searching for power this offseason, and late on February 5, they added depth with power upside.
The Padres agreed to a minor league contract with corner outfielder/first baseman Leandro Cedeno, according to Jon Heyman.
Sources out of Japan later confirmed the signing. Cedeno was reportedly in talks to sign with a team in the Mexican League, but San Diego swooped in and managed to get a deal done.
Cedeno spent the last three seasons overseas in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), across two teams.
Originally a prospect in the St. Louis Cardinals’ system, Cedeno never really gained traction on any top prospect lists but showed a high-slugging bat in the lower levels of the minor leagues. His development was marred with growing pains in Rookie ball that saw him spend the 2015 through the 2018 seasons in DSL and FCL action before making it to full-season Single-A ball.
Following the cancelled 2020 season, he returned and continued to show power potential, slugging 12 homers and 22 doubles in 96 games. However, his strikeout rate rose to a staggering 31.5%, which did not earn him a 40-man roster spot. Cedeno then tested the minor league free agent market, landing with the Diamondbacks organization.
His lone season in Arizona’s farm was a successful one, as he mashed 32 homers, drove in 103 runs, and slashed .300/.369/.549.
Cedeno also saw his first taste of Triple-A ball, spending 14 games with the Reno Aces. The right-handed hitter doubled his walk total from the past season, from 22 to 44, while striking out in a more manageable 26.2%. Even with his season being a success, the Diamondbacks were coming off a World Series appearance with Christian Walker & Pavin Smith at the MLB level. Even more notably, Arizona had two top prospects with a primary position of first base at the time, those being the now-Marlins prospect Deyvison De Los Santos and current D-Backs farmhand Ivan Melendez (who owns one of the best nicknames in Minor League Baseball).
527 FEET for Leandro Cedeno ?
The @Dbacks infield prospect obliterated this ball for the @sodpoodles! pic.twitter.com/GHqtLFJV7e
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) July 17, 2022
Blocked on the depth chart, Cedeno took his talents to free agency. Instead of taking a minor league deal, he opted to take the overseas route, signing with NPB’s defending champion Orix Buffaloes.
Cedeno spent two seasons with the Buffaloes, splitting time with the main team and their minor league club. At the Pacific League level, Cedeno hit .254 in 480 at-bats over the two seasons, slugging 24 homers. He also made the 2023 Japan Series (NPB’s World Series) with the Buffaloes, but was mostly a non-factor in the series as the Buffaloes lost to the Hanshin Tigers in seven games.
Leandro Cedeño flips the score yet againpic.twitter.com/wTqd5j2qBp
— Gaijin Baseball/外国人野球 (@GaijinBaseball) October 19, 2023
Cedeno did not return to the Buffaloes in 2025, signing on with the Saitama Seibu Lions for that season. Staying in the Pacific League for a third season looked to be a good call, especially with the lack of difference in the dimensions between the Buffaloes and Lions’ home stadiums. However, the change of scenery did not yield ideal results, as Cedeno posted a .228/.280/.357 slash line with seven home runs and 26 RBI. He ultimately spent 39 games with the Lions’ minor league affiliate, where he performed much better (.359/.411/586, 8 HR, 28 RBI).
An Absolute TANK from Leandro Cedeno
After being down 11-1, all of a sudden it’s 11-8pic.twitter.com/FMYWpC8ZHI
— Gaijin Baseball/外国人野球 (@GaijinBaseball) September 17, 2025
Ultimately, he would spend a lone season in Saitama prefecture. He returned to the Venezuelan Winter League, playing with the Leones de Caracas. Going from the Lions to another saw him produce results in line with his NPB minor league numbers, as he slashed .297/.357/.595 in 24 games. He also hit four homers and drove in 17 runs in his time with Caracas, playing alongside Padres catcher Freddy Fermin.
Leandro Cedeño tiene siete cuadrangulares y 27 carreras remolcadas esta postemporada con #Magallanes.
Antes de él, solo Miguel Cabrera tenía números similares en playoffs. En la 2004-2005 sonó 10 jonrones e impulsó 34 en 23 juegos?pic.twitter.com/3Lm2RoZbXL
— César Sequera Ramos (@CesarSequera11) February 1, 2026
So, where does Cedeno fit into this roster?
Cedeno is limited in his positional versatility, as he is primarily a first baseman/DH. The Padres’ roster depth at this position in the upper minors is a mixed bag, as Romeo Sanabria and Marcos Castanon are the key contenders to start at first base for Triple-A El Paso. Beyond that, Jose Miranda and Tirso Ornelas are also on hand for DH at-bats. Even looking beyond that, the Padres’ first base depth at Double-A outside of Sanabria is limited, which could be an avenue for Cedeno, a la 2025 Moises Gomez. It is not yet confirmed if Cedeno will see at-bats in Major League spring training. He is likely to see late-inning at-bats during spring.
San Diego has been looking for all sorts of lineup depth this offseason. Adding a former NPB bat and Venezuelan Winter League standout certainly qualifies as such.
A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.
A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.
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