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With the upcoming international signing period set to open January 15, the Padres have reportedly made their first splashes.
Dominican infielder Joniel Hernandez, one of the highest-ranked prospects by Baseball America, has agreed to sign with the Padres.
He is reported to be receiving a signing bonus of $1.1 million, per BeisbolFR’s Francys Romero.
San Diego is also poised to sign Mexican left-handed pitcher Diego Serna for $1 million out of the Leones de Yucatan system. The Padres organization has not yet confirmed the moves.
Hernandez is the big get out of this amateur free agent class, as he has all the tools and projectability that A.J. Preller, Chris Kemp, and co. search for on the market. While he is just 16 years old, Hernandez already stands at six feet even and 170 pounds. Hernandez’s skillset at the plate and defensively is advanced for his age, as his quick instincts and tools at the plate make him a prospect with high potential.
Hernandez produces impressive bat speed from the right side, which has allowed him to produce power. Baseball America describes Hernandez as a “quick-twitch, bursty athlete”, and that description can be seen well when he is at the plate. His swing is not overly long for an amateur, and it allows him to consistently generate a strong quality of contact in showcase and inter-academy game settings.
He features a medium-sized leg kick to generate kinetic energy leading into his swing, which could be something the Padres address with him to make the most out of his bat speed. Hernandez has shown an ability to hit to the pull side with authority, but not much is publicly available about his batted ball distribution in his career with Academia Ramos.
His hit tool and power tools are the clear calling card here, giving him the upside of a bat-first shortstop or third baseman down the line. His swing path is one that remains in the zone, allowing him to generate impressive loft on batted balls. While he may not have the height, his current offensive and defensive profile is similar to that of Kris Bryant when he was coming out of the draft, which has prompted some Leo De Vries comparisons by outside observers.
Joniel Hernandez is a quick-twitch, bursty athlete ⚡
See where this expected Padres signee lands on our International big board: https://t.co/COxWIpMEzZ pic.twitter.com/iaLbNOKmtz
— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) January 8, 2026
Defensively, Hernandez comes as a shortstop with above-average range and projectability to last at the position in the long term. His height falls in line with the MLB average for shortstops, and he has the quick reflexes to make the close plays along with the routine ones.
His speed is something that can definitely play at the position, as he reportedly registered a 6.33-second 60-yard dash in the presence of scouts. Not much has been reported about the 16-year-old’s arm strength, though MLB Pipeline has his arm strength graded out as average (50). Hernandez also has shown an ability to potentially land in center field due to his speed and defensive instincts, though he is more comfortably projected as a shortstop at this point.
One of the big prospects from Cuba to watch for the 2026 international class is shortstop Joniel Hernandez (Padres).
16 years old, quick-twitch athlete, plus runner with a fast bat from the right side. Eligible to sign on January 15. pic.twitter.com/2bQkpCEW3h
— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) January 7, 2026
The Padres are also investing on the pitching side, coming to terms with left-hander Diego Serna.
Serna is arguably one of the more polarizing talents in the international signing class, simply due to the confusion surrounding his abilities at the time of signing. For a young arm, Serna has shown promising stuff that will continue to improve as he grows into his body. His fastball has consistently registered in the 89-91 mph range, though some reports have emerged that he was sitting as low as 87 mph.
He also features a curveball between 78-80 mph and a changeup in the 82-83 mph range. Some scouts have called Serna “the best left-handed pitcher in the 2026 class,” according to Francys Romero. However, other evaluators are not as sold on his performance, citing a perceived decrease in velocity and his performance in a short sample size at the Mexican Rising Stars tournament. Serna actually threw one inning for the Leones de Yucatan, where his fastball clocked in at 88-89 mph.
Tenemos lanzador debutante ⭐️
Diego Serna de ? llega al profesionalismo y consigue su primer ponche ⚾️
Lanzador zurdo de 16 años, egresado de la Academia del Pacífico.
Firmó con el club en abril del 2022
¡Enhorabuena! ?? #CienAñosSiendoElRey ? pic.twitter.com/SyK8oGW0u4
— Liga Mexicana de Beisbol (@LigaMexBeis) June 5, 2025
While Serna’s case as a prospect is one somewhat shrouded in mystery surrounding his upside, some evaluators feel comfortable projecting the left-hander as a starting pitcher. Serna did not rank in the MLB Pipeline top 50 international prospects, but the Padres organization must have believed that they could help the young southpaw build up his velocity and continue to refine his command.
His current numbers and size are comparable to those of fellow Mexican right-hander Humberto Cruz when he signed with San Diego in 2024. Serna is still young, so he has plenty of time to rebuild his prospect stock and make it as a starting pitcher, though some red flags remain in his profile that warrant minor concern.
Several scouts consider Diego Serna the best left-handed pitcher in the 2025–26 class.
He brings a fastball at 89–91 mph, along with a 78–80 mph curveball and an 82–83 mph changeup.
The Padres are the favorites to sign him for around $1 million starting on January 15. pic.twitter.com/BpWcxz9xOa
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) January 9, 2026
The Padres’ 2026 international signing class will contain more talent than just the headliners, so keep an eye out for more coverage surrounding this class.
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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