Return of the Beast: Former Rays Top Prospect Heads Back to Padres
Former top prospect Luis Patino has re-signed with the San Diego Padres on a minor league contract. The popular “X” account Mad Friars had the deal in December.
The Padres have brought back #OldFriend RHP Luis Patiño on a minor league deal. The 25-year-old had TJS in April. He’s exhausted all of his option years, so coming back as a MLFA allows him to work without roster pressure to see if he can get back on track.
As the post states, Patino is no longer on the 40-man roster. He won’t be eligible to pitch until mid-season in all likelihood after this Tommy John surgery as well.
A native of Colombia, Patino was a Top-50 prospect in baseball for three straight years from 2019-2021. He actually came up with the Padres, but was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2020 as part of the deal that sent Blake Snell to San Diego. With the Rays, he reached as high as the No. 19 prospect in baseball back in 2021. The Rays traded him to the Chicago White Sox in 2023 and the Padres brought him back off waivers in 2023 as well. San Diego non-tendered him this offseason and was able to get him once again.
All in all, Patino has 45 games of major league pitching experience. He went 6-5 for the Rays between 2021 and 2023, making one start with 20 relief appearances.
Lifetime, he’s 7-6 with a 5.02 ERA. Once healthy, perhaps he can realize the prospect status he had for years.
