SAN DIEGO — This week the Padres announced they signed a teenage catcher from Venezuela, Ethan Salas, who is Baseball America's top-ranked prospect in this year's international amateur class.
It's remarkably bold to guarantee $5.6 million to a 16-year-old ballplayer. So much can go wrong.
The return on investment, however, can be immense if one of these educated guesses pans out.