Matt Johnson
Many of the San Diego Padres’ top prospects have been traded away in recent years, draining their farm system. It’s now taken another hit following the reported deportation of one of the club’s top arms in the minor leagues.
Alex Riggins of The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that minor-league pitcher Humberto Cruz plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge involving transporting a person into the United States and it’s a “virtual certainty” that he will be deported.
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Cruz, who is 19 years old, is widely regarded as one of the Padres’ top prospects in 2026. MLB Pipeline rated the 6-foot-1 righty as the fifth-best player in San Diego’s farm system. FanGraphs noted that Cruz was “one of the best arms” last summer in the ACL, and he had the upside to develop into a mid-rotation starter for the club.
In 2024, the Padres signed Cruz and he received a $750,000 bonus as part of the agreement. He was part of the club’s haul in international free agency that was headlined by Leo De Vries, who was traded last summer to the Sacramento Athletics for All-Star closer Mason Miller.
Cruz hadn’t pitched yet this season after undergoing elbow surgery in August, having an internal brace procedure to repair a UCL tear in his pitching arm. The recovery timeline had him slated to miss the entire 2026 MILB season.
Details on Humberto Cruz’s Guilty Plea, Expected Deportation
As reported by the San Diego Union-Tribune, Cruz pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of receiving money in exchange for transporting noncitizen immigrants within the United States.
As a non-U.S. citizen who worked in the country under a visa as part of the Padres’ organization, Cruz is expected to be deported. Ahead of the guilty plea, the team had placed him on the restricted list.
The Padres, according to the report, are of the understanding that Cruz won’t be permitted a work visa for the United States for the next 10 years. However, he would have an opportunity to reapply for one after five years.
On October 28 in Arizona near the U.S.-Mexico border, Border Patrol agents reportedly noticed an SUV with a single occupant headed toward the border. Not long after, it was spotted coming back with two additional passengers.
Upon being pulled over, Cruz told agents that he was aware the occupants in his car were undocumented and he was told he would be paid $1,000 for each person he transported.
If the five-year timeline holds, Cruz will be 24 years old by the time he is first eligible to return to the United States. Given the long layoff from pitching in organized baseball, it’s likely that his time with an MLB club is over.
