The 6’8 Michel Baez signed with Padres in December following the 2016 season for $3 million. Prior to that, he played for the Vegueros de Pinar del Rio and the Huracanes de Mayabeque of the Cuban National Series in 2014 and 2015.
In 2017, Baez made his debut for the Arizona League Padres. He allowed two runs and struck out seven in five innings before getting promoted to the Fort Wayne TinCaps, where he played the remainder of the season. He started 10 games, finishing with a 6-2 record and an ERA of 2.45 with 82 strikeouts in 58 2⁄3 inning pitched.