A.J. Preller was lauded as an expert on the international baseball front. When the Padres were looking for their new GM in 2014, his expertise on foreign players was one of the major selling points Preller brought to the table. The Padres were going to become major players on the international front, scooping up the best players from Asia, the Caribbean, South America, and anywhere else where they hit a horsehide-covered ball with a carved ash bat.
Now, setting up an effective worldwide baseball scouting operation is a long game. Finding promising 16-to-18 year olds who will develop into major league starters is a little like playing the lottery.