The Padres had their eye on 16-year-old Mexican Zayed Salinas when they moved Travis Jankowski to the Cincinnati Reds three weeks ago for international cap space.
Their plans for Salinas — who signed over the weekend for $800,000 — are rather unique, too: The 6-foot-2, 180-pound left-hander will get a look as the Padres’ first true attempt to develop a two-way player from the ground up.
Unlike the short-lived Christian Bethancourt relief experiment, which began after a lengthy career as a catcher, Salinas will take his first strides toward becoming a hitter/pitcher when he gets with the Padres staff next month in Peoria, Ariz.