Padres bank draft savings, add a sinker-slider arm in Guyette

The Padres' draft class is starting to lock in, and one of the more interesting names on the list is James Guyette, a Kansas State right-hander they popped in the 5th round at No. 157 overall. According to Jim Callis, Guyette signed for $400,000, a shade under the $449,500 slot value for that pick, which frees up a little extra bonus-pool money for San Diego to spread around elsewhere in the class.

Jim Callis

@jimcallisMLB

5th-rder James Guyette signs w/@Padres for $400k (slot 157 value = $449,500). @KStateBSB RHP, heavy 92-94 mph sinker up to 97 pairs well with low-80s slider. @MLBDraft

The stuff is what makes this pick fun. Guyette works with a heavy 92-94 mph sinker that's touched 97, the kind of pitch that misses barrels instead of bats, paired with a low-80s slider that gives hitters a completely different look. That east-west shape, sinker running arm-side and slider breaking glove-side, is exactly the type of two-pitch combo player-development staffs love to get their hands on.

Guyette's path to this point wasn't a straight line. He spent his first two years at Kansas State working almost exclusively out of the bullpen, earning All-Big 12 honorable mention as a reliever in 2025 before making the jump to the rotation this past spring. In his lone season as a starter, he racked up over 100 strikeouts, proof the stuff plays even when he's not just letting it fly for an inning at a time. Scouts have also flagged the slider as still a bit rough around the edges, which likely factored into where he landed on draft day and, in turn, why he came in under slot.

That savings matters more than it might seem. Teams operate under a fixed bonus pool across their first 10 rounds, so every dollar a team saves on one pick can get funneled into overslot offers for tougher signs elsewhere in the class. San Diego taking $49,500 off Guyette's number is a small but real lever in how the rest of their draft class comes together.

For a Padres system that's leaned heavily on pitching depth in recent drafts, Guyette is a low-cost, high-frame arm with a carrying pitch already at the professional level. The slider will be the swing skill to watch as he moves through the minors — sharpen that up and there's a real chance he climbs the org's pitching pipeline faster than a 5th-round senior sign usually does.