Top MLB prospect reportedly self-deports, linked to migrant smuggling

One of the top pitching prospects in the San Diego Padres organization has reportedly self-deported to Mexico months after he entered into a plea agreement in connection with a human smuggling operation.

Humberto Federico Cruz-Guajardo, 19, pleaded guilty in November to a federal misdemeanor linked to the smuggling operation in southern Arizona. Cruz, a right-handed pitcher who received a $750,000 signing bonus with the Padres in 2024, pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to enter the United States at an improper time or place, according to court documents.