January 15 marks the official opening of the international signing period. While the vast majority of top talents have reached verbal agreements with teams months or years in advance, they’re allowed to formally put pen to paper to begin their affiliated careers. The signing period technically runs until December 15, but the top signees will ink their contracts as soon as first eligible.
Ben Badler of Baseball America and Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com are among those covering the activity. At MLBTR, we’ll highlight a few of the top signees. Both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline provide scouting reports and bonus information on more of the highly-regarded prospects. They’re each worth full reads for those interested in the class.
Note: MLB Pipeline ranks the class on talent. Baseball America orders the players by bonus amount, not on evaluations of the players’ ability. Since international amateurs are so young and tend to agree to their bonuses well in advance of signing day, a player’s profile can change significantly between the time they reach agreement on a bonus and the official opening of the window.
Some of the top names (ordered by signing bonus):
- Jose Perdomo, SS, Braves: A right-handed hitting infielder from Venezuela, Perdomo leads the class with a $5MM signing bonus. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the #3 prospect in the group. He’s regarded as a polished hitter with a good chance to stick somewhere on the infield. Badler notes (on X) that the $5MM bonus is the largest ever for a Venezuelan player.
- Leodalis De Vries, SS, Padres: De Vries lands the second-highest bonus at $4.2MM. Sanchez and Badler each indicate he’s now regarded as the most talented prospect in this year’s class. It’s the second straight year in which San Diego landed the #1 player in the international period after last year’s signing of catcher Ethan Salas. De Vries, a native of the Dominican Republic, is a 6’1″ switch-hitter. He draws praise for a well-rounded offensive profile with power potential and a chance to stick at shortstop.
- Fernando Cruz, SS, Cubs: A $4MM signee out of the Dominican Republic, Cruz is a 5’11” infielder. Evaluators praise his bat speed and all-fields power potential. He draws attention for his athleticism and defensive toolset at shortstop. MLB Pipeline notes he has an aggressive offensive approach, while BA indicates some scouts have expressed concern about the length in his swing. MLB Pipeline ranks Cruz as the #4 talent in the class.
- Dawel Joseph, SS, Mariners: Signed for $3MM from the Dominican Republic, Joseph is a right-handed hitter with a 6’2″ frame. That build leads to ample raw power projection. BA and Pipeline each indicate that Joseph has lost some of his formerly elite speed as he has grown, although he still has a shot to play somewhere up the middle. Both outlets suggest he sports more of a power-over-hit offensive profile.
A few others with a noteworthy signing figure and/or placement on MLB Pipeline’s prospect rankings:
- Yovanny Rodriguez, C, Mets: $2.85MM signing bonus, Venezuela native, MLB Pipeline’s #6 prospect
- Victor Hurtado, OF Nationals: $2.7MM-2.8MM signing bonus*, Dominican Republic native, MLB Pipeline’s #20 prospect
- Adolfo Sanchez, OF, Reds: $2.7MM signing bonus, Dominican Republic native, MLB Pipeline’s #5 prospect
- Joswa Lugo, SS, Angels: $2.3MM signing bonus, Dominican Republic native, MLB Pipeline’s #37 prospect
- Yandel Ricardo, SS, Royals: #9 on BA’s bonus board (specific number unreported), Cuba native, MLB Pipeline’s #16 prospect
- Emil Morales, SS, Dodgers: #10 on BA’s bonus board (specific number unreported), Dominican Republic native, MLB Pipeline’s #14 prospect
- Paulino Santana, OF, Rangers: $1.3MM signing bonus, Dominican Republic native, MLB Pipeline’s #2 prospect
* BA reports Hurtado’s bonus at $2.7MM, while MLB.com pegs it at $2.8MM
Unless you know more about Baseball, which I seriously doubt, any comment on the post would be highly speculative.
ok?
Thank God you’re here to clear this up for us.
Lol good reply. Who does spudhooka think he is?
Including yours
k keep me posted
You posted before anyone. Who are you talking to? The voices in your head are not real dude.
The voices in my head,
are the only chance I have for an inteligent conversation!
You’re a legend in your own mind.
Can the voices spell?
Your user name is spudchukar… there are no intelligent conversations in your head.
Yes they can spell. They are corresponding via Ouija Board.
After that comment your speculative IQ is a -110
Lol Who, Winslow?
Who’s IQ is -110??
And does the negative indicate that they’re in the upside down place?
Wow you are radiating Trump like vibes….
I think someone commented before him that almost seemingly everyone has muted…lol
@spudchukar
I have a PhD in Baseball.
York – Then can you please explain to us why the Red Sox don’t have anyone listed, while eight teams with as much or less to spend than the Red Sox actually do have players listed?
@Fever Pitch Guy
A PhD in baseball doesn’t explain cheap owners. You’d need to speak with someone with a PhD in frugality.
York – Then can you please explain to us why the Red Sox don’t have anyone listed
==============================
The writers at MLB-R make the decision of whom to list. How would Old Yorke have any idea of why they chose the teams they chose?
If you want to know who the RS have and will be signing, go to:
soxprospects.com/international.htm
Old York
A PhD in baseball doesn’t explain cheap owners.
=============================
Just to explain how this works:
1-MLB gives the RS a cap number.
2-The RS spend to that cap.
I know it is your duty to criticize the RS, but they simply spend exactly what they are allowed to spend,.
A dose of penicillin should clear that up for you.
Spudchukar, You sound like an A.I. bot that is on the brink of becoming sentient.
Way to cut us off at the pass Spud
Go chuk a spud. I know more about Baaeball.
Oh yeah, LordD? Ok let me test you out…2 easy ones for you.
#1 How tall is Jose Altuve REALLY?
#2 Who wins the MVP in each league next year?
I got this, Lordy…
#1 Knee-high on a grasshopper
&
#2 The single most valuable player in both the AL and NL, which can be and probably will be very arbitrary.
Boom, what do I win?
Alright Gwynning, you got guts for taking a shot. I’ll give you that.. You went 1 for 2 my man. You aced #2 which was impressive. And although you were extremely close on #1, Altuve is actually 6’3. He hunches in an incredibly deceptive way most of the time. The only people to have ever really seen him upright and stretched out are his Wife and Mother.
P.S. Gwynning, because you only scored 1 out of 2, you get a consolation prize. 2 Opening Day bleacher tickets to the Las Vegas A’s 1st home game. *Parking not included.
And his tattoo artist?
>.<
Score! Sweeeeet
How did Gwyning know that?!!!!
Who are equally short and boss Jose around all the time. It’s really discomforting. And once the photos come out. . .
How could you possibly know about that?!?!??
Pete, I am just as shocked as you are..
The Astros hope to extend him, but they might have to settle for 6 ft 3
Trumbo – Man, all I can really say is that I hope your last sentence was still in reference to his height.
Fever, Yes of course. His length. Lol
I know you weren’t talking to me, but I love trivia. So I’ll guess 5’7″, Acuna and Judge.
All the comments on this site are.
Uhm let’s see, it’s all deferred money, the Red Sox are cheap, San Francisco is a rat hole, players won’t go anywhere taxes are high, the White Sox are the worst team in baseball, what am I missing?
#37 post on this subject, at best.
Stop ruining the fun for the accountants who think that Lou Brock was overrated because his numbers weren’t good enough.
I certainly don’t know, but industry analysts that MLBTR leverages seem to think it was a great signing.
I like the signing for the Padres. You can never have enough shortstops, for trade or to keep.
Or convert to RF. Or 2B. Or 1B. Or CF. Or…
No one loves SS’s more than the Padres.
Cincinnati does
Used to be third basemen
Leo is legit. Watch for RHP Humberto Cruz to climb all the usual prospect charts, too. Big day for our Pads!
I like CF speedster Dillon Head to enter the MLB Top 100 later this year.
Yep Head, and Iriarte might as well. If Marsee keeps well he should too. I wonder what the record is for a team in top 100? Pads have 6 now, could have 8-10 by this time next year.
Marsee? AFL MVP.
Preller and his scouts know prospects!
Too bad they cannot develop them
Rough abbreviation…..D Head.
Cruz was the #2 ranked pitcher signed overall. He is going to jump up the charts fast
baseballamerica.com/stories/mlb-international-sign…
How do the Padres always come away with the top International amateurs? I mean, is there some mechanism whereby the Padres pick first, or allowed to draft first? How are they allowed the winning bid on the top player the last two years now? Is there something afoul afoot that I should be skeptical about, or is this all fair play?? Some of this seems rather murky. Is AJ running some sort of scam ?? Does he have inside guys in the Dominican who are privy to who all the top talent might be…and they relay this information to Preller so San Diego can vacuum these guys up before everyone else?? Why do I want to start an insurrection in Seattle and march the crowd down southbound I-5 to San Diego and get to the bottom of Preller’s chicanery and double dealing??
The international draft which would have made things fair for teams, was refused by the players union. So the teams that invest the most money there, have first access to the talent. They make agreements well in advance of the players being eligible.
How are they allowed the winning bid on the top player the last two years now?
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Two things.
1-I think teams develop relationships with players when they are like 15 years old, but I don’t know if that is the case here.
2-It looks like a conscious decision by the Padres to spend almost their entire budget on one player, rather than spread it out.
I don’t know if there is any science to that. I looked at the RS, but I didn’t see any trends there. If anything, the RS look to have done better with their mid- and low-end signings, and far less on the top signings.
In that part of the world, wouldnt rule out ransom.
ISoB- yes
SOB, its not a draft. They built a relationship with the player and his trainer over a period of years, typically starting when the player is 12-13, and then sign him as a free agent.
Preller’s scouts are just great at their jobs.
Papa Pete still supplying the Padres from the beyond…love Tony, Tati, Manny, Java Joe, and Awe-some Kim…but my very favorite Padres’ gear to wear has got to be my Seidler #1. The man was truly the greatest owner in SD’s history…his legacy will not be forgotten. AJ needs to keep building up the ranks like Papa Pete knew he could to continue to make us as competitive as possible. Get in the playoffs is all that matters…then play your best baseball for a chance to “take that cake.”
Hear! Hear! Cheers Sharocko
Win or lose, I want a Peter Parade dammiit should be an annual happening in San Diego for a thousand years. Bigger than Marti Gras, bigger than Santa Claus
If you build it…they well come.
Papa Pete: “That’s my field of dreams.”
He’s grown an inch since fall when physicals report was issued, he’s now 6 ft 2″. Projected to grow to 6′ 4″ or 6′ 5″. As a polished infielder already, he’ll be able to play any position. Unbelievable that the Padres landed this guy.
B2B #1s FTW, LFGSD
“Grown an inch” – please specify
1 in = 2.54 cm
Give him an inch and he’ll take a meter
Maybe he’s just excited to have signed.
*1.6km
Rangers f’n win again
The Reds signing has been someone they have been tracking literally for years now. He has a plus-plus hit tool with average power. He should be one of the first highlighted guys to be honest.
The problem is some of us will be dead by the time he makes it to AA.
AA average age is 22-23 yrs old…so yes, you may have to bemoan waiting 4-5 yrs for this kid to reach the appropriate level
“He has a chance to break camp as a fourth outfielder”–Me as I sink to the bottom of the ocean
Too bad Twins can’t find anyone decent internationally, they sure can’t afford to sign any domestic players:(
Twins signed two top 50 guys today. Check your facts bruh
Why doesn’t MLB have an international draft?
Because an international draft would require an age limit.
The international draft does have an age limit: 16.
pinterest.com/pin/568086940498992303/
Use the same requirement as MLB does for the draft, must have graduated high school.
I think the players’ union is too greedy to let these guys take away their jobs. They officially state the reason as “people could be taken advantage of,” but they don’t really explain that one.
@degrom, a kid in DR has very little chance to get his name out there without help from either local scouts and/or Mlb investment into the local area. Boca Chica is a huge area where several teams have full blown facilities, housing etc.. however, as someone mentioned access to gear and other easily obtainable things here are difficult and expensive there. now to the taken advantage of, those same local scouts get kid to sign a contract of %. then they have another person for another area to pay a %. it is just like here if for instance you win the lotto, the vultures come out. now consider a family with low to moderate education being recruited. this is probably a terrible explanation but it was great in my head and better than the coyotes and border example I was going to use.
Players would have no leverage in an international draft. Currently, if a guy in the US doesn’t sign they can go to college/JC, but if an international player gets drafted and lowballed they don’t have an alternative to fall back on.
US colleges?
Maybe? I have no idea what the school systems are like in the Dominican. I know one way teams attract talent is by setting up schools within their facilities, so it might be the case that these kids just don’t have many options for k-12 schools. I honestly have no idea though.
@degrom, most these kids may not have a solid enough education to qualify for any college in the U.S. plus unlikely they could pass the TOEFL exam.
Wait… US Colleges have standards??? Since when?
The main reason the players are against it is because they say teams wouldn’t invest into the areas like the DR. Many of these guys are being supported by mlb teams from an early age (12-13 years old). This support helps them develop and have the gear, facilities and what not to develop.
If you do a draft the individual teams will stop supporting the areas as much and certainly for certain players because they may never have a chance to get them if there is a draft. So while the current systems is flawed it provides the most support to these poor areas.
I read an article about the Uganda Little League. The Dodgers have selected, not drafted, an 18 year old kid to be sent to the Dodger baseball school in the Dominican Republic. This kid was gifted a 6 year scholarship to play in Uganda so he was 12 when he started playing organized games. If he displays enough talent in the DR, the next step would be a stint in the Arizona Fall League. Next is either high or low A minor league play. The Dodgers have 3 of these Ugandans in their pipeline so far. I don’t know who subsidizes Uganda Little League but the Dodgers are getting the cream of their system. There are probably a lot of benefits for many people in Uganda because there is no draft. There is a spending cap though which limits the signing bonuses. The days of signing someone like Yasiel Puig for 44 million are over which is unfortunate for these international free agents. One or 2 million is still better than a poke in the eye though.
Bill – International free agency still exists because MLB and the MLB Players Association did not agree to an international draft in 2022. MLB has pushed for an international draft for years, but the union has resisted because it would strip players of the freedom to pick their team, not to mention limit their earning potential. The league recently offered to eliminate the qualifying offer system in exchange for an international draft, but the MLBPA said no. The current international free agency system remains through at least 2026, when the current collective bargaining agreement expires.
Fever: MLB was willing to get rid of the Qualifying Offer rules if the the Players Association agreed to an international draft. The two sides had until something like July of the first year of this CBA to agree to the framework for an international draft for it to happen during this CBA. They didn’t agree, so the QO will remain for the rest of this CBA.
suit – I think that’s what I had written, except I didn’t go into detail about the July deadline :O)
Not to mention the large market teams lose their big advantage in Asia. Robby the robot wouldn’t allow that to affect his masters.
I think the honest answer is the players and there “trainers” wouldnt likly go for it. The trainers or handlers or whatever they call them self get a cut of the players bonus. Also a team can trak a guy for years and know 1-3 years out that they are getting said player. A draft tho would be better
Texas really got a steal! I wonder why some guys like him can’t say that they want way more or will sign with another team instead.
“PaDrEs HaVe No MoNeY”
Proceeds to sign international free agent for 4.2 million.
Almost like Padres need to reset the tax penalties after years of spending past tax lines and doing so again would have affected their ability to sign De Vries if they surpassed the CBT threshold again (loss of IFA money).
Truth: I believe a team’s international money is separate from the money that counts against the CBT threshold.
Sorry for the misunderstanding
1. If a team goes over the cbt thresholds penalties include losing draft picks, lowering draft pick slots, and losing IFA money. Any IFA money lost would have affected signing De Vries
2. Cheap broke teams don’t blow 4.2 mill on IFAs.
$4.2MM is nothing. Lets see them resign Snell for that. How about Hader? Teams on a budget invest in the farm. Nothing new there.
If they don’t spend the IFA money it goes away, they can’t use it for anything else.
As a Pads fan and someone who played college ball I will say that Snell is hard to watch. Yes he won the Cy Young and had a great year. Typically has tremendous stuff but it seems like a godsend when he makes it out of the 5th inning. I would think his prior years in SD will be more indicative of what you’re getting and his alleged asking price of $200 million, no thanks.
Hader at $100 million? no thanks, too.
There was an interesting interview with Niebla. Said that in 2023 spring training he talked with Snell about not worrying about walks. To strategically pitch around people that have historically hit him well and to then go after the people that follow. A change in mindset that worked well for Snell.
They lost money for this year when they signed Xander because they were over last year. Has nothing to do with Vries. Padres could still sign a player with a QO this year. That doesn’t mean they have give Vries back. If they stay under the tax this year they will have more international money next year. There hasn’t been any reports yet on next years class.
Going over the CBT would not have affected signing DeVries, but signing any free agent this offseason that had a QO attached would have impacted their international free agent pool by $1 million. That was enough that they would not have been able to sign him.
“any team that is over the luxury tax threshold and signs a Major League free agent that has rejected a qualifying offer will lose $1 million from their international signing pool in the following signing period. A team that is not over the luxury tax would only forfeit $500,000 of its signing pool in the subsequent period.”
In 2023 the Padres went over the CBT threshold for the 3rd straight year. That meant a 50 percent tax on all overages plus a 45 percent surcharge for being $40 to $60 million over the $233 million threshold. The CBT tax and surcharges added over $40 million to the Padres $248 million payroll for 2023. Nearly 17% in taxes and surcharges. That also meant that their 1st draft pick for the 2024 draft was moved back 10 places from 15 to 25.
By dropping under the $237 million CBT threshold in 2024, the Padres drop back down to a 20% tax for going over and their 2025 draft pick will not get pushed back.
Losing the 1m in International Pool money the following signing period means any QO FA signed this offseason would limit next years 1/15/25 pool amount.
Like how signing Boegarts last off season lowered their pool money that went into affect today.
Resetting their CBT this offseason means they will have more money next signing period, plus a draft pick that isn’t moved back 10 spots as well as a much lower tax bill if they do go over the limit.
Super excited to add another big upside prospect to the team. It’s awesome to see him mentioning wanting to play for SD because of Latin stars like Tatis and Machado.
Padrepapi, this is correct. Pads fan isn’t correct he is all over the place on this one. Last years QO and being over the tax affected the amount of money they had this year. For sign Xander they have a 1m penalty. That’s why it was so low this year. Signing a QO guy this offseason wouldn’t affect signing Vries one bit. It would reduce next year 2025 international signing period by 1m same as it did this year. If the padres stay under the tax in 2024 they will have more international money next year then they did this year.
I literally posted what is written on MLB.com. Even quoted it.
So WTF are you talking about?
Pads Fans-
“following signing period” = next year
Thanks Gwynning. Pads Fan is posted the right mlb info but not understanding it correctly.
That’s why SD, along with the NYY, Rangers, Philly, et al, have the lowest spending cap.
The only difference is that SD is willing to spend almost 100% of their pool on one player. Same with Atlanta. Others take a shot gun approach. There is no magic here.
Thanks for posting the A’s signings of Jose Ramos and Edgar Montero MLBTR
I think MLBTR forgets that you guys are in the league. It does suck and I am not being sarcastic.
They are? I thought they got bumped down to AAA and were being moved to Las Vegas.
“power-over-hit”
A nice way of writing Three True Outcomes darling.
No, thanks.
No. De Vries shows mature patience at plate.
I think he was referring to the Dawel fellow signed by the Mariners.
Ah I see, thanks papi! Sorry ol York!
Per Baseball America, the teams expected to sign the most players in their top 100 bonus list:
Cleveland 6
Boston 5
Oakland 5
Texas 5
Toronto 5
suit – How do you feel about that approach of spreading the money around amongst lesser players? I’ve seen studies that prove it’s not the best approach.
Fever: It’s a good question. Teams do it in the regular draft too. I guess the thinking is you get somewhat more total value when you spread out the money and sign more players. The top few international prospects can each use up most of a team’s entire bonus pool. So, if you spend most of your bonus pool on one prospect and he busts, you are largely set back. If you come across any good studies, I would like to see them.
suit – The logic is there’s more risk involved when you spread against lower-ranked prospects.
Think of it this way, what gives you a better chance of developing a 23-year-old major league player …. taking 2 guys in AAA, or 5 guys in A ball.
Or for a non-baseball analogy …. which gives you a better chance of winning $40, a single $20 scratch ticket with 1-in-3 odds of winning … or three $2 scratch tickets with 1-in-5 odds of winning.
Teams do it in the regular draft too.
========================
I always compare it to the NFL draft. It depends on who’s available, and the fit, but teams are often better off trading back from the top picks..
The Bears absolutely killed it last year trading back, and could do so again this year.
I’ve seen studies that prove it’s not the best approach.
===============================
I asked about this yesterday with the SD fans. If you have a link, I’d love to see it.
I took a look at the RS signings since 2010, and our top guys have done almost nothing. We haven’t done well since 2010, but it looks like the mid- and lower-tier guys have done well. I think Devers is the only guy that starred, and he was only our #2 guy that year.
A top 100 list of Latin teenagers. That’s gotta be the most irrelevant prospect list of all prospect lists lol.
Wonder how many guys signed in total in 2023 ? Anybody got that number ?
Get rid of the draft and let adults make decisions on which team they want to sign witb.
What a great idea to kill baseball for good.
@hiflew
How so? I think having 30 teams is the problem with baseball. They’ve watered down the quality of player to the point that we have AAA-players filling roster spots because there aren’t enough talented players and then we get the three true outcome darlings. Are you really watching baseball to find out if your player strikes out or walks and gets 1 of 40 HRs in the season? That’s boring…
lol no
@King Floch
lol yes
A 17-yo is not an adult…
@unpaidobserver
In Cuba, it’s 16.
I hope perdomo becomes the next great young talent for the braves. If he fulfills his potential and is able to stay at shortstop, in the next few years he can come in and replace arcia as our shortstop of the future. Our entire infield will be great and filled with nothing but potential all stars. If kelenic realizes his potential we will have an entire outfield of all stars. The braves could potentially have an entire nl all star team. We will be even harder to beat. gotta love it.
There will need to be someone before Perdomo, most likely Alvarez or Tavarez.
I mean who knows he might absolutely kill it and get called up as a 19 year old. We can have some guys fill in but I think this guy will be a stud. And I’ve seen mixed reviews about his shortstop potential, but I’ve also seen articles saying he has a chance of sticking, so who knows, but I love it.
Man Atlanta is going to rule the NL East for the next 20 years. Some fanbases have all the luck. Other fanbases get coal in their stockings every year.
Perdomo might not stick at SS… my hopes are set on Alvarez too
Good question DeGrom/ Keyshawn! I’m trying to figure out why the #2 prospect gets 1.3M and the #37 prospect gets 2.3M? Help us understand that, if you are going to write an article with such discrepancies.
They agreed to these deals (handshake deal) years ago. Most of these guys committed 2-3 years ago to a bonus amount.
It’s a risk that starts early.
Just don’t give ’em a car and be smug about it. – Coppy
When the MLB Top 100 are updated again the Padres will have seven players in the list with De Vries?
Hey, then they could make an ill advised trade for someone like Juan Soto.again Shoot for the stars.
It’s possible pipeline may have them with 7-9 players in the top 100.
Currently have Salas, Merrill, snelling, Lesko, Thorpe, Zavala. That’s 6, Vries has a 55 fv rating before even being drafted he will become a top 100 as soon as they update it with him.
They also have at least two other guys who could make the list. Marsee will either be on it or just off of it after his monster year. Iriarte is another guy who could make it. Fangraphs actually ranked him ahead of snelling.
Next year it’s very possible they see real jumps from head, bush and some others. Padres system is really loaded with talent again just 1.5 years after trading it away for Soto.
Say what you want about preller the dude is excellent at finding young talent.
Well said Simm, agree with all of that, except his middle name isn’t De and his last name ain’t Vries.
I’m surprised Pauley isn’t in or close to a top 100 prospect
Because Pauley’s from Duke he’s not granted any west coast accolades
Say what you want about preller the dude is excellent at finding young talent.
===========================
I’m not a Preller fan, but his prospect picking is so good, it feels like he has to be cheating. I think that’s behind some of the crazy trades he makes. He figures he will just pick up another two top-100 types next draft.
When Seidler was alive he said there are two forms of currency…cash and prospects. If you don’t have the cash you can trade prospects to get better. That has been the approach, think that will change going forward.
Well, I’m not so sure Preller has changed, and as long as he’s around look for trades utilizing the value from prospects.
De Vries probably doesn’t make the Top 100 until the mid-season updates come out, but if he starts his pro career in the US instead of the DSL like Salas does, its a pretty good bet that he jumps into the top 20.
Unless some are traded away, the Padres probably add at least Iriarte to the list of guys in the Top 100 before the season starts, so they will already have 7. Possibly more if Mazur and Head join the top 100 too. Dillon Head has 80 speed, a plus arm, and showed he could hit for average in his first taste of pro ball after being drafted in July.
As an Orioles fan, I’m pumped we stole another signee from the Evil Empire, just like we did a few years ago with Basallo. This time it was a toolsy outfielder from the DR named Stiven Martinez.
He’s one of the youngest players in the class and won’t turn 17 until almost September.
Congrats, though not sure “stole” is the right word. The Yankees took back the bonus money for Stiven Martinez and SS Stiven Romans to save money for Roki Sasaki. Supposedly he wants to play for either LAD or NYY though don’t think it will work out though. Sasaki likely follows his friend Yamamoto to LA, so Yankees will have to find someone else later to sign.
@Fernando – “saving” money not spent here on 16 year old Dominicans has zero to do with a teams ability to sign a professional foreign player who gets posted by their league/team. You realize this, right?
@Skins – Normally it doesn’t…but if the player is under 25 years of age then he is considered an amateur. The Japanese team still posts him but he’s subject to each team’s international bonus pool (like Ohtani was when he first came) and not a true free agent (like Yamamoto who waited until he was 25 to become a true free agent.
Baseball America has the explanation in the link.
baseballamerica.com/stories/why-we-stopped-ranking…
Interesting, thanks. I stand corrected. Just when you think you know it all, you don’t lol.
It’s pretty infrequent that foreign professionals come to MLB before the age of 25, so that’s probably why I thought what I believed was true.
Not too frequent for the Japanese or Korean players. It was more frequent for the Cuban players under the old system where you had bonus pools but teams could blow past them and pay money/limit max salary for a player to 300K. I think that big overpay and the penalty for signing Moncada was a big reason for this rule.
Doesn’t Sasaki have a clause in his contract that makes him exempt from that rule, that his team had to post him without restrictions?
Cool. Take everything you can from the Cards
LA saving their $ for Roki.
This money doesn’t roll over and after signing Ohtani their international cash for next year takes a hit,
Doesn’t matter. Roki will be posted in December 2024, during THIS signing period. LA will have more $ left, even with the penalty, than any other team.
@senioreditor
That’s not how this works at all. I think you are confusing the international player free agency period with the non MLB professional free agency posting period.
Skins yes you are correct. My mistake. This money will not have anything to do with the money to sign Roki.
@skins – Senior is correct. Sasaki as a player under 25 (as was Ohtani when he arrived) can only sign for the international bonus pool money a team has. He would have to be 25 to be a true free agent as was Yamamoto.
Now, it doesn’t matter who has the most money remaining. Teams can still add an additional 60% via trades between now and Dec 15, 2024 deadline for signing international players.
It all hinges on if Sasaki has a clause or not requiring team to post him after the NPB season ends in 2024. Otherwise, no way his team posts him and limits their posting fee.
Fernando- as I posted above, your information is incorrect unfortunately.
You are incorrect, if he’s posted prior to 1/15/25, he can only receive bonus $ from this years international amounts and LA will have 3+ million left unless they use more or acquire more through trades. He’ll be just like Ohtani, getting the minimum. Feel free to disagree but I’m pretty sure AF knows more than you.
@ senior – yeah…I’d forgotten about the “Moncada rule” where foreign professional players under 25 counted
Way to go Saint Louis Cardinals! Nobody signed and it shows your fans how cheap this organization is.! Another year of fan’s drinking the koolaid and filling the stadium while the owners count their money and invest in mediocre players for a mediocre season. Some day this is going to bite you in the ass. It’s harder to get fans back than it is to lose them.
Actually the Cardinals signed 13 players so far according to baseball America
Now if any of them pan out into MLB talent is another story.
But this whole thing is a crap shoot
Some kid can sign for 4 million and never amount to anything and some other under 100,000 prospect can end up being a productive MLBer so time will tell.
Actually the Cardinals signed 13 players so far
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It’s amazing how many posters don’t understand the process, but still choose to insult their teams.
You would think you would list those signings in order of how the prospect is ranked.
mlb.com/padres/news/mlb-international-prospects-si…
Padres get the #1 prospect for the 2nd year in a row. Salas last year. De Vries this year.
I think they do it like this so it’s easier to track how much a given team has spent relative to their allotted pool.
Not sure if you know, but some of those were unsigned. What happens to them, do they just go back into next year’s pool?
Reading the article, they explained how the systems vary. It appears more they went down the most signed for listing. Skipping the pipelines ranking unless they were there. Gl seeing more than 8 of the top 100 make an impact on MLB field. They’ll be rule 5 casualties after 5 years since they are so young, yet that clock has started on their development.
Cubs signed a young shortstop. His position can change so we’ll see where he ends up playing, but not bad.
They didn’t have the Yankees signing of the #15 International prospect either…. Wonder why they didn’t choose to include those?
Edit: Got my answer… because they have not officially confirmed the signing yet.
These guys are so young, it’s going to be a good while before we hear from them again lol
True, Acoss, but when we do hear their names, nobody is good enough for our team to trade them for! Lolol.
I hear you Clipper! Hoyer and Cashman will prospect hug, even if there are needs, but it’s just the nature of a baseball front office lol
The Caribbean countries sure make a ton of positional prospects. Not many pitchers come from the Caribbean’s outside of maybe Cuba.
pirates got Allen, Iverson the name alone is worth 300k
I never understand why people discuss things about prospects when nobody knows who will pan out and live up to potential.
I was searching for an intriguing dialog….couple meh’s but you about summed it up
I definitely see your point, especially with these players in their teens outside of those like Trout
I think a lot of it comes from assessing trade value and us armchair GMs like to have some fun with it.
The Padres are shifting gears to sustaining a competitive team long term.
And rightfully so, imo.
Regardless of the results last year, the Pads spending spree spiked attendance, ratings and revenue. We now know why Peter went above and beyond, but he showed San Diego is a baseball town. They can maintain payrolls near the $200MM range when needed. Now they need to maintain a decent payroll but take a slightly longer-term view for continued success.
I don’t understand. A team can have verbal commitments before signing but Copella and hart were banned for such practices ?
Coppola was banned for circumventing the international signing rules with respect to bonus amounts paid. It’s pretty much understood that all teams have handshake agreements with international players but they do so within the rules of their bonus pool amount.
“Manfred said MLB’s investigation determined the Braves funneled extra signing bonus money to five players in 2015-16 by giving the funds first to another player considered a foreign professional under baseball’s rules and having the money redistributed to the other five. If the money had been counted for the other five, the Braves would have exceeded their pool by more than 5 percent and been restricted to signing bonuses of $300,000 or under for international amateurs through June 15, 2019.”
The RS, IIRC, got dinged for something similar.
@Joe – Yes, the Red Sox did a similar thing but to keep bonus below 300K since they were in the penalty already. Yankees signed one of the guys released from contract and he’s still with Yankees system (Eduardo Torrealba)
SS out the wazoo
Another signing by the Mets along with Yovanni Rodriguez was Vladi Miguel Guerrero.
Nary a Cardinals signing. Probably going for quantity over quality. ???
Back to back #1 international picks for the Pads, good on them. Now, gotta focus on rounding out the rest of the 2024 roster before Spring Training. Still need a CF/LF/1B and perhaps 1 or 2 SP’s with 1/2 extra relief arms to compete.
Things are looking up for the friars
Why can’t the Angels sign more than the 37th ranked player? And why do we only get one and other teams have multiple? Angels leading from behind as usual.
Based on what I read they signed the #8 ranked prospect per Baseball America, along with 14 other international FAs, 3 of whom are in the top 100 of BAs rankings…. Here’s the link with all the names:
mlb.com/press-release/press-release-angels-sign-15….
This list is not all inclusive. I don’t know why they organized it this way.
Cardinals didn’t see any innings eaters in this bunch. You know a real 200 innings plus Lance Lynn .670 era type.
The Cardinals signed hard-throwing right-handed pitching prospect Branneli Franco, MLB.com’s No. 25 international prospect, at the opening of the 2024 signing period Monday. According to industry sources, the deal is worth $800,000.
Not too impressed by the Red Sox selections or $ spent (or lack thereof). We are getting “Chaim Breslow-ed”
Do you have enough in-depth knowledge of Dominican players to assess whether or not they are any good?
I would have signed for $1 million out of high school but my batting average was .167.
Again, Boston no where to be seen….Full throttle my A$$.
Boston no where to be seen
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I already saw who they signed, and who they are supposed to sign,
It is less “nowhere to be seen” and more like “you might want to do some slight amount of research”.
Well that’s cool, but why wasn’t it included here in this article. As far as the dumb remark about “research”, grow up you simpleton.
In addition to Yovanni Rodriguez, the Mets are continuing their plan to acquire the brothers of stars. They just signed Vladi Miguel Guerrero. He’s 17 so he doesn’t quite have the power of his half-brother, but he does have talent.
Well that’s great the cards signed a hard throwing right hander.
But Johnny MO is now all a sudden all about innings eaters and high era’s.
As an example.
Lance Lynn 6.70 era types.
Vs.
Michael Wacha 3.21 era type.
Instead of Pitching Pitching Pitching Cardinals are now , Innings Innings Innings