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2019-20 International Prospects

International Signings: 9/12/20

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Since the COVID-19 pandemic pushed the opening of the 2020-21 international signing period to January 15, the 2019-20 signing window is still open, and teams are still making some additions with leftover funds in their international spending pools.  The latest…

  • The Pirates have signed Venezuelan right-hander Eduardo Zapata, John Dreker of Pirates Prospects reports (Twitter links).  Details on Zapata’s bonus aren’t known, though Dreker says the signing was made possible due to Pittsburgh’s acquisition of $243.3K in international pool money from the White Sox in last month’s trade that sent Jarrod Dyson to Chicago.
  • The Reds have signed Dominican righty Kelvin Valdez, according to Baseball America’s Ben Badler (via Twitter).  Valdez is only 17 years old, but he is already 6’3″ tall and can throw up to 95mph.
  • The Padres have signed right-hander Jose Luis Reyes, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports (via Twitter).  Reyes “is considered one of the top prospects in” Mexico, Sanchez writes, and the 18-year-old possesses a three-pitch arsenal of a slider, changeup, and a fastball in the 88-92mph range.  Reyes is 6’2″, 190 pounds.

Cardinals Sign Dominican Prospect Edwin Nunez

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The Cardinals have signed international amateur free agent Edwin Nunez for $525K, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America.  This deal comes as part of the extended 2019-20 international signing period, which will run until October 15 and was re-opened again on Friday when the transactions freeze was lifted.

Like all other business in baseball, the international market was halted by the league’s COVID-19 shutdown, meaning Nunez had to wait a little longer to sign with his first big league organization.  Nunez’s entry into the pros had already been delayed a year, as the league declared him ineligible to sign during the 2018-19 international prospect period due to a discrepancy with his given age.  Nunez became eligible in April, and is now listed as 18 years old.

Despite his late entry into the signing period, Badler writes that Nunez “had emerged as one of the top pitching prospects in the 2019-20 class.”  A hard-throwing righty from the Dominican Republic, Nunez already has a high-90s fastball that has hit the 100mph threshold on occasion.  It isn’t out of the question that even more velocity could be unlocked, given Nunez’s young age and the potential for more bulk added to his 6’3″, 185-pound frame.  Beyond that big fastball, Nunez also has a largely untested changeup and a somewhat “inconsistent” curveball.

Phillies Sign Venezuelan Prospect Yhoswar Garcia

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The Phillies have agreed to sign Venezuelan center fielder Yhoswar Garcia, Baseball America’s Ben Badler reports (Twitter link).  The Phils have been linked to Garcia for over a year, and are reportedly set to sign the 18-year-old to a bonus worth roughly $2.5MM.

Many of the top names in the 2019-20 international class were unofficially off the board since well before the signing window opened last July 2, though Garcia’s deal has only now been finalized because he only recently become eligible.  As Badler explained in December, there was an age-related holdup since Garcia initially presented a birthdate that indicated he was a year younger than his actual age.  The issue ended up being a delay rather than an obstacle, however, and Garcia will now join Philadelphia’s organization as planned.

Known as “The Drone,” Garcia backs up that MLB-ready nickname with “plus-plus speed in center field,” Badler writes.  Garcia is 6’1″ and a relatively thin 155 pounds, though MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez figures Garcia to gain more weight as he gets older and subsequently adds power to some already-intriguing hitting ability.  Garcia “shows good instincts and is a gap hitter,” according to Sanchez, who also feels Garcia has a lot of defensive promise as a center fielder with a good throwing arm.

Yoelkis Cespedes To Be Declared Free Agent

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Outfield prospect Yoelkis Cespedes, the younger half-brother of Mets slugger Yoenis Cespedes, will be declared a free agent by Major League Baseball on March 18, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports (via Twitter). The 22-year-old left Cuba last June and is planning showcases for MLB clubs in Arizona and in Florida later this month.

Yoelkis has previously played in the Cuban National Series and for Team Cuba in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, but he lacks both the age and the professional experience to be exempt from MLB’s international bonus pools. Players who are younger than 25 and have fewer than six years of professional experience are deemed amateurs under MLB regulations and are thus only allowed to sign minor league deals. Amateurs can still receive signing bonuses, which are deducted from a team’s league-allocated bonus pool, but the most recent iteration of the collective bargaining agreement prevented teams from exceeding their bonus pools under any circumstances.

Because bonus pools are now hard-capped, it’s at least possible that the younger Cespedes will wait until July 2 to sign with a Major League organization. Most clubs have already spent the vast majority (if not the entirety) of their 2019-20 bonus pools, but the 2020-21 signing period will kick off on July 2.

As Sanchez explores in a more extensive pieces on Yoelkis, his top priority is signing with a club that can provide a clear and relatively expedited path to the Major Leagues. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo, meanwhile, spoke with Yoenis about the difficulty he had in leaving his brother and his family behind when defecting from Cuba back in 2011. The brothers had to go roughly eight years without seeing one another. They were reunited in 2019 when Yoenis was cleared to return to his home country, and the two frequently worked out together in the Bahamas this winter. DiComo adds that Yoenis purchased a house about five miles away from his own Florida home for his younger brother.

Scouting details on Yoelkis are rather sparse. Sanchez notes that he’s listed at 5’9″ and 205 pounds, with some believing him to be a potential five-tool talent. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs credited Yoelkis with an 80-grade throwing arm and “loud” tools last summer. Kiley McDaniel called Yoelkis “more of a high six- or low seven-figure [signing bonus] type of talent” back in November. Of course, that’s subjective, and Yoelkis hasn’t been seen by MLB scouts in quite some time. He’ll have the opportunity to showcase himself to all 30 teams in the near future, after which we’ll gain a better understanding of his potential price tag and market. He’ll surely require some time in the minor leagues to refine his skills and get back up to speed after a lengthy absence from game settings, but his age and experience place him in much closer proximity to the big leagues than most international amateurs.

Rays Sign Jhon Diaz

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The Rays have signed 16-year-old Dominican outfield prospect Jhon Diaz, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports (via Twitter). Diaz had been widely projected to go to the Yankees, and Sanchez even tweeted on July 2 that Diaz and New York had agreed to a $1.2MM signing bonus. It seems, however, that said deal was never officially finalized. (In the case of today’s report, Sanchez tweeted a photo of Diaz signing with his contract with the Rays.)

The Yankees pledged the vast majority of their $5.398MM bonus pool to fellow Dominican outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez — to the point that they’d have needed to trade for roughly $1MM in additional funds to accommodate both Dominguez and Diaz (at their reported bonus levels). Such a trade never came together prior to the deadline, so perhaps Diaz’s camp simply found another suitor with ample remaining funds in its bonus pool.

When international free agency kicked off on July 2, Diaz ranked as the No. 7 prospect on the market over at Fangraphs and checked in at No. 18 on Sanchez’s list at MLB.com. The specific numerical rankings aren’t of the foremost importance; prospect rankings in general are an inexact science, and that’s even more true when writing about the second tier of more seldom-seen international teenagers. Rather, the key takeaway is that Tampa Bay has added yet another intriguing piece to an already deep farm system that is graded among the game’s elite.

Diaz is a center fielder who draws praise for his above-average speed and defensive instincts in addition to a compact swing and plenty of present-day skill (rather than the pure physical projection that accompanies many 16-year-old signees). He’ll join an international class for Tampa Bay that had previously been headlined by Dominican shortstop Wilmer de la Cruz. Baseball America’s Ben Badler has a list of other prospects the Rays have inked during the current signing period, which runs through June 15, 2020.

Rangers Sign Bayron Lora

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One of the biggest names of the 2019-20 international signing class has officially put pen to paper, as 16-year-old Bayron Lora has signed with the Rangers.  (Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram was among those to report the news.)  The contract will be finalized when Lora, an outfielder from the Dominican Republic, passes a physical.

This isn’t a new signing, as word broke back on July 2 that Lora agreed to a deal with Texas.  At the time, however, Lora was reportedly going to receive a $4.2MM bonus, and his final number ended up being a bit less, as Lora will now receive $3.9MM.  The Rangers entered the July 2 signing period with a total bonus pool of $5,398,300 to spend, and immediately blew by that number on just three prospects.  Besides Lara, Texas also signed young shortstops Maximo Acosta ($1.6MM) and Zion Banister ($835K) to hefty bonuses.

Some more cash was needed to finalize these signings, which was the inspiration for the Rangers’ acquisition of Nate Jones from the White Sox at the trade deadline.  Texas sent two minor leaguers to Chicago in exchange for Jones, some cash considerations to help address Jones’ contract, and $1MM in international pool money, making it one of the largest trades involving int’l pool funds since the new July 2 rules were established in the most recent Collective Bargaining Agreement.

Even that extra $1MM didn’t quite cover the initial three outlays, which is likely why Lora’s bonus ended up being $300K less than expected.  The $3.9MM figure is still one of the largest bonuses of this year’s international class, befitting Lora’s prospect status.  Lora was ranked third amongst all July 2 prospects by MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez and fifth by Fangraphs, with both sites touting the youngster’s power potential.  At age 16, Lora is already 6’4″ and over 200 pounds, with what Sanchez described as “excellent bat speed.”

The Orioles Are Officially In The Game In Latin America

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Every team in baseball — except the all-but-banned Braves — splashed money around yesterday with the official onset of the 2019-20 international amateur market. That statement is unremarkable in general, but it’s significant for an Orioles franchise that has largely watched from the sidelines in recent years in Latin America.

The rest of the industry has dropped over $150MM annually on youthful, unproven, uber-talented ballplayers from North America’s neighbors to the south. Meanwhile, the Baltimore organization has typically traded away its allotted international spending capacity to its rivals in exchange for generally less interesting but more advanced prospects.

It has been known for some time that the new Baltimore regime, led by GM Mike Elias, would be reentering the Latin American market. But it’s notable nevertheless to see the club finally do so with gusto, particularly since its initial efforts in the prior signing period didn’t shake out quite as hoped.

Baltimore didn’t chase after the biggest names of this year’s class, many of whom had long since agreed to big bonuses with other clubs that possess much-more-established scouting and developmental networks. The three players highlighted in the club’s press release — outfielder Luis Gonzalez, lefty Luis Ortiz, and shortstop Leonel Sanchez — were note cited as elite prospects by Baseball America (scouting links), MLB.com, or Fangraphs. Gonzalez and Ortiz each received sub-$500K bonuses, per MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez, on Twitter.

Instead, the O’s went for volume, inking 27 new players yesterday alone — most from the Dominican Republic, but also including eight Venezuelans and one apiece from Aruba, the Bahamas, and Colombia. As Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper points out on Twitter, that haul handily exceeded the team’s total international signings in each of the past five years.

In their announcement, the O’s made clear this is just the tip of the iceberg. In a prepared statement, Elias said:

“This July 2 is a big day for our franchise. These young players from all parts of Latin America will bolster our burgeoning farm system and jumpstart the continual flow of talent we are building. Today is only the beginning of our efforts, as we will continue to sign more players throughout the 2019-20 signing period. Our International Scouting staff has already begun laying the groundwork for future classes.”

That international scouting staff is led by Koby Perez, who is now introducing his first class just six months after taking the helm. He chatted recently with Dan Connolly of The Athletic (subscription link), explaining that he’s overseeing a “smaller staff” than he has been involved with in other clubs. While Perez didn’t have much time to lay groundwork, he notes that he and Elias already had quite a lot of knowledge about this year’s class. The group “just got right to work with trying to make the best decisions” this year, jumping on uncommitted players they had their eyes on along with “some late bloomers.”

While the Orioles didn’t secure any “big fish,” Perez says that approach could be available in the future. The club anticipates signing more than ten players to $100K+ bonuses — as note above, a reflection of the reality of the timing of the O’s entry onto the market. Perez says the organization has also held some of its spending availability in reserve, with something in the realm of thirty to forty percent of the $6,481,200 initial bonus pool still left to utilize on “some players that may or may not come out later, and also for the late bloomers.” There’s plenty more insight available in the interview, which is essential reading for O’s fans and close followers of the international market.

Plenty of work remains for the Baltimore organization. Getting into the Latin American amateur market hardly ensures success; making efficient use of it will require further investment in facilities and human resources. But even as they work to develop a sound, long-term decisionmaking process, the Orioles have already opened a valuable new talent pipeline.

Notable International Signings: 7/2/19

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The 2019-20 July 2nd international signing period is officially underway, though it’s not exactly laden with suspense. Teams have long since lined up deals with newly eligible teenage players, so the news today largely represents confirmation of what was anticipated. Still, it’s a day of no small moment, particularly for the young men embarking upon professional careers.

Let’s round up some of the most notable signings of the day. Throughout, we’ll be citing to the reporting of Baseball America (signings tracker; scouting links) and MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (Twitter feed; rankings) along with analysis from Fangraphs. You can find each team’s total bonus pool and other information on the process right here. Check the above links for further information and other signings. Here are a few key deals:

  • Jasson Dominguez, OF, Yankees: Everyone’s top target is reportedly holding strong on his commitment to go to the Bronx. The deal is said to be for $5.1MM, per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com, with an announcement expected this evening. Dominguez is a switch-hitter who’s said to possess five-tool ability. The Fangraphs team is sufficiently impressed to run him all the way up to the #61 overall MLB prospect ranking right out of the gates (via Kiley McDaniel, on Twitter). The Yanks also have struck a $1.2MM deal with outfielder Jhon Diaz, Sanchez tweets. He was the 18th-rated player on the MLB.com board but ran all the way up to #7 at Fangraphs.
  • Robert Puason, SS, Athletics: Another player who’ll command about $5MM, Puason is a toolsy shortstop with big upside. He was said to have a deal in place with the Braves before that team was slapped with international sanctions. It’s worth noting that the Atlanta organization wasn’t actually punished for agreeing to terms early (though that widespread practice is officially forbidden) but rather for structuring a group deal with Puason’s trainer, as Baseball America’s J.J. Cooper explains on Twitter.
  • Luis Rodriguez, OF, Dodgers: The value on this one is unknown, but BA’s Ben Badler has photographic evidence of the signing (Twitter link). Rodriguez gets top-three billing from Fangraphs. The Los Angeles club is also in agreement with righty Kristian Cardozo, who’s also considered one of the thirty best players available.
  • Bayron Lora, OF, Rangers: Baseball America has made this connection for some time; Sanchez tweets that it’s a $4.2MM deal for the slugging prospect. Shortstops Maximo Acosta and Zion Banister are also members of the Texas signing class. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (via Twitter) has the former at $1.6MM and the latter at $835K. As he notes, the Texas organization will need to acquire some added pool capacity to make the math work.
  • Erick Pena, OF, Royals: This is another signing called in advance by the BA crew. Sanchez has the bonus at $3.8MM (Twitter link). FG labels Pena “a well-rounded outfielder with considerable physical projection.”
  • Ronnier Quintero, C, Cubs: Occupying the #6 spot on the boards of both Fangraphs and MLB.com, Quintero will follow Willson Contreras from Venezuela to the Chicago organization. The Cubbies also have a deal with fellow top-ten-ish prospect Kevin Made, a shortstop. Sanchez puts the Quintero deal at $3MM and Made’s mark at $1.7MM. Another Venezuelan backstop, Brayan Altuve, will cost the Cubs another million bucks, seemingly setting up the organization for a search for some added pool money.
  • Roberto Campos, OF, Tigers: The Detroit organization popped for a hefty $3MM to secure the services of the Cuban outfielder, per Badler (via Twitter). Campos defected in somewhat dramatic fashion several years ago at just 13 years of age. He wasn’t listed among the best prospects, but Chris McCosky of the Detroit News indicates on Twitter that the Tigers like his bat quite a bit.

Several other well-regarded prospects also secured bonuses of $2MM or more, per Sanchez and/or Badler:

  • Twins, $2.7MM, outfielder Enmanuel Rodriguez
  • Angels, $2.2MM, shortstop Arol Vera
  • Marlins, $2.8MM, shortstop Jose Salas
  • Mets, $2.05MM, outfielder Alexander Ramirez
  • Padres, $2MM,  outfielder Ismael Mena
  • Astros, $2MM, shortstop Dauris Lorenzo

2019-20 International Signing Period Opens Today

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The 2019-20 international signing period kicks off this morning, meaning that from now until next June 15, teams are officially able to begin signing amateur talents from countries outside of the United States and Canada. Prospects aged 16 and up (assuming they turn 16 by Sept. 1 of the current period) are eligible to sign minor league contracts with teams for signing bonuses that fall within the constraints of a league-allotted bonus pool.

Those looking to brush up on the top prospects this July 2nd class has to offer will want to look at the invaluable work put into the subject by Ben Badler of Baseball America (subscription required), Kiley McDaniel & Eric Longenhagen of Fangraphs, and Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. As ever, Badler provides an abundance of information on expected destinations/bonuses for the top free agents in the 2019-20 class; he has further details and scouting notes available here and here. Sanchez provides his own Top 30 with free scouting reports (and likely destinations). In addition to the above-linked preview, McDaniel and Longenhagen have scouting info on their top 40 prospects.

After all of that — here’s a quick primer on the specifics of the international free agency system.

Unlike the system that was in place from 2012-16, in which teams would routinely shatter their international bonus pools and take two-year signing penalties in exchange for one enormous haul of amateur talent, the system under the 2017-21 collective bargaining agreement contains a hard cap that cannot be exceeded. Teams are still permitted to trade for up to 75 percent of their originally allotted bonus pool, however, and any team is free to trade away as much of its pool as it wishes. International pool allotments must be traded in increments of $250K — unless it includes the last remainder of a team’s pool.

Penalties from the previous international signing periods carried over with the new system, but those have all now run their course. There is one team that continues to face limitations on spending, for a different reason. The Braves continue to operate under significant long-term penalties as punishment for violating international spending guidelines. They’ll be limited to a hard cap of $10K per player in 2019-20 and will be stripped of half their league-allotted bonus pool in the 2020-21 period.

The Competitive Balance lottery that awards 14 teams with additional picks based on market size and total revenue also has an impact in international free agency. The teams that were awarded Competitive Balance picks in Round B (between rounds two and three of the draft) will have the largest bonus pools in 2018-19. Teams that were awarded selections in Competitive Balance Round A (between rounds one and two) will have the second-largest pools.

Beyond that, free agency itself can have an impact. Teams that sign players who have refused a qualifying offer (QO) are subject to forfeitures in their international bonus pool in some instances. Specifically, a club which exceeded the luxury tax threshold in the previous season and also signs a QO free agent surrenders $1MM of its international pool in the following period. Teams that did not exceed the luxury tax but also did not benefit from revenue sharing will forfeit $500K of international pool for each QO free agent signed.

So, who has what to spend (beyond the aforementioned Braves)? 2019-20 international bonus pool amounts were first reported by Baseball America’s Ben Badler back in early April. Because Craig Kimbrel and Dallas Keuchel waited to sign until after the recent Rule 4 draft, the amounts remain the same:

  • The Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Indians, Orioles, Padres, Pirates, Rockies, and Royals have the highest availability at $6,481,200.
  • The Athletics, Brewers, Marlins, Rays, Reds, and Twins are next at $5,939,800.
  • A dozen teams (Angels, Astros, Blue Jays, Cubs, Giants, Mariners, Mets, Rangers, Red Sox, Tigers, White Sox, Yankees) can spend $5,398,300.
  • The Dodgers and Phillies are capped at $4,821,400, while the Nationals are limited to $4,321,400.

This post was adapted from a prior post written by MLBTR’s Steve Adams.

MLB Releases 2019-20 International Bonus Pools

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Major League Baseball has released the bonus pools for each team for the 2019-20 international market, as Baseball America’s Ben Badler provides. There are no longer any carryover spending limitations from the prior international system, so every team is free now to operate without limitation under the new rules — though there is one organization that still faces a notable limitation.

Before we get to the numbers, here’s a quick primer on the specifics of the international free agency system (as adapted from a prior post from MLBTR’s Steve Adams).

  • Hard Cap: Under the prior system, clubs could exceed their spending allocation if they were willing to accept penalties. Now, they face a hard cap.
  • Trades: Teams may trade for up to 75 percent of their originally allotted bonus pool; they are free to trade away all of their pool availability if they so choose. Spending capacity must be traded in increments of $250K — unless it includes the last portion of a team’s pool.
  • Competitive Balance funds: Teams that are eligible for competitive balance picks also receive additional international spending money, with more or less of a boost depending upon whether they are picking in round A ($541,500) or round B ($1,082,900) in a given year.
  • Qualifying Offer penalty: A club that exceeded the luxury tax threshold in the previous season and also signs a free agent who had declined a qualifying offer surrenders $1MM of its international pool in the following period. It’s a $500K pool hit for a club that did not exceed the luxury tax but also did not benefit from revenue sharing. (Thus a signing of Dallas Keuchel or Craig Kimbrel could still result in changes to the numbers below.)

Without further ado:

  • Astros: $5,398,300
  • Angels: $5,398,300
  • Athletics: $5,939,800
  • Blue Jays: $5,398,300
  • Braves: $0 (penalty)
  • Brewers: $5,939,800
  • Cardinals: $6,481,200
  • Cubs: $5,398,300
  • Dodgers: $4,821,400
  • Diamondbacks: $6,481,200
  • Giants: $5,398,300
  • Indians: $6,481,200
  • Mariners: $5,398,300
  • Marlins: $5,939,800
  • Mets: $5,398,300
  • Nationals: $4,321,400
  • Orioles: $6,481,200
  • Padres: $6,481,200
  • Phillies: $4,821,400
  • Pirates: $6,481,200
  • Rangers: $5,398,300
  • Rays: $5,939,800
  • Red Sox: $5,398,300
  • Reds: $5,939,800
  • Rockies: $6,481,200
  • Royals: $6,481,200
  • Tigers: $5,398,300
  • Twins: $5,939,800
  • White Sox: $5,398,300
  • Yankees: $5,398,300

 

 

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