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2021-22 International Signings

The Impact Of International Signing Day

By TC Zencka | January 15, 2022 at 2:05pm CDT

Thanks to the year-round work of people like Ben Badler over at Baseball America, we have a pretty clear sense already of how the international signing period has kicked off. Although this is technically an 11-month period, many teams will be mostly done with their international signings after today.

Of course, that’s largely because there’s a cap on how much each team can spend. Because teams are limited to their league-allotted international spending pool, we end up with a fairly egalitarian distribution of prospects to the 30 MLB teams. That said, there are still different approaches.

The Nationals, for instance, in typical Nationals fashion, identified a star and did everything in their power to sign him. They’ll end up with one of the smaller classes of international free agents in the league, but they got their guy in Cuban outfielder Cristhian Vaquero. Still, though they spent the bulk of their money on Vaquero, they spread around the remainder, currently with a list of ten new players for their system.

On the other end of the spectrum, the Orioles have continued to spread their money around with large classes of international signees. They have more than 20 new farmhands as of today, headlined by the 18th-ranked prospect of this class (per Baseball America), outfielder Braylin Tavera out of the Dominican Republic.

Of course, volume in this case presupposes foregoing a certain degree of quality. Or at least, it would, if scouting were a linear and objective process (it absolutely is not). The frustrating truth is: What we can’t know about the future of these players far outweighs what we do know.

Still, of the players who sign today, among them are future superstars. For example, let’s go back to 2018, when the Blue Jays signed Orelvis Martinez for $3.5MM, now one of their top prospects who is quickly approaching the Majors. The Dodgers signed catching prospect Diego Cartaya, whose presence made the trade of Keibert Ruiz all the more palatable. Ruiz, of course, was the centerpiece of the deal that brought Max Scherzer to Los Angeles at the trade deadline. Ruiz himself was part of the Dodgers’ international signing class in 2014.

Other future top prospects joined their current clubs on that 2018 signing day as well, players like catcher Francisco Alvarez of the Mets, who signed for $2.7MM, and Marco Luciano, signed by the Giants for $2.6MM.

The most impact doesn’t always come from the top of the class, of course, as Ronald Acuna Jr. continually reminds us. He signed with the Braves for $100K on signing day back in 2014. Juan Soto signed with the Nationals the next year for $1.5MM, a significant, but hardly groundbreaking sum.

The point is a simple one, perhaps an obvious one: today marks an important day for the game of baseball and its future stars, one that will undoubtedly change the sport, even if we can’t see exactly how.

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2021-22 International Signings

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Notable 2021-22 International Signings

By TC Zencka | January 15, 2022 at 8:54am CDT

The 2021-22 international signing period is officially underway, and though this signing period is open until Dec. 15, 2022, many of the big names have already signed. 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. Most of these agreements have been known for a while, as both Baseball America’s Ben Badler (signings tracker; scouting links) and MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (Twitter feed; rankings) have listed each club’s expected landing spot and approximate signing bonus on their rankings for months. 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 reported on Twitter by Sanchez:

  • Roderick Arias, SS, Yankees: The Yankees have come to an agreement with MLB.com’s top-ranked international free agent on the market for a signing amount of $4.oMM, reports Sanchez. The Dominican switch-hitter runs well, gets good reviews for his footwork and arm strength at shortstop, and brings a solid hit tool from both sides of the plate.
  • Cristhian Vaquero, OF, Nationals: For the second consecutive season, the Nationals appear to have nabbed one of the top prospects on the international board. They have come to a $4.9MM agreement to sign the left-handed Cuban outfielder, the top prospect on Baseball America’s board. The Nats are essentially all-in on Vaquero, who will soak up more than ninety percent of their available pool money.
  • Ricardo Cabrera, SS, Reds: MLB.com’s third-ranked international prospect has come to an agreement with the Reds. No signing amount has been listed as of this time.
  • William Bergolla Jr., SS, Phillies: Philadelphia has come to a $2.2MM agreement with one of the top prospects on the board. While MLB.com has the Venezuelan fourth on their board, Baseball America is slightly less bullish, ranking him eighth overall in this class. The 17-year-old right-hander is the son of William Bergolla, who was a Reds farmhand who appeared in 17 games with Cincinnati back in 2005.
  • Oscar Colas, OF, White Sox: The White Sox reached a $2.7MM agreement with Colas, one of the more intriguing prospects on this year’s board, in part because he’s on the older side for most international prospects. The Cuban outfielder is 23-years-old, but that could make him a quick-rising prospect for Chicago.

Several other well-regarded prospects also secured bonuses of $2MM or more, and we’ll keep this list updated throughout the day as more agreements come to light:

  • Rockies, $2.8MM, SS Dyan Jorge
  • Mariners, $2.5MM, OF Lazaro Montes
  • Braves, $2.5MM, Diego Benitez
  • Tigers, $2.2MM, SS Javier Osorio
  • Giants, $2.2MM, SS Ryan Reckley
  • Blue Jays, $2MM+, C Luis Meza
  • Rangers, $2MM, OF Anthony Gutierrez
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2021-22 International Prospects 2021-22 International Signings Transactions

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International Signing Period Opens Today

By TC Zencka | January 15, 2022 at 7:46am CDT

MLB’s 2021-22 International signing period opens today, making it possible for teams to consummate deals with international amateurs from countries outside of the United States and Canada.

Some agreements have been in place for years, but today is the day that players can finally sign on the dotted line. Not all players will actually sign today, but many of the player agreements should come to light. Baseball America’s Ben Badler has put together the list of international free agent signings for every team thus far, with more expected to pour in throughout the day.

Let’s refresh the international signing period basics. Though the signing period has traditionally opened on July 2, the pandemic delayed the opening of the 2020-2021 signing period. This is the second consecutive season that international signings have opened on January 15th instead. Teams have an 11-month window to sign international amateurs, with this year’s signing period set to close on December 15, 2022.

Prospects aged 16 and up – born after Sept. 1, 2005 – are eligible to sign minor league contracts with teams for signing bonuses that fall within the constraints of a league-allotted bonus pool. MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk recently posted each team’s pool allotment, with smaller market clubs typically having the largest available pools. This year, the Diamondbacks, Cardinals, Guardians, Orioles, Padres, Pirates, Rockies, and Royals each with $6,262,600 to spend.

Jesse Sanchez annually tracks this signing period for MLB.com, providing a list of some of today’s top available players. The Yankees are expected to sign top Roderick Arias, the top prospect in this year’s class, per Sanchez.

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2021-22 International Prospects 2021-22 International Signings Newsstand Transactions

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Bonus Pools For 2021-22 International Signing Market

By Mark Polishuk | January 11, 2022 at 4:42pm CDT

The 2021-22 international signing period opens on January 15, as for the second straight season, the usual July 2 opening date for the int’l was pushed back due to the pandemic.  This new signing period will run from January 15 to December 15, and it remains to be seen exactly what will happen with international signing procedures going forward.  If the rules stay the same, presumably the 2023-24 period would begin on July 2, 2023, though it is possible the int’l market could be significantly altered (or perhaps replaced altogether by an international talent draft) in the next collective bargaining agreement.

For now, however, teams are still operating under the old bonus pool rules.  All 30 teams receive an allotted hard cap on their international signings that cannot be exceeded, though any player signed for $10K or less aren’t counted against the cap.  While teams have been allowed to trade draft pool space in past years, trades were prohibited both for this int’l signing period and for the 2020-21 period.

As per Baseball America’s Ben Badler, here are the bonus pool amounts assigned to every team…

  • Angels: $5,179,700
  • Astros: $5,179,700
  • Athletics: $5,179,700
  • Blue Jays: $4,644,000
  • Braves: $5,179,700
  • Brewers: $5,721,200
  • Cardinals: $6,262,600
  • Cubs: $5,179,700
  • Diamondbacks: $6,262,600
  • Dodgers: $4,644,000
  • Giants: $5,179,700
  • Guardians: $6,262,600
  • Mariners: $5,179,700
  • Marlins: $5,721,200
  • Mets: $5,179,700
  • Nationals: $5,179,700
  • Orioles: $6,262,600
  • Padres: $6,262,600
  • Phillies: $5,179,700
  • Pirates: $6,262,600
  • Rangers: $5,179,700
  • Rays: $5,721,200
  • Reds: $5,721,200
  • Red Sox: $5,179,700
  • Rockies: $6,262,600
  • Royals: $6,262,600
  • Tigers: $5,721,200
  • Twins: $5,721,200
  • White Sox: $5,179,700
  • Yankees: $5,179,700

The four pool sizes were determined by a number of factors.  The largest possible bonus pool ($6,262,600) was assigned to the eight teams slotted into Competitive Balance Round B in last summer’s amateur draft, while the next-largest pool ($5,721,200) went to the six teams who were in Competitive Balance Round A.

Fourteen other teams have $5,179,700 to work with in their pools, while only the Blue Jays and Dodgers have the lowest allotment ($4,644,000).  Toronto and Los Angeles each lost $500K of their international pools as part of the penalty for a signing a free agent who rejected a qualifying offer at the onset of the 2020-21 free agent offseason — the Jays signed George Springer, and the Dodgers signed Trevor Bauer.

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2021-22 International Prospects 2021-22 International Signings

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