Major League Baseball’s international signing period now opens early in the year and it will commence on January 15, 2024. Unofficially, the majority of these players have had agreements in place for years however. Agreements will be announced with clubs next week. International free agency has been a bit of a mixed bag overall under the leadership of Marco Paddy. The veteran evaluator has been in charge of the organization’s international operations for a decade now and currently holds the title of special assistant to the general manager. Whether that title changes in the coming year is yet to be seen.
There have been some high profile hits for the White Sox under Paddy’s leadership. Jose Abreu and Luis Robert should be considered feathers in his cap. He lead the charge on pushing to acquire both players. The uneven tenure has consisted of far too many higher profile Cuban players however and the finite resource used to secure these players hasn’t always been allocated in the most prudent manner. Players such as Oscar Colas ($2.7 million), Yoelqui Céspedes ($2.1 million), Yolbert Sanchez ($2.5 million) and Norge Vera ($1.5 million) haven’t panned out to date after being considered major expenditures of their respective classes.
The current decision maker and his team have had much more success recently when signing younger, cheaper and much less heralded prospects out of the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. There have been some solid early returns on last year’s class as well. 17-year-old Dominican right-hander Luis Reyes struggled out of the gate but he was one of the top pitchers in the class and he signed for $700K. Dominican outfielder Abraham Nuñez Jr. posted a 136 wRC+ while slashing .299/.427/.442 in 44 games in the Dominican Summer League last year. The 6-2, 175 pounder plays all three outfield spots and hits left-handed as well.
The prize of their class ended up being 17-year-old Venezuelan infielder Javier Mogollon. The 5-8, 160 pounder signed for $75,000 and was heralded as a “sleeper prospect” by Baseball America. The teenager has displayed an exciting offensive profile with a quick right-handed swing. Mogollón is a plus runner and he smacked ten homers in 47 Dominican Summer League games. The infielder slashed .315/.417/.582 with a 156 wRC+ last year. The White Sox also traded some of their international bonus pool space in an August trade. The club acquired pitchers Aldrín Batista and Máximo Martínez from the Los Angeles Dodgers for $1 million in apparently fungible space.
How the System Works
The White Sox are designated as a large market club due to revenues and market size. During the upcoming international signing period, they’ll be afforded the right to spend $5,925,000 in the marketplace, similarly to the other large market revenue generators in their tier. Major League Baseball will once again allow teams to trade unused bonus pool space beginning on January 15th. Players must be 16-years-old to sign. Signings for $10,000 or less don’t count toward a club’s bonus pool.
Small market clubs who received a Competitive Balance B pick selection in last July’s draft will be able to spend a total of $7,114,800 on players during the next international signing period. Small market clubs who received a Competitive Balance A pick will be able to spend $6,520,000 on international bonuses. Large market organizations will be able to spend $5,925,000.
Numerous teams will forfeit international bonus pool space during the next signing period as well. The Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs, St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays can spend $5,152,200 due to their signings of Tyler Anderson, Dansby Swanson, Wilson Contreras and Chris Bassitt last off-season. Each team was required to forfeit $500K from their budget after the qualifying offers were extended and accepted. The Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers and New York Yankees possess international budgets of $4,652,200 after the forfeiture of $1 million in space due to luxury tax status. The clubs signed Trea Turner, Xander Bogaerts, Jacob de Grom and Carlos Rodón respectively.
2023-2024 International Bonus Pools
$7,114,800: Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Pittsburgh Pirates
$6,520,000: Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, Tampa Bay Rays
$5,925,000: Atlanta Braves, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals
$5,152,200: Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, St. Louis Cardinals, Toronto Blue Jays
$4,652,200: New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres
Head of the Class
Ben Badler of Baseball America and Jesse Sanchez of MLB Pipeline generally lead the stateside coverage of the international market. The big board at Fangraphs put together by Eric Longenhagen is a valuable resource as well. At Baseball America, reports have been assembled and a big board has been created. The players are listed in order by signing bonus instead of a formal talent ranking however. Sanchez profiled his version of the top 50 prospects expected to sign as well but for the first time ever, didn’t include their ultimate destinations.
Leodalis de Vries is a 6-2, 175 pound Dominican shortstop and many consider him to be the top prospect in the signing class. He has displayed very high level offensive skills and he could stick at shortstop long-term. He will sign with the San Diego Padres for $4 million. The Atlanta Braves will spend the majority of their bonus pool on Venezuelan shortstop Jose Perdomo as well. He’s expected to receive close to $6 million when the market opens. The infielder is a plus runner with power projection and hitting ability. He performed well during showcases and live action.
Dominican shortstop Fernando Cruz displays premium bat speed and he will be inking a deal with the Chicago Cubs for somewhere in the neighborhood of $4 million. He’s one of the most heralded players in the international class. The Seattle Mariners are expected to land another Dominican shortstop in Dawal Joseph. He projects as a power over hit middle infielder as well. The top catcher in the signing class is Venezuelan backstop Yovanny Rodriguez. He’s expected to sign with the New York Mets and is known for his defensive skills and power profile. Yandel Ricardo is the top Cuban player in the class and he’ll sign with the Kansas City Royals while Curley Martha of Curacao will land with the Texas Rangers. Branneli Franco is the best pitcher in the class and the Dominican will land with the St. Louis Cardinals on January 15.
Chicago White Sox Outlook
The White Sox plans for their international budget will come into focus over the next few days. As we approach the opening of the signing period on Monday January 15, information is scarce in regards to the organization’s plan. Marco Paddy generally keeps smaller signings under wraps for the most part but many of the club’s deals in recent seasons have been reported well in advance of the period’s opening. With no high profile Cuban signings on the horizon this year, surprises seem to be in store.
The White Sox will be able to spend just under $6 million on international amateurs during the upcoming procurement phase. There are only two reported signings to this point with one of their anticipated additions coming in at $1.8 million. 17-year-old third baseman Eduardo Herrera looks to be the prize of the international class for the club. Hailing from San Felipe, Venezuela, the teenager is ranked as the #11 overall player in the class according to Jesse Sanchez at MLB Pipeline. The 6-2, 200 pound right-handed hitter is one of the biggest power threats in the class.
Herrera projects as a middle-of-the-order type offensive performer. The write-up indicates that scouts have “raved about his ability to make adjustments during at-bats” in competition. The infielder can handle fastballs and off-speed pitches as well. The slugger has even drawn some comparisons to a young Albert Pujols due to his body type and considerable raw power. He’s a competitive player who participated for Venezuela’s 18-and-under National Team as a 15-year-old. Ben Badler of Baseball America noted that he “looked comfortable at the plate” against older competition in Mexico while he was just 15 years of age.
Herrera trains with Alexis Salazar of MLB’s Trainer Partnership Program and he’s receiving one of the 20 highest signing bonuses in the upcoming class. While the 17-year-old has moved off of shortstop, he is an average runner and has shown average defensive skills at third base. He could stick at the hot corner in the end but there’s some first base risk in his demographic if he continues to grow. His offensive game will carry him as he displays a “loose and easy” swing, capable of driving baseballs with impact from right-center to his pull side. Herrera possesses a plus arm as well.
The White Sox are also expected to sign teenage shortstop Jurdrick Profar out of Curacao. The infielder is the younger brother of long-time major league infielder Jurickson Profar. He’s signing for $700,000 according to Francys Romero. On the latest big board at Baseball America, Ben Badler listed the teenager as the prospect with the 66th largest bonus in the class and noted that he’s grown to 6-3 with “hands and feet that work well for his size at shortstop”. His instincts were also lauded with the bloodlines evident.
The White Sox are expected to sign Venezuelan catcher Jesus Premoli as well for more than $500K. Premoli has spent more time playing third base recently but Badler noted that the 6-3, 200 pounder has “calling card” power from the left side. On the active signings tracker at Baseball America, the White Sox have been linked to eight prospects in total so far. Venezuelan right-handed pitcher Orlando Suarez will sign for less than $1 million and he was highlighted in an article on potential breakout candidates by Badler. In addition to Suarez, the club will ink shortstop Juan Berroteran, catcher Elier Gil and pitchers Alexandre Valdiviezo and Manuel Rumbos from Venezuela as well.
International signings will be announced by the White Sox next week. We’ll have you covered on all of the activity here at FutureSox.
Thanks James. I’m really glad to have you filling this need for fans
MLB is inundated with quality players from Latin countries, yet are the White Sox have been unsuccessful in selecting and developing international prospects, especially prospects from the Dominican Republic? Who is responsible and what are the plans to improve in that area?