International Free Agent Market (January 2025)

[Joseph Zarr]

No time better than the present to get this going. We have some early rumors of possible Top 50 signings imminent for the Crew:

 

[nate82]

I get the go after positional players over the pitchers but I am always disappointed when I don’t see a top 50 pitching in the signings.

16 year olds are extremely hard to project out and there is far more risk.  So I completely understand the go after positional players over the pitching due to the risk involved.  I just wish emotionally that they would go after a top pitching prospect internationally.

[sveumrules]

11 minutes ago, nate82 said:

I get the go after positional players over the pitchers but I am always disappointed when I don’t see a top 50 pitching in the signings.

16 year olds are extremely hard to project out and there is far more risk.  So I completely understand the go after positional players over the pitching due to the risk involved.  I just wish emotionally that they would go after a top pitching prospect internationally.

There are only three pitchers on the MLB Top 50 for 2025 at #38, 39 and 45.

Looking at their 2024 Top 50 there were just two at #25 and 35.

2023 had Luis Morales at #5 but he was a 22 year old Cuban, then 20yo Jun-Seok Shim who skipped the KBO draft at #10, Janero Miller was #16 as a two way player, then there were four pitchers at #36, 41, 42 and 49.

2022 had two pitchers at #31 and 37.

Top ranked international pitching prospects just aren’t really a thing.

[nate82]

38 minutes ago, sveumrules said:

There are only three pitchers on the MLB Top 50 for 2025 at #38, 39 and 45.

Looking at their 2024 Top 50 there were just two at #25 and 35.

2023 had Luis Morales at #5 but he was a 22 year old Cuban, then 20yo Jun-Seok Shim who skipped the KBO draft at #10, Janero Miller was #16 as a two way player, then there were four pitchers at #36, 41, 42 and 49.

2022 had two pitchers at #31 and 37.

Top ranked international pitching prospects just aren’t really a thing.

Yes I know.  It is mostly an emotionally thing where I get disappointed.  The rankings have actually caught up with this where teams are going after more positional players than pitching. 

[SF70]

Yeah, I’m personally content with everything about this team’s international department.

If this isn’t the best international prospect-procurement system in baseball, it’s among the best.

Focusing on impactful positional talent in this realm gives the team the potential to extend the very best because of their young ages entering the bigs. This is how the team will build a long-lasting dynasty by surrounding Chourio with impactful talent for 6-10 years, most of it prime-age performance.

 

[Jose Cardenal]

Maybe I am wrong but it seems like every year until potentially 2025, the Brewers signed at least 1 guy ranked in the teens (or at least low 20's).  

Slightly disappointed that the highest ranked prospect we are expected to sign is at #35.  I can't argue with the success the Brewers have had the last few years with the International signings so I have faith the Brewers are getting the guys they want.  

[Jake McKibbin]

53 minutes ago, Jose Cardenal said:

Maybe I am wrong but it seems like every year until potentially 2025, the Brewers signed at least 1 guy ranked in the teens (or at least low 20's).  

Slightly disappointed that the highest ranked prospect we are expected to sign is at #35.  I can't argue with the success the Brewers have had the last few years with the International signings so I have faith the Brewers are getting the guys they want.  

I looked at one point this season at the top 10 ranked players and how they fared, I think at the time I checked only  two had an OPS of over .700. One was Leodalis de Vries who went straight to Low A, and is an absolute freak.

Fernando Cruz got Cubs fans very excited but didn't really hit from the off.

The Brewers had three above 1.000 at the same time one of whom was unranked, so I wouldn't look too much into it at all.

A part of this is the amount of development that can be done in a short period of time on cleaning up swing paths with such raw players. It's aways going to be variable, but the work ethic and makeup of players is paramount to being able to develop and it's why the Brewers put so much stock in it.

One very fascinating piece is the combination of power + athleticism rather than hit tools alone. All three of these guys seem to have that defensive capability, Acosta especially, with a power upside in there too.

Can't wait to see what the Brewers do with them, and the other unnamed players.

[SF70]

59 minutes ago, Jose Cardenal said:

Maybe I am wrong but it seems like every year until potentially 2025, the Brewers signed at least 1 guy ranked in the teens (or at least low 20's).  

Slightly disappointed that the highest ranked prospect we are expected to sign is at #35.  I can't argue with the success the Brewers have had the last few years with the International signings so I have faith the Brewers are getting the guys they want.  

Last year’s class had Quintana at #12 & Made at #22 (MLB pipeline) with both of Luis Pena and Jose Anderson outside their top 50..

All 3 performed better than Quintana.

[Joseph Zarr]

Spencer has given us some more goods on these higher ranked signings mentioned by Hogg:

 

[Jose Cardenal]

4 hours ago, SF70 said:

Last year’s class had Quintana at #12 & Made at #22 (MLB pipeline) with both of Luis Pena and Jose Anderson outside their top 50..

All 3 performed better than Quintana.

Hence why I am only slightly disappointed.  I have faith that the Brewers have a good plan in place and are executing it.  

[biedergb]

There are a few things about the IFA rankings and signings that I think based upon some info I have come across:

One is there are so many good players who are 14-16 by the time they associate with a trainer/agent/team, and the evaluation process is not perfect given the age and the competition (I am no expert at all but from hearing/reading about it some) it sounds like certain clubs/trainers play against each other so there can be some variation in how they compare. So top 10 prospect is not necessarily that much better than the 25-40 prospect, unlike the MLB draft where there is some differential in outcomes/success due to age and track history.

The other is that the evaluations are on speed, power etc, and not always about the make up which agents/scouts know. Plus the big factor is the projection of 14-15 year old years to a 17-20 year old. That is very different from team to team (projection and mental make up).

Finally - pitchers are so raw and under-developed that they don't sign much. In fact (from the A. Cornielle interview) it sounds like players only want to be viewed as position players since that is where the money goes. After that if you are not signed, then focus on pitching and those who have some raw stuff will get signed that year or even a year or two later. So the big names rarely are pitchers because a) players only want to viewed as position players apparently and b) teams don't want to commit to pitchers at that young age.

 

I will say those are my thoughts from cobbling together some info from podcasts (BA and just baseball/Aram), interview (here on this website with A. Cornielle published earlier this year) and some random articles (again BA, and prospect sites). So take this with a grain of salt.

[BrewerFan]

23 hours ago, Jose Cardenal said:

Maybe I am wrong but it seems like every year until potentially 2025, the Brewers signed at least 1 guy ranked in the teens (or at least low 20's).  

Slightly disappointed that the highest ranked prospect we are expected to sign is at #35.  I can't argue with the success the Brewers have had the last few years with the International signings so I have faith the Brewers are getting the guys they want.  

Yeah, but correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought Quintana and Made were like 25 and 26 at one point in the rankings and then moved up significantly?

Chourio was ~20th IIRC.

 

Quote

 

@SF70 Last year’s class had Quintana at #12 & Made at #22 (MLB pipeline) with both of Luis Pena and Jose Anderson outside their top 50..

All 3 performed better than Quintana.

 

But even there, didn't they move up later in the process? I thought earlier on, they were both in the mid 20s. I don't think Quintana was 12th when we were first tied to him or even Made was 22nd. 

Or perhaps I'm mis-remembering or thinking of a different ranking, but I thought they ended up higher in the final ranking.

[BrewerFan]

On 9/24/2024 at 5:56 AM, SF70 said:

Yeah, I’m personally content with everything about this team’s international department.

If this isn’t the best international prospect-procurement system in baseball, it’s among the best.

Focusing on impactful positional talent in this realm gives the team the potential to extend the very best because of their young ages entering the bigs. This is how the team will build a long-lasting dynasty by surrounding Chourio with impactful talent for 6-10 years, most of it prime-age performance.

 

I remember just last year there were still people(a person) arguing that the cost of the Latin American academy was not worth it and we'd be better off spending ~10M a year on MLB FA rather than our "failed" attempt at getting an academy going in the DR. 

I think the future of this team would be bright, but take out Chourio, Quero, Made, even Uribe(who I still believe is a future closer)...and yeah, it's pretty easy to be content with how this team chooses to acquire talent.

 

I also wish we were getting a top pitching prospect every once in a while. I wanted Camminti this past year and various HS pitchers in the past, but as risky as they are, it's a whole new level of risk. I'd just go after the most projectable arms, the guys with the biggest velocity and hope you can turn them into something...after focusing on the top position prospects. Uribe IIRC was a 10K signing bonus? Maybe it was 30K. 

 

I'm so excited about this franchise, not just because of the young players they have right now, but because if you squint and if guys pan out, it's not hard to see Quero, Made, Pratt, and Chourio all as AS caliber players(I like a lot of other American players like Bitonti, Wilken, etc...but those are blue chip, potential FV 60 type players and potential top 10 prospects. Quero could easily have been just repeating his '23 stat line in AAA with his defense).

 

We've been one of the best teams in all of Baseball since 2018 and I really think the future is brighter in Milwaukee. And Mark Attanasio doesn't get the credit he deserves, but the Brewers COULD be spending another 10-15 a year on the Big League roster, but the investments in the DR Academy and the AZ Complex has paid off many times more than the initial ~120-150M dollar investment we made. 

Hell, what would it take to sign Jackson Chourio right now to a 10 year extension? Another 80-100M pretty easily. 

[Team Canada]

2 hours ago, BrewerFan said:

Hell, what would it take to sign Jackson Chourio right now to a 10 year extension? Another 80-100M pretty easily.

Much, much more than that.

[SoCalBrewfan]

More than the rankings, which clearly have huge error bars, what's interesting is that these seem like different kinds of players than we've seen the Brewers prioritize in recent IFA classes. The top two guys are 45 hit 50 power if I'm reading right, and I feel like they had in the recent past been prioritizing hit over power, at least with their top few signings. Sure, there have been some guys who were projected with power even at age 16 (Made or Severino, for example), but often their top three or four guys include a few 50/30-40 types like Lara, Guilarte, di Turi.  Even Chourio was rated 55 hit / 50 power at signing, which might also just tell us how not-seriously to take those numbers...

(Actually, as I look, di Turi was rated 50 power at the time of his signing, and Johan Berrios was a 55, so maybe just take all these ratings with a really large chunk of salt?)

Also, yeah, IFA pitchers are really challenging to project and develop, particularly given the timeline. You sign a kid at sixteen, and it's really difficult to develop and build up innings while avoiding injuries, and then you have to make 40-man roster decisions by the time US kids are college sophomores or so. See, for example, Yujanyer Herrera, a kid I like who is now sadly exiled to the Rockies system. I think these guys are never going to be in the top 50 pre-signing lists, but the Brewers have had some minor successes there.

 

[Playing Catch]

It seems to me that the Brewers look at the International Signing Period the same as the draft. They have a budget, and they try to maximize the budget. This means going under slot in the early rounds (or not signing a top 15 international), in order to get 2 or 3 "2nd round picks". It just seems like they believe in having multiple good prospects rather than fewer top prospects.

[nate82]

21 minutes ago, Playing Catch said:

It seems to me that the Brewers look at the International Signing Period the same as the draft. They have a budget, and they try to maximize the budget. This means going under slot in the early rounds (or not signing a top 15 international), in order to get 2 or 3 "2nd round picks". It just seems like they believe in having multiple good prospects rather than fewer top prospects.

Well they tried the top prospect route with Gilbert Lara and it didn't work out.  When you are signing 16 year old's it is nearly impossible to project what they will become.  They could have all of the power and all of the tools you are looking for but it is extremely hard to figure out how they will develop or not. 

Lara in 2014 was the #4 ranked international free agent and the Brewers spent $3,097,500 on him that year.  I would rather spread that money out and try and get as many as the Brewers can get.  The Yankees in 2014 signed 10 of the top 30 and 0 have reached MLB.  Ronald Acuna Jr. signed for $100k that year and the Yankees spent about $34mm that year including penalties.  The only two players the Yankees signed that year that I know of are Estevan Florial and Miguel Yajure.  So even getting 10 of the top 30 will not guarantee anything.  It looks good until you look like the 2014 Yankees international FA signings. 

[BrewerFan]

On 9/25/2024 at 9:52 AM, Team Canada said:

Much, much more than that.

Much more?

Eh, I don't know about that. That's 8 years at 160 and then two option years that'd...pay out big.

Much-much more would be...what, 300M? You'd have had him for most of 7 years(though...he wouldn't have started with the MLB team)...

But, it doesn't matter, we got him locked up. Hopefully we're worrying about paying him to remain a Brewers in 3-4 years...or not thinking about it at all, either way.  

[BrewerFan]

14 hours ago, nate82 said:

Well they tried the top prospect route with Gilbert Lara and it didn't work out.  When you are signing 16 year old's it is nearly impossible to project what they will become.  They could have all of the power and all of the tools you are looking for but it is extremely hard to figure out how they will develop or not. 

Lara in 2014 was the #4 ranked international free agent and the Brewers spent $3,097,500 on him that year.  I would rather spread that money out and try and get as many as the Brewers can get.  The Yankees in 2014 signed 10 of the top 30 and 0 have reached MLB.  Ronald Acuna Jr. signed for $100k that year and the Yankees spent about $34mm that year including penalties.  The only two players the Yankees signed that year that I know of are Estevan Florial and Miguel Yajure.  So even getting 10 of the top 30 will not guarantee anything.  It looks good until you look like the 2014 Yankees international FA signings. 

Sure. Then the Brewers were limited for a couple years to...300K IIRC and that's really when Stearns LA signing really started to pay off. 

Outside of Salas(who I believe was American and moved to be able to sign earlier), have there been any TOP prospects, guys who've gotten 4-5M and become studs? Jasson Dominguez has had all the hype. He looks like he'll be a good player. 

The only guy I wish we'd have signed is Jaison Chourio...just because I think he compliments his Brother well and it'd be a cool story, but if it was Jaison Lara, I wouldn't care.

[Team Canada]

On 9/26/2024 at 11:21 PM, BrewerFan said:

Eh, I don't know about that. That's 8 years at 160 and then two option years that'd...pay out big.

I must've misinterpreted your statement then. What do you mean by "10 year extension"?

[BrewerFan]

8 hours ago, Team Canada said:

I must've misinterpreted your statement then. What do you mean by "10 year extension"?

I'm saying if we signed him to the same deal as we did before he had any service time and waited until he started to hit at the MLB level, it'd cost another 80-100M. 

It read as another extension from 30-40 years for Chourio though. Team control of...his entire career basically. 

[brewmann04]

I ok getting positin kids and use the draft for arms 

[Team Canada]

On 9/28/2024 at 4:54 PM, BrewerFan said:

I'm saying if we signed him to the same deal as we did before he had any service time and waited until he started to hit at the MLB level, it'd cost another 80-100M. 

It read as another extension from 30-40 years for Chourio though. Team control of...his entire career basically. 

Ah, I'm following now, thanks. I dunno, you can only go so high as a pre-arby player, so although the last couple option years would've been more, maybe it doesn't get that crazy?

Certainly the deal they did is looking really good right now.

[Spencer Michaelis]

Since names are starting to come out via the Pipeline rankings, I'll share some other names I was able to dig up beyond the three we know. I believe they are all 2025's, but I found some 2026 names too. I'll keep searching, but this is what I've found so far.

Alexander Frias -- has a lot of videos on his TikTok including some fun bat flips and some nukes from the left side.

Manny De Los Santos -- (not entirely sure if he's class of 2025, but believe he is) also has video of some nice LH swings on his TikTok

Salomón Millán - Catcher who has some video on his Instagram, has the "El Craken" nickname that Gary Sanchez was given early on.

Francis Sosa -- RHH has some video on his TikTok

Sharlinson de la Rosa -- RHH who seems to have some pop. Has some video on his IG Highlights and his TikTok

Isais Chavez -- Has some video of his swings on TikTok, not sure what position he plays, but looks catcher-ish.

Yeuri Ramirez -- RHP, appears to like messing with timing, and show a lot of emotion on the mound, also appears to throw a pretty good combo of two breaking ball shapes and looks like he has some decent velo in the tank as well. Video on his TikTok

Diustin Mayorquin -- RHP out of Nicaragua (pipeline continues), fastball has already been up to 92 from what I could gather. Looks to throw a slider as his main secondary. Decent amount of video on his TikTok.

 

[Spencer Michaelis]

On 9/30/2024 at 4:57 PM, Spencer Michaelis said:

Since names are starting to come out via the Pipeline rankings, I'll share some other names I was able to dig up beyond the three we know. I believe they are all 2025's, but I found some 2026 names too. I'll keep searching, but this is what I've found so far.

Alexander Frias -- has a lot of videos on his TikTok including some fun bat flips and some nukes from the left side.

Manny De Los Santos -- (not entirely sure if he's class of 2025, but believe he is) also has video of some nice LH swings on his TikTok

Salomón Millán - Catcher who has some video on his Instagram, has the "El Craken" nickname that Gary Sanchez was given early on.

Francis Sosa -- RHH has some video on his TikTok

Sharlinson de la Rosa -- RHH who seems to have some pop. Has some video on his IG Highlights and his TikTok

Isais Chavez -- Has some video of his swings on TikTok, not sure what position he plays, but looks catcher-ish.

Yeuri Ramirez -- RHP, appears to like messing with timing, and show a lot of emotion on the mound, also appears to throw a pretty good combo of two breaking ball shapes and looks like he has some decent velo in the tank as well. Video on his TikTok

Diustin Mayorquin -- RHP out of Nicaragua (pipeline continues), fastball has already been up to 92 from what I could gather. Looks to throw a slider as his main secondary. Decent amount of video on his TikTok.

 

Adding some more that I've found...

Nicolas Barrios -- Appears to be related to Gregory Barrios (traded to TB in the Civale deal), his IG shows he's a left hitter, but no video that I can find. Unsure if he's goin to be signing this year or next.

Diego Frontado -- RHH infielder, found some Facebook video from this year, and some older video on YouTube

Gerlyn Payano -- LHH OF, part of RVH Academy has some old video on IG

Alejandro Guerrero -- RHH IF, also training with RVH, with some video from 2023 on IG

Leonard Rijo -- RHH, seemed to be a class of 24 guy, but appears he will be in this upcoming class? Hard to tell, but he seemingly didn't sign in last years class. Has some swings in his IG Highlights and the swing looks pretty nice.