Major League Baseball’s new international amateur signing period opened on Thursday. Last year’s class was highlighted by Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. No players in this year’s class are expected to jump right to the major leagues as Sasaki did, but several could be among the game’s top prospects a year from now.

Though the San Francisco Giants have one of the smallest international bonus pools in this year’s signing period ($5.44 million), they have signed the consensus top prospect in the class, Venezuelan shortstop Luis Hernández. Hernández received a $5 million bonus, according to sources.

Similarly, the New York Mets signed one of the top prospects in the class despite a smaller bonus pool, inking shortstop Wandy Asigen out of the Dominican Republic for $3.9 million. Asigen had been linked to the New York Yankees for much of the run-up to the opening of the signing period, but he opted out of his agreement with the Yankees to sign with the Mets after the Yankees experienced significant turnover in their international scouting department.

The Philadelphia Phillies and the Athletics each signed prospects for $4 million bonuses, which according to Baseball America are the second-highest in this class behind what Hernández received from the Giants.

Each MLB organization has a bonus pool limit on what it can spend on players during this signing period. Unlike in the amateur draft, when teams can exceed their bonus pool amounts while incurring a penalty, international bonus pools are hard-capped. Bonuses of $10,000 or less don’t count against the pool amount. Teams can acquire additional bonus pool money in trades with other teams.

There are six bands of bonus pool amounts this year, according to Baseball America:

$8,034,900: Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Guardians, Orioles, Pirates, Rockies, Royals
$7,357,100: Athletics, Brewers, Mariners, Marlins, Rays, Reds, Tigers, Twins
$6,679,200: Angels, Braves, Cubs, Dodgers, Nationals, Phillies, Rangers, White Sox
$5,940,000: Blue Jays, Padres, Red Sox
$5,440,000: Astros, Giants, Mets, Yankees

Below are notable signings from teams around the league:

Athletics

Dominican shortstop Johenssy Colome highlights the A’s international signing class. Colome turned 17 in October and comes from a baseball family. His father (Jesús Colome) and uncle (Alex Colome) both pitched for more than a decade in the big leagues. Baseball America tabbed Colome as the fastest rising prospect among this year’s class, ranking him third overall.

A’s international scouting director Steve Sharpe says the 6-foot-2 Colome is “uniquely exciting.” Defensively, he stands out for his arm strength but his bat is what has drawn the most attention, as he offers big power. He signed for $4 million, according to Baseball America.

The A’s also gave a seven-figure bonus to 17-year-old Dominican shortstop Ricky Duran, whom Sharpe praises for his well-rounded game and “ability to play at a pro pace” already.

Other notable signings for the A’s include Venezuelan catcher Jose Perdomo, Dominican infielder Elijah Suazo and Cuban outfielder Darian Rojas. Perdomo is the younger brother of Atlanta Braves prospect Jose Perdomo, who signed for a $5 million bonus in 2024. The younger Perdomo is a solidly built backstop with strong defensive skills and power projection at the plate. Suazo is a left-handed hitting infielder with an advanced approach at the plate and Rojas, 19, is a plus runner with above-average speed who has experience playing for Cuba’s U18 national team. — Melissa Lockard

Kansas City Royals

The Royals announced a signing class of 19 players on Thursday, including Venezuelan outfielder Angeibel Gomez, who is a consensus top-10 prospect in the class. Gomez, 17, is a right-handed hitter who has notable contact skills and defensive abilities in center field, according to Baseball America. He signed for a reported $2.9 million.

The Royals also gave a seven-figure bonus to 17-year-old Cuban shortstop Jaider Suárez, who ranked 23rd on Baseball America’s list. — Melissa Lockard

Los Angeles Dodgers

Last year, the Dodgers used most of their bonus pool to sign Sasaki, who was the consensus top prospect in the class. This year, the Dodgers have signed four players on Baseball America’s top-100 list, led by Dominican outfielder Rubel Arias. Arias is a lefty-swinging outfielder with a good feel for hitting, according to Baseball America. The Dodgers’ other top-100 prospect signings are Dominican shortstops Ezequiel Melbourne, Ariel Reynoso and Jose Victorino.

The Dodgers have also signed left-hander Tom Apfelbaum out of Germany. The 6-foot-4 southpaw pitched for the German U18 team in the WBSC U18 Baseball World Cup, where his fastball hit 93.2 mph. — Melissa Lockard

New York Mets

Wandy Asigen highlights the Mets’ international class. The 16-year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic picked the Mets after working out in showcases for several teams in December. Previously, he backed out of his agreement with the Yankees. To sign Asigen, the Mets traded left-handed pitching prospect Franklin Gómez to the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday for international bonus pool money.

Evaluators from various organizations said Asigen is among the top few prospects in the class. The same evaluators said ranking him anywhere within the top four makes sense.

Asigen’s electric bat speed, advanced approach and power for his age convince scouts he holds plus hit tools. One evaluator described Asigen, a left-handed batter, as a possible five-tool shortstop in the future. Like others, though, he may end up playing elsewhere in the infield. His offensive game is what really stands out because of his ability to hit balls hard at elite rates (110 mph). But scouts also give him favorable grades for defense and speed. — Will Sammon

New York Yankees

The Yankees haven’t been connected to any of this year’s top prospects expected to get large signing bonuses. Wandy Asigen, who signed with the Mets, was one of two players ranked in Baseball America’s top-100 international prospect list who had been expected to sign with the Yankees before opting out of their deals. (Yeison Horton, a Dominican shortstop who signed with the Angels, is the other.)

According to Baseball America, the club has reached agreements with catcher Kenneth Melendez (Venezuela), catcher Cesar Lopez (Venezuela), shortstop Germayhoni Beltre (Dominican Republic), shortstop Abrahan Pichardo (Dominican Republic), catcher Poly Ojeda (Venezuela) and right-handed pitcher Sebastian Rivas (Venezuela). None of them were ranked in BA’s top-100 list. — Melissa Lockard

Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies made a splash on signing day, signing Venezuelan center fielder Francisco Renteria for $4 million, matching the franchise record international amateur signing bonus set in July 2015.

Renteria is the No. 2-ranked international prospect on Baseball America’s top-100 list. Phillies’ international staff lauded Renteria’s bat-to-ball skills, athleticism, power and maturity. Renteria, who turned 17 less than a week ago, figures to stick in center field — though time, obviously, will tell. Some Phillies staffers compared him to Mariners center fielder Julio Rodríguez.

Another signing the Phillies are excited about is Juan Parra, a shortstop out of Bobby Abreu’s academy in Venezuela. He’s an athletic switch-hitter and a strong runner with good bat-to-ball skills, team sources said. Some feel he could eventually end up in center field.

The Phillies will also make history with this class, signing their first Japanese amateur. Alexandre Moreti is an 18-year-old righty with a fastball sitting between 88-89 mph, touching the low 90s. One team official said they’re most excited about Moreti’s desire to challenge himself by coming to the U.S. to prove to the baseball world that he’s worth the time and investment. — Charlotte Varnes

San Diego Padres

The Padres announced the signing of three players on Thursday: shortstop Joniel Hernandez from Cuba, infielder Timothy Mogen from Curaçao and left-handed pitcher Diego Serna from Mexico. Both Hernandez and Serna received seven-figure signing bonuses, according to Baseball America.

Hernandez is a toolsy prospect with a strong throwing arm who comes to the Padres with experience against international competition, having pitched for Mexico’s national team in the 2024 U15 World Cup. He’s reportedly hit 92 mph with his fastball. Mojen is considered one of the top prospects from Curaçao in this year’s class. He’s 6-4 and has above-average speed and arm strength. — Melissa Lockard

San Francisco Giants

Last year at this time, the Giants signed one of the top prospects in the class, shortstop Josuar Gonzalez, and he has already emerged as one of the Giants’ top prospects. The organization hopes for a similar development with Luis Hernández, who is signing for what is believed to be the largest bonus in the class ($5 million).

Hernandez, 17, is a right-handed hitter whose well-rounded skills have allowed him to excel against older competition. Considered the top player out of the respected Carlos Guillen Academy, Hernandez faced much older competition — including some pitchers who were twice his age — in the Venezuelan Summer League and hit .346 with eight walks and 11 strikeouts in 114 plate appearances. He is just 5-foot-10 but already demonstrates pull power along with the ability to barrel off-speed pitches and fastballs alike.

“We’re excited about what this group of players brings to our organization,” Giants senior director of international scouting Joe Salermo said in a team-released statement. “Luis stood out to us for his ability, character and work ethic. We’re proud to welcome him and this entire class as they begin their professional journeys with us.”

The Giants also signed 17-year-old Mexican right-hander Alexis Gallegos, who made his pro debut with Yucatan in the Mexican Professional League last year, and Venezuelan outfielder Angelo Ugueto. With Hernandez’s bonus taking up most of the Giants’ pool, their international class is expected to be smaller than usual this year. — Andrew Baggarly

St. Louis Cardinals

Powerful right-handed hitting outfielder Emanuel Luna celebrated his 17th birthday today by signing with the Cardinals for a $2.3 million bonus, according to MLB.com. Luna, one of the top power hitters in the class, stands 6-2 and has room to grow into his frame and add even more power down the road.

The Cardinals also signed Dominican shortstop Carlos Carrion to a $1.1 million bonus. Carrion is a switch-hitter with above-average athleticism. — Melissa Lockard

Washington Nationals

On Thursday, the Nationals announced 15 international signings, including four who received seven-figure bonuses, according to Baseball America.

Dominican outfielder Samil Serrano took home the biggest bonus at $1.97 million, following closely by fellow Dominican outfielder Isaias Suarez’s $1.9 million bonus. Serrano, a left-handed hitting and throwing outfielder, ranked 16 on Baseball America’s Top 100. Serrano doesn’t have a lot of present power but his frame has room to grow and he has a smooth swing, according to Baseball America. Suarez, ranked 18th, gets high marks for his athleticism and defensive prowess in center field. Outfielders Juan Duran and Angel Ramirez, also from the Dominican Republic, reportedly received $1 million bonuses. — Melissa Lockard