The 2026 international signing period begins today across Major League Baseball. While the signing period will be open until December 15th for players who are at least 16-years-old and eligible to sign, the majority of the big dollar signings will come over the next few days. The Cincinnati Reds have kicked off their signing period with more than a handful of signings, with the biggest one being getting outfielder Angel Nunez signed to a 7-figure deal, inking him to a contract with a bonus of $3,000,000. That is the top signing bonus that has been given out by the Reds so far and it’s expected to remain that way.
Both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline had Angel Nunez as the #6 player on their rankings for this class. But there are a few things worth noting about those. First is that Baseball America’s Top 100 is not necessarily a ranking on which prospects are the best ones today, but based on the signing bonus that the players are getting today/this week. The second thing is that most players who are going to be “ranked” on either list is a guy who probably has not been scouted by other teams in more than a year and some even longer than that because teams and players are agreeing to deals well in advance (at least for the top end players) and once they agree on a deal the players stop going to workouts. A lot of things can change for athletes between the ages of 13/14/15 and when they are 16 and eligible to sign.
With that out of the way, let’s get back to talking about what we do know about Angel Nunez. He’s a 16-year-old outfielder from the Dominican Republic that both hits and throws left-handed. He is currently listed at 5′ 11″ and 165 lbs and will turn 17 in April. There’s likely some physical projection left with him (as well as most of the other guys who will sign this year).
He’s played for the Dominican Republic national team in the past and hit .350 with twice as many walks as strikeouts in the U15 World Cup in late 2024. Scouting reports indicate that he’s a well-rounded player who can do a little bit of everything. Defensively he shows plus speed in center and can cover a lot of ground. He pairs that with a strong throwing arm.
At the plate he’s got an advanced eye for his age. He projects to hit for a quality average and is already showing an ability to hit the ball to all fields. His power is a bit below his hit-tool, but he could wind up with average power down the line – which would be above-average power compared to his position peers in center. His plus speed should also do well in the running game.
From a pure tools perspective, Angel Nunez has all five of them. Of course there’s a difference between tools and skills, and as it goes with nearly every teenaged player that’s ever existed, it’s going to take time for those raw athletic abilities to be developed into usable skills on a regular basis.
Ben Badler of Baseball America is also reporting that the club signed shortstop Carlos Hernandez to a 7-figure deal. The infielder signed with a bonus of $1,000,000 and ranked 51st on their bonus board. Listed at 6′ 1″ and 160 lbs, he too has room to fill out his frame a little bit as he matures. None of his tools truly stand out as plus, but he’s got a well rounded skillset. At the plate the left-handed hitter has a chance to hit for average with a good approach. His power potential seems to be more fringe-average if he fills out his frame well, but at shortstop that is plenty of pop. In the field he shows good hands and has the arm to remain at the position.
Baseball America is reporting one other high-dollar signing in catcher Diego Pacheco. They noted earlier this week that he could be a breakout type of candidate from this signing class. He wound up getting a bonus of $700,000 according to Badler and ranked 73rd on their bonus board. At the plate he could hit for both average and power. Behind the plate he’s quite athletic and he’s improved in his abilities at the position, though he will still need to continue to refine his skills back there. His arm stands out and should play well.
More signings will be coming in. Over at RedsMinorLeagues.com we’ll have more coverage there today, tomorrow, and Saturday with more information on who the club signed and scouting reports on the players.
There was a time in somewhat recent memory when teams could spend as much as they wanted to on amateur players as long as they were willing to face the penalties for it. Those days are now behind us and have been for a bit. Now every team gets a bonus pool allotment that tells them how much they are allowed to spend to sign players. While teams can trade away various amounts of that money to others, a team is only allowed to acquire 60% of what their original bonus pool amount was. This year the Cincinnati Reds pool allotment is $7,357,100. That’s in the second tier of allotments with seven teams having $8,034,900 in their pool. Signings of $10,000 or lower do not count towards a team’s pool money.