Elian Peña, a 17-year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic, secured a $5 million bonus with the New York Mets on Wednesday, marking the largest deal on the opening day of the 2025 international signing period.
Peña was ranked as the No. 3 prospect in this year’s international class by MLB.com, behind Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, who must finalize a deal by January 23, and Dominican shortstop Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez, who signed with the San Francisco Giants for $2,997,500.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue Jays, all vying for Sasaki, did not finalize any agreements with bonuses exceeding $10,000, which count toward their signing bonus pool limits. Only half of MLB teams secured deals over $10,000 during the early hours of the signing period.
Detroit Tigers assistant general manager Rob Metzler noted the increased uncertainty surrounding this signing period compared to others, which affected both teams and players.
Dominican outfielder Cris Rodriguez, ranked fourth, signed with the Detroit Tigers for $3,197,500, while Andrew Salas, a shortstop and outfielder ranked fifth, agreed to a $3.7 million deal with the Miami Marlins. Salas was born in the U.S. but moved to Venezuela.
Eighteen-year-old Shotaro Morii, aiming to follow in Shohei Ohtani’s footsteps as a two-way player, opted to skip Japanese professional baseball entirely and signed with the Oakland Athletics for $1,510,500.
Other notable signings included Dominican infielder Johan De Los Santos with the Pittsburgh Pirates ($2.25 million), Venezuelan catcher Gabriel Davalillo with the Los Angeles Angels ($2 million), Venezuelan infielder Brayan Cortesia with the Washington Nationals ($1.92 million), and several more international prospects.
Players born between September 1, 2007, and August 31, 2008, are eligible to sign during this period, which concludes on December 15. Teams have bonus pools ranging from $5.1 million to $7.6 million, and any signing bonuses under $10,000 do not count against the team’s cap.
Additionally, Australian right-hander Robinson Smith signed with the Pirates for $400,000, Italian right-hander Filippo Sabatini with the Philadelphia Phillies for $80,000, and Ugandan infielder Armstrong Muhoozi with the Pirates for $40,000.
