Domestic Shortstop Elian Peña Signs with Mets for $5 Million Bonus to Open International Signing Period
A Record-Breaking Deal
Elian Peña, a 17-year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic, agreed to a $5 million bonus with the New York Mets on Wednesday, making it the largest deal on the first day of the 2025 international signing period.
A Competitive Market
Peña was rated the No. 3 prospect in the international class for this year by MLB.com, behind Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki and Dominican shortstop Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez, who agreed with the San Francisco Giants at $2,997,500. The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue Jays, all hoping to sign Sasaki, did not finalize any contracts with bonuses of more than $10,000, which count against their signing bonus pools. Just half of the 30 teams finalized deals of more than $10,000 in the opening hours of the signing period.
Avoiding Uncertainty
“Dominican infielder Johan De Los Santos and Pittsburgh ($2.25 million)
“• Venezuelan catcher Gabriel Davalillo and the Los Angeles Angels ($2 million)
“• Venezuelan infielder Brayan Cortesia and Washington ($1.92 million)
“• Dominican infielder Darell Morel and Pittsburgh ($1,778,600)
“• Venezuelan infielder Santiago Leon and Minnesota ($1,697,500)
“• Dominican outfielder Maykel Coret and Tampa Bay ($1.6 million)
“• Venezuelan outfielder Breyson Guedez and the Athletics ($1.5 million)
“• Dominican outfielder Elian De La Cruz and Arizona ($1.1 million)
“• Dominican shortstop Christopher Acosta and Milwaukee ($1.1 million)
“• Dominican infielder Raymer Medina and Tampa Bay ($1.1 million)
“• Venezuelan catcher Daniel Hernandez and Washington ($1.1 million)
“• Dominican infielder Warel Solano and Tampa Bay ($1.05 million)
“Players born from Sept. 1, 2007, through Aug. 31, 2008, are eligible to sign during this year’s period, which ends Dec. 15. Teams have signing bonus pools ranging from about $5.1 million to $7.6 million.
Other Agreements
Other agreements included:
• Dominican outfielder Cris Rodriguez, ranked fourth, signed with Detroit for $3,197,500, and Andrew Salas, a shortstop and outfielder ranked fifth, signed with Miami for $3.7 million. Salas was born in the U.S. and moved to Venezuela.
• Hoping to become a two-way player just like Shohei Ohtani, 18-year-old Shotaro Morii made the rare decision to bypass Japanese professional baseball entirely and agreed with the Athletics at $1,510,500.
• Australian right-hander Robinson Smith signed with Pittsburgh for $400,000 and Italian right-hander Filippo Sabatini with Philadelphia for $80,000. Ugandan infielder Armstrong Muhoozi agreed with Pittsburgh for $40,000.
Conclusion
The 2025 international signing period has seen a record-breaking deal with Elian Peña signing with the Mets for $5 million. With teams having signing bonus pools ranging from $5.1 million to $7.6 million, it’s clear that there is a competitive market for international talent.
FAQs
Q: Who is Elian Peña?
A: Elian Peña is a 17-year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic who signed with the New York Mets for $5 million.
Q: Who was the second-ranked prospect in the international class for this year?
A: The second-ranked prospect was Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, who must agree to a deal by Jan. 23.
Q: Who did the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue Jays sign during the opening hours of the signing period?
A: None of the three teams finalized any contracts with bonuses of more than $10,000, which count against their signing bonus pools.
Q: When does the 2025 international signing period end?
A: The 2025 international signing period ends on Dec. 15.
