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The Dodgers as expected have made a big splash on the first day of the 2015-2016 international signing period, with reported signings of top international prospects Yadier Alvarez, outfielder Starling Heredia, shortstop Ronny Brito and infielder Oneil Cruz, among others.
The Dodgers haven't confirmed any deals yet officially, but here is what we know so far.
Yadier Alvarez
The 6'3, 175-pound right-hander has been clocked at 99 mph, and signed for a reported $16 million bonus per Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, Ben Badler of Baseball America and Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. David Hood on Wednesday profiled Alvarez, in whom the Dodgers have been interested in since February. Alvarez was rated the top international prospect by FanGraphs and No. 2 by MLB.com.
#Dodgers sign #16M deal with RHP Alvarez, #2 on @mlb Top 30 Int’l Prospects list http://t.co/YduPYJGNy2 @MLBPipeline pic.twitter.com/96mKwFqARO
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) July 2, 2015
Yadier Alvarez signs with the Dodgers pic.twitter.com/g8CdymkxbB
— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) July 2, 2015
Starling Heredia
Heredia, 16, is 6-foot, 215 pounds, and was described as a right fielder by Badler, who called Heredia "a good athlete for his size, with a strong set of tools between his power, speed and arm strength."
The bonus for Heredia is $2.6 million per Sanchez and Badler.
Heredia was ranked No. 6 by MLB.com, No. 8 by Baseball America and No. 12 by FanGraphs.
Starling Heredia in the middle, his dad on the left. Size runs in the family pic.twitter.com/8YQsW5IP8O
— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) July 2, 2015
Ronny Brito
Brito is 6'1, 175 pounds, and the 16-year-old for now is known more for his defense at shortstop than his bat, though the latter could certainly develop.
"He projects as a pure shortstop with good body control, smooth actions, soft hands, good range and a plus arm. He’s an athletic player with plus speed as well," wrote Badler on Tuesday.
Brito was rated No. 15 by FanGraphs, No. 21 by MLB.com and No. 25 by Baseball America.
His bonus was $2 million, per Sanchez and Badler.
Per @JesseSanchezMLB, @Dodgers sign Y. Alvarez ($16m), S. Heredia ($2.6m) & R. Brito ($2m): http://t.co/P4W1bP7YXo pic.twitter.com/DuFSBKIrec
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 2, 2015
Oneil Cruz
Cruz, 16, is a left-handed batter, at 6'4, 170-pounds, with a $950,000 bonus per Sanchez.
Congratulations to Oneal Cruz, from Banana Baseball Academy who sigh today for 950K. #Dodgers #july2nd2015 #Julio2 pic.twitter.com/UOkaxCunjt
— JDB BASEBALL RD (@juliobasora25) July 2, 2015
Christopher Arias
This 16-year-old Dominican outfielder has a deal for $500,000, per Badler:
Raw power is the calling card for Arias, who is 6-foot-2, 175 pounds, though he’s still learning to make more contact in games. He’s close to an average runner now and projects to add significant size and strength, so he should fit defensively in left or right field
Meet new Dodgers prospects Christopher Arias ($500K) & Oneal Cruz (950K) http://t.co/4yTocTRv0u @MLBPipeline pic.twitter.com/hkA8PIcMAl
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) July 2, 2015
Ramon Rosso
The Dodgers also apparently signed right-handed pitcher Ramon Rosso, a 6'4, 190-pound 19-year-old, though the bonus is unknown and again the club hasn't announced any of these deals yet officially.
Others
Outfielder Eddy Martinez, rated either the first- or second-best international prospect, likely won't sign on Thursday. His eight-figure payday will come soon, with the Dodgers still in the mix.
OF Eddy Julio Martinez, #1 on @MLB Top 30 Int’l Prospects list http://t.co/YduPYJGNy2 is weighing options & will not sign today.@MLBPipeline
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) July 2, 2015
Eddy Julio Martinez signing (Cubs or Dodgers) maybe will not be announced today.
— Antonio Puesan (@antoniopuesan) July 2, 2015
Infielder Lucius Fox, linked to the Dodgers in recent weeks and ranked between third and fourth on international prospect lists, ended up agreeing to terms with the Giants for $6 million, per Sanchez.
Even without Martinez, just with the five known bonuses above, the Dodgers are well over their $2,020,300 bonus pool.
| Dodgers 2015-2016 international signing period | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos | Player | Age | Country | Bonus |
| RHP | Yadier Alvarez | 19 | Cuba | $16,000,000 |
| OF | Starling Heredia | 16 | Dominican Republic | $2,600,000 |
| IF | Ronny Brito | 16 | Dominican Republic | $2,000,000 |
| IF | Oneil Cruz | 16 | Dominican Republic | $950,000 |
| OF | Christopher Arias | 16 | Dominican Republic | $500,000 |
| Totals | $22,050,000 | |||
| Less: Bonus pool | $2,020,300 | |||
| Overage (100% tax) |
$20,029,700 | |||
| Total Cost | $42,079,700 | |||
As expected, the Dodgers won't be able to sign any international amateurs for bonuses over $300,000 in the next two international signing periods, starting in July 2016.