International Free Agency Thread, 1/15/2026 Class

[Bertz]

23 minutes ago, CaliforniaRaisin said:

Minor point of clarification but Brailyn was part of the 7/2/2015 class (with Amaya, Assad, Morel and Paredes). Albertos was another injury-prone prospect from that 2015 class.

Man the one kudo I thought they deserved from the dark period 😅

I know you just laid out the situation with the penalties in another post but insane how quickly the spout turned off.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Just now, Bertz said:

Man the one kudo I thought they deserved from the dark period 😅

I know you just laid out the situation with the penalties in another post but insane how quickly the spout turned off.

I edited my response to you to add the penalties. I really think the 2-year one might have led to the spout turning off in the late 2010s.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

News of this signing initially came out in the 2025 period but became official today:

 

[craig]

Cal, the link in previous post isn't showing.  Which 2025 signing got reported?  The Bryant Ciriaco signing, maybe?  If so, will his signing be under the 2025 signing period, or part of the 2026 cap?  

[craig]

https://www.mlb.com/cubs/news/chicago-cubs-2026-international-signings?t=cubs-pipeline-coverage

Not much info in here, but has some scouting info on martinez, if in fact Jesse Borek author who I've never actually heard of before actually has true-info source.

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Martinez, ... He’s the type of super twitchy, high baseball IQ player who endears himself to scouts and teammates alike.

A switch-hitter, Martinez is apt to spray the ball to all fields with presently more of a hit-over-power swing. But he’s ripped off a few triple-digit exit velocities and shown an ability to tap into some loft (particularly from the left side), which should boost his extra-base profile as he continues to fill out. 

 

Triple-digit velocity on occasion is helpful for thinking there might be some power.   

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Munoz ..  The right-handed hitter has shown the ability to get deep into at-bats and get to some pull-side pop on occasion. Evaluators think his quickest path through the system might be as a bat-to-ball infielder who holds down multiple spots defensively, also impacting the game on the basepaths on occasion.

 

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But the player who boasts arguably the most helium in the Cubs’ class is Geraldo. He’s added good weight to his physique over the past few years, putting on muscle to go with his ability to find the barrel from the right side. He also has what is likely the strongest throwing arm among the club’s 2026 signees, which when coupled with his growing frame could push him to the hot corner in due time.

 

[craig]

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/2026-mlb-international-signings-tracker/

 

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hicago Cubs ($6,679,200)

Scouting The Top Cubs Signings

• Yadier Muñoz, SS, Dominican Republic ($1.2 million)
• Jaims Martinez, SS, Cuba ($900,000)
• Yanfri Serrano, OF, Dominican Republic ($800,000)
• Eduardo Gonzalez, SS, Venezuela ($800,000)
• Johan Geraldo, SS, Dominican Republic ($600,000)
• Franyel Almanzar, SS, Dominican Republic ($600,000)
• Xavier Cadiz, SS/CF, Venezuela
• Luis Tomas, SS, Dominican Republic
• Kotaro Tsunematsu, OF, Japan

 

•  

[craig]

Japanese kid is 22, 6'0", has some power, lived in New York for a while, came through one of top academic universities in Japan, and had a Goldman Sachs job offer in New York I think, so is probably smart.  But was not drafted in Japanese-league draft, so must not be all that good at baseball.  Apparently has some power and exit-velocity.  

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

1 hour ago, craig said:

Cal, the link in previous post isn't showing.  Which 2025 signing got reported?  The Bryant Ciriaco signing, maybe?  If so, will his signing be under the 2025 signing period, or part of the 2026 cap?  

That tweet was Kotaro Tsunematsu, the Japanese college senior.

Looks like Twitter/X has been down a lot today. 

[craig]

Are we confident that the Bryant Ciriako signing ever got finished?  I assume so, but I never recall seeing it posted anywhere official.  Must have been, though....

[craig]

Strike this/delete this if this is too much info and copywrite problem.  

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BA on Cubs 2026 International signings:

Dominican shortstop Yadier Muñoz, signing for $1.2 million, stood out early in the scouting process for his skills and baseball IQ. That’s still the case, as Muñoz is on the smaller side (5-foot-10, 160 pounds) and doesn’t have huge physical upside, but he’s a solid, steady player on both sides of the ball. He has good bat control from the right side of the plate, making frequent contact with a line-drive approach and gap power. He’s an above-average runner who has the defensive actions, secure hands and instincts to stick somewhere in the dirt, whether it’s at shortstop or at second base.

Shortstop Jaims Martinez ($900,000) has been out of Cuba for a while, though only recently did Major League Baseball clear him to sign, so he will be part of the 2026 class. He’s 5-foot-10, 150 pounds, a lighter, quick-twitch athlete with at least plus speed and bouncy actions at shortstop, where he has a good chance to stick. He’s a high baseball IQ player and a switch-hitter with a quick bat who hits the ball with surprising jump off his bat for his size. He has performed well against live pitching in the Dominican Republic, including in a league in the northern part of the country where a lot of former minor leaguers play.

An up-arrow prospect signing for $600,000, Johan Geraldo from the Dominican Republic has a chance to develop into a power-hitting shortstop. He’s 6 feet, 170 pounds, a lean, high-waist frame that he’s starting to fill out and still offers significant physical projection. He whistles the bat through the zone with high-end bat speed for his age to drive the ball with impact now and the potential to develop into a 25-plus home run threat. Geraldo’s power is enticing, but he isn’t just an all-or-nothing hitter, as he shows a sense for recognizing pitches and tapping into his power in games. Geraldo also has a chance to stick at shortstop, where his best trait is a plus arm.

Dominican outfielder Yanfri Serrano ($800,000) has trended up physically over the last couple years, growing to 6-foot-2, 180 pounds and standing out for his lefthanded power potential. He will flash home run juice now with more space to fill out and continue adding more power, with adjustments over the past year that have added more leverage to his swing. Serrano trained as a center fielder and could start his career there, though an outfield corner is his more likely landing spot.

Scouts praised Venezuelan shortstop Eduardo Gonzalez ($800,000) for his defense at shortstop and all-around game acumen. He’s a quick-twitch athlete who zips around with good footwork, hands, body control and instincts to go with a plus arm. At 6 feet, 185 pounds, Gonzalez stands out mostly for his glove, but has solid bat-to-ball skills from the left side of the plate and has added strength to start stinging the ball with more authority, though he projects more as a doubles threat than a big power bat.

A 5-foot-10, 160-pound switch-hitter signing for $600,000, Dominican shortstop Franyel Almanzar has a medium build without a ton of physical upside, but he has a strong offensive track record, consistently registering quality at-bats with little swing-and-miss to his game. Almanzar makes good swing decisions, stays within the strike zone and has good barrel accuracy with gap power, giving him the components to get on base at a high clip. Almanzar is an above-average runner who should get a chance to continue his development at shortstop but might fit better at second base.

Xavier Cadiz is a shortstop and center fielder from Venezuela who is a more under-the-radar signing with an intriguing lefthanded bat and high-level game acumen. At 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, he’s not that big, but he has a knack for being on time and making contact at a high clip with little swing-and-miss to his game. It’s a mature hitting approach for his age with some surprising power for his size in an offensive-minded profile. He’s an above-average runner with a strong arm but his range in the infield could end up leading him to second or third base.

Dominican shortstop Luis Tomas is a wiry, quick-twitch athlete with above-average speed who moves around well at shortstop. He’s a switch-hitter whose athleticism and ability to handle a premium position stick out most

 

[craig]

A lot of short, wiry, game-acumen, contact guys.  Not a lot with big power projection, although Geraldo and Serrano maybe.  Sometimes 16-year-olds grow another inch, and interestingly none of the Cubs regular non-catchers list above 6-feet tall.  So not sure that being 5'10" necessarily precludes having some HR-power, maybe we've got some Altuva/Acuna/Lindor guys.  (Shaw is also only 5'10".). Or could be a lot of utility guys who never get past A+, who knows! 

But yeah, would be fun if it's a group of twitchy, athletic, smart, contact-hitting guys who are just good baseball players, and who mature into a playable number of HR's.  

[CaliforniaRaisin]

37 minutes ago, craig said:

Are we confident that the Bryant Ciriako signing ever got finished?  I assume so, but I never recall seeing it posted anywhere official.  Must have been, though....

Yes. It came through on the MLB transactions wire, dated 12/12/2025: 

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

[allen6510w]

2 hours ago, CaliforniaRaisin said:

 

It must be fun to watch youth baseball in the Dominican Republic.  One pitcher, one centerfielder, 6 shortstops and presumably a  first baseman. 

Seriously, it is kind of fun to sign so many prospects to 5 digit contracts.  There may be some real competition for promotion.  In the past few years, the top $ signs have been promoted to the state's despite dismal performances in their first DSL year (Fernando Cruz  last year and apparently Juan Tomas this year).  Obviously, tools are much more important than DSL stats but does it make sense to promote a play on tools alone.  Not sure. 

 

[craig]

Allen, it might be more fun to have a group of guys of semi-similar bonus range with a chance to compete with each other.  Maybe competing with each other helps drive guys to get better?  Maybe win a couple of games, too?  Cubs have spent on big-tickets like Cruz who have been bad, their DSL teams have usually been last-place types.  Even at that level, perhaps winning some games is kind of fun and motivating?  

Glad Ciriacao really did get signed, that would add a bat-first guy with some power potential.  He wasn't even referred to as a SS, I don't think!  

Munoz isn't short, but in the picture he didn't look that small or skinny to me.  Looks reasonably square-shouldered to me, just from picture glance.  Hopefully he'll be strong enough for some power in due time.  

[Neuby]

https://x.com/francysromeroFR/status/2014386344395444688?s=20

 

Edited January 22 by Neuby

[CubinNY]

4 hours ago, Neuby said:

https://x.com/francysromeroFR/status/2014386344395444688?s=20

 

Hell yeah!

[CaliforniaRaisin]

 

[CaliforniaRaisin]

On 1/22/2026 at 9:24 AM, Neuby said:

https://x.com/francysromeroFR/status/2014386344395444688?s=20

 

Wonder what a new CBA would do next year's signing class.

[CaliforniaRaisin]