Previewing the Mets’ 2025 International Free Agency Class
Major League Baseball’s international free agency window opens up Wednesday, January 15.
Over the last couple of decades, the Mets have had a couple of wins from searching the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and other parts of Latin America for young talent, from José Reyes and Amed Rosario to Andres Gimenez and Francisco Alvarez to Edgardo Alfonzo and Nelson Cruz (what could’ve been!).
The team, though, would also say it’s pretty proud of its academy in the Dominican Republic, which provides education to young players from the country and beyond. (It also may be Omar Minaya’s legacy.) Most players signed in international free agency don’t even make it to the States and sign for very little—if anything at all— and it should be the standard that MLB teams are at least providing the players something beyond an opportunity.
All that said, the Mets are expected to be as active as ever, projected to sign once of the best players with its $6,261,600 available in bonus money. (The Mets lost some bonus pool money for exceeding luxury tax thresholds.)
Let’s take a quick preview at how the day could go down.
It Won’t Include Roki Sasaki
Roki Sasaki, along with the blessing of his club in Japan, decided to head stateside before being able to sign with any team for whatever amount he wanted in typical free agency. (He could’ve done that after two more seasons.)
Instead, he must sign during MLB’s international free agency period. His recruitment has lasted about a month, and he’s reportedly narrowed his list of potential teams to the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and Toronto Blue Jays. The Dodgers and Padres have long been the favorites. On Tuesday, the Mets were told they were eliminated from contention after they were one of about 10 teams that got an initial meeting with the 23-year-old.
His agent said he will decide within the next week, which leaves the three aforementioned teams in limbo with their other international free agents. (The Dodgers and Blue Jays aren’t projected for any big-money signings, but the Blue Jays are planning to sign at least one player for over $2 million.) Sasaki should get a healthy signing bonus, whomever he chooses. The Dodgers have already lost two players they previously expected to sign to other teams.
Given that the Mets aren’t one of the teams, they can move along as planned with their largest international free-agent signing ever.
Elian Peña Headlines the Class
Elian Peña is 17 years old and viewed by some sites as the best non-Sasaki player in the entire 2025 class. He’s projected to earn a bonus of around $5 million, which would nearly double the biggest bonus the Mets have given out.
Reminder that the Mets are expected to sign SS Elian Peña on Wednesday for around $5 million.
The Mets previous record for an IFA signing bonus was $2.85M (Yovanny Rodriguez).
Peña is considered the best player in the period outside of Sasaki.
— Mike Mayer (@mikemayer22) January 13, 2025
Just look at the smooth and grounded left-handed swing. Baseball America says that “If everything clicks, he could be a plus hitter with 25-30 home run power along the lines of Rafael Devers,” projecting him to play second or third by the time he reaches big-league age.
Peña will take up nearly 80% of the Mets’ bonus IFA pool. Let’s take a look at some of the players the Mets plan to sign with the remaining 20%.
Mets Round Out Class With Dominican and Venezuelan Players
While none of the remaining players the Mets are projected to sign sit within Baseball America’s Top 100 international prospects, the class still has potential. Here are some of the names the Mets have been connected to:
- Giomar Ubiera, INF, Dominican Republic
- Roni Garcia, INF, Dominican Republic
- Jose Padilla, INF, Venezuela
- Aiberson Blanco, OF, Venezuela
We’ll keep everyone up to date tomorrow with official signings and bonuses. Stay tuned!
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