Cody Snavely
Yesterday, Major League Baseball’s International signing period opened up. Suppose you are not familiar with the international signing period. In that case, MLB teams can sign players using their international bonus pool money on players born after Sept. 1, 2006, who didn’t play for a high school in the United States, Canada, or Puerto Rico. The Dodgers’ bonus pool money was $5.925 million. However, they lost $1 million after signing Shohei Ohtani, who declined the Angels’ qualifying offer.
Dodgers land SS ranked in the top 50 for the 2024 international free agent class
Out of all the signings made today by the Dodgers, the biggest one was the signing of international SS Emil Morales. The 17-year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic was ranked number 14 in MLB.com’s top 50. The Dodgers’ interest in Emil Morales goes back to last April. In 2023, the Dodgers were rumored to have their eyes set on signing the young middle infielder.
While Emil Morales is listed as a shortstop per MLB.com, he can play any position on the field. Thanks to his athleticism, arm strength, and baseball IQ, and profiles as a future middle-of-the-order bat. Morales is the seventh-ranked shortstop in this class. But with international scouting, it is very hit or miss due to the lack of information teams have on a player. But the Dodgers have a strong track record of these international signings striking gold in players such as Yasiel Puig and Kenley Jansen, who was initially signed as a catcher.
Who else did the Dodgers bring in?
While Emil Morales was the main takeaway in this year’s 2024 international signing period, the Dodgers also came away with five more players. Per Baseball America, the Dodgers also agreed to terms with:
- Rafy Peguero, OF, Dominican Republic
- Yojackson Laya, SS, Venezuela
- Erni Orellana, OF, Venezuela
- Carlos Sardiñas, RHP, Venezuela
- David Romero, SS, Venezuela
*The Dodgers have officially announced all their international free-agent signings*
The Dodgers signed three shortstops overall in this class, as the position in the organization is arguably the thinnest it has been in quite some time. While Gavin Lux and Miguel Rojas round out the MLB roster, the minor league depth is headlined by Joendry Vargas, who the team signed last offseason in the 2023 international signing period.
Conclusion
The international signing period in Major League Baseball is exciting for international prospects, and the Dodgers went big in the shortstop department. However, as mentioned, with international signings, there are a lot of unknowns, and with most of these players being between the ages of 17-19, we will not see them anytime soon.
