Cleveland Guardians 2022-23 J15 International Free Agent Primer
The J15 international free agent signing period begins on Sunday, January 15th running through December 15th. Once known as J2 (July 2nd) the Covid-19 pandemic brought on a delay in the international signing period. Since then the international signing period has been pushed back six months. That fueled speculation that MLB will replace the free agent period with an international draft. However, MLB and the MLBPA kicked that can down the road after they were unable to come to terms on the structure of an international draft for the current CBA period.
According to MLB's Jesse Sanchez, the Cleveland Guardians will be one of eight teams (those with Competitive Balance A selection in the 2022 MLB Draft) to receive a $5,825,500 pool allotment for the 2022-23 period. Cleveland will receive an additional share of the pool allotments forfeited by teams exceeding the MLB tax line. As per agreement with MLB Player’s Association, teams can trade away pool allotments in $250K increments. Cleveland is currently rumored to sign 20 international free agents, with a few more additions likely. Expect news of these signings to trickle in over the next few days as the signing period opens.
Two know for 2023:
Welbyn Francisca- SS
Dominican Republic
Ht: 5’10; Wt: 175
B/T: S/R
Rankings:
FG: 5
MLB: 28
BA: 22
The talented Dominican native is currently the 5th ranked prospect for this class and the 17th highest-ranked international free agent (including all international players) per Fangraphs. The speedy middle infielder has a reputation for showing advanced bat-to-ball skills and a keen eye at the dish. He's posted double-plus run times but should slow as he matures and fills out his frame. There have been questions about his long-term ability to stay at shortstop but he has shown improved strength and a well-above-average arm in recent months as signing day approaches.
Yerlin Luis- OF
Dominican Republic
Ht: 5'10; Wt: 160
B/T: R/R
Rankings:
FG: 22
MLB: 37
A native of the Dominican Republic, Luis displays an advanced tool set at the dish with good contact skills and zone awareness. He is a quality defender in center field with a good arm and speed to stick there long-term. There's room for added strength as he matures/fills out his frame.
Other notable future addition(s):
Jose Marcano- SS
Jonathan Martinez- SS
Recent notable international free agent signings:
George Valera
Aaron Bracho
Jhonkensy Noel
Jose Tena
Alexfri Planez
Gabriel Rodriguez
Junior Sanquintin
Angel Martinez
Jaison Chourio
Victor Izturis
Other notable organizational international free agent signings:
Jose Ramirez
Roberto Hernandez aka Fausto Carmona
Bartolo Colon
Jose Mesa (1981, Toronto Blue Jays)
Carlos Baerga (1985, San Diego Padres)
Emmanuel Clase (2015, San Diego Padres)
Random thoughts:
The Guardians' farm system is littered with international talent up and down the system, with a quarter of their top 60 prospects originally signing during the international free agent signing period. Expect the Guardians to maintain their business-as-usual approach to landing international free agents. The club's typical process leads to a position player-heavy approach. Risk aversion is the name of the game with position players widely considered the safest route in player acquisition.
The high-dollar “bonus babies” as they have become known don’t always represent the best value. Jose Ramirez is a perfect example of this, receiving a $50K signing bonus in 2009. More recently, top-five prospect Brayan Rocchio received a $125K signing bonus in 2017. With this in mind, Cleveland typically approaches the international signing period with caution, focusing more on the mid-tier type free agents. It’s a spread-the-wealth approach, bringing in both quality and quantity while avoiding an “all their eggs in one basket” approach. In a recent survey of MLB executives, Cleveland received praise for their approach to the international market.