Free Agent Signings - OK, just IFA ones

Monday, January 15 2024 @ 04:19 PM EST

Contributed by: John Northey

Sorry, couldn't resist the misleading title.

International Free Agent Day has come and the Jays have made a few signings, but not the big one they planned due to 'reasons' (appears to be an eligibility issue of some kind which should be cleared up for 2025).

Via Baseball America... Available Cap: $5,152,200 The link here gives you summaries for each guy who was ranked.

Franklin Rojas, C, Venezuela - ranked #34
Junior Arias, OF, Dominican Republic - #42
Pascual Archila, OF, Venezuela - #45
Angel Guzman, SS, Dominican Republic - #50
Juarlin Soto, SS, Dominican Republic - #69
Esmeiquel Arreche, C, Venezuela
Javado Bain, SS, Bahamas
Endry Reyes, SS, Dominican Republic
Yohandi Medina, RHP, Venezuela

Notes...

#8 is Joswa Lugo who was signed by the Angels and is the (much) younger brother of former Jay signee Dawel Lugo (signed in 2011 for $1.3 mil), and yes that type of spread does happen, I have 16 years from youngest to oldest (love them all, but dang it'd be nice to not have teenage girls in my house someday).
Jose Perdomo is #1 overall and was signed by Atlanta (of course - they love to get quality kids in and signed)
For the AL East the Yankees got picks #19, 44,and 74; Red Sox #37, 54, 85, 89, 99; Rays #21, 49, 95; Orioles #30, 38, 76, 80. Dang the AL East continues to be a beast.
3-4 picks in the top 100 is 'normal' with 30 teams, more would be 'wow'. Jays & Red Sox at 5 each have done well.
Bonus pools are assorted sizes: Biggest ($7,114,800) for cheapskates in small markets D-backs, Guardians, Orioles, Pirates, Rockies, Royals; 2nd biggest ($6,520,000) also small markets A’s, Brewers, Mariners, Marlins, Rays, Reds, Tigers, Twins; next ($5,925,000) are bigger markets who didn't sign a QO free agent I think Astros, Braves, Dodgers, Giants, Mets, Nationals, Red Sox, White Sox; Now the Jays bracket ($5,152,200) Angels, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Cubs; and the guys who were luxury tax+ Padres, Phillies, Rangers, Yankees. Basically the less you have the more impressive if you get who you wanted. Yankees getting a top 20 prospect in spite of low cap is well done but probably limits them for the next stage - grabbing the best of who is left.

Past Jays results....

2023: Enmanuel Bonilla ($4.1 mil), then big drop to sub $100k for the rest (David Guzman, Samuel Acuna the only ones listed with bonus dollars). Two reached AA - Grayson Thurman & Bryce Arnold (this includes undrafted free agents) with the rest in A, rookie, or haven't played yet
2022: Luis Meza ($2.25 mil) and a lot of 'who knows'
2021: Manuel Beltre ($2.6 mil), Martin Gimenez ($1 mil), Andres Sosa is up to AA but the rest are A+ or lower.
2020: 8 known to have signed, no bonuses listed, none over A+ yet.
2019: Over a mill to Rikelbin De Castro & Yosver Zulueta, close to it for Estiven Machado, Peniel Brito, and Cesar Ayala. Sem Robberse was part of this class too, as was AAA guy Anthony Morales, and AA guys Angel Del Rosario, Victor Arias, & Robert Robertis.
2018: Orelvis Martinez is the star of this one ($3.5 mil), with IFA reaching AA in J.J. D'Orazio, Willy Gaston, Julian Valdez. Note: Michael Arias was signed here but now is on the Cubs 40 man roster.
2017: Eric Pardinho was the big guy ($1.4 mil), then Leo Jimenez (on 40 man), Miguel Hiraldo (AA), Alejandro Melean (AA), and Alberto Rodriguez (AA). Cheaper bonuses for AAA'ers Jose Ferrer, Felipe Acosta, Jose Rivas, and Jose Zepeda. Lots of flop in this one.
2016: The 'wow' year. Lourdes Gurriel, Alejandro Kirk, Gabriel Moreno, and Otto Lopez. Still here Steward Berroa, Rafael Lantigua, Naswell Paulino, and Yhon Perez. Outside of Gurriel the bonuses were sub $500k each, highest otherwise being $300k for Joseph Reyes & Hugo Cardona, $100k+ for Jol Concepcion, Roither Hernandez, Kenny Mauricio, Rafael Lantigua, and Nicolas Medina. Lopez, Moreno & Kirk were all $60k or less.

I love how each site has its own specialty - The Baseball Cube is great for IFA, and Spring Training stats - no one else seems to have either in a practical way to look at. I have a membership there which gives a lot of extra stats and the like.

The Jays first ever IFA was Paul Hodgson, from Quebec, back when Canadians counted as IFA. The #1 IFA though is probably the class of '79 with Tony Fernandez (plus Luis Leal who was damn good for a few years). 1988 had Carlos Delgado. 1992 Kelvim Escobar, 1998 had Gustavo Chacin, 2000 a guy worth a ton in trade in Robinzon Diaz (traded for Jose Bautista), 2011 had Roberto Osuna and 5 more who reached the majors, and good ol' 2015 with Vladimir Guerrero, Max Castillo, and Dany Jimenez.

Fun going through some history there looking for the best guys the Jays signed that way. Far fewer than I expected in the early days to be honest, but part of the value then was in trades and rule 5 picks (George Bell being a BIG one). Seems every 10 years or so the Jays hit the jackpot with it - Fernandez, Delgado, and Vlad. Let's all hope for more 'wow' from this years crop.

As to the majors - the Jays are rumored to be interested in pretty much everyone left it seems. From big guns Cody Bellinger & Blake Snell (plus good ol' Matt Chapman), to the 1001 DH's Justin Turner, J.D. Martinez, Joey Votto, Joc Pederson, Jorge Soler, Rhys Hoskins, and probably any other guy who can slug homers. Heck, Brandon Belt could even return still. Guess we'll see what happens as free agents get more and more nervous about being left out when the dollars are spent. I suspect the Jays are playing the waiting game on all of them right now. Of course, if a pitcher is added (like Snell or Jordan Montgomery) then a trade will almost certainly happen as well to open a rotation slot and hopefully fill that hole at 3B (few seem to believe that Isiah Kiner-Falefa will be the opening day 3B, even he seems to doubt it as in an interview he said he was told he'd be a universal backup).

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