As expected, the Marlins are busy on January 15, finalizing deals with amateur players from the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas and Venezuela.
Saturday marks the start of MLB’s 2021-22 international signing period. Across the league, hundreds of amateur players from outside the United States and Canada are turning pro (with hundreds more to follow in the coming months). Although these transactions don’t get marketed with the same fervor as MLB Draft picks, their impact on the future of the Marlins could be just as substantial.
This is Miami’s first IFA cycle with Adrian Lorenzo as senior director of international operations and Román Ocumarez as director of amateur scouting. They have a $5,721,200 bonus pool to work, tied for the ninth-largest among all MLB teams.
Many of the names below tentatively agreed to sign with the Marlins months or even years in advance before officially beginning their careers on January 15:
- INF Yoffry Solano (Dominican Republic)—MLB Pipeline and Baseball America have separately confirmed Solano’s signing. The 17-year-old is believed to be receiving the largest signing bonus of any of the Marlins’ Jan. 15 additions. Pipeline expressed optimism that Solano will be able to stick at shortstop defensively. He’s a switch-hitter, listed at 5-foot-10 and 155 pounds.