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Nats Announce International Signs

The Nationals love their legacies, though for the first time in a while, they went for a brother instead of a son.

Elian Soto, brother of Juan, is the biggest name in the 2023 class as he was reportedly given a $225K bonus in addition to a $200K scholarship. However, outside of the “Natmosphere,” the biggest name was SS Edwin Solano, ranked #28 by Baseball America in its Top 40 International Free Agents.

Solano, who turns 17 in April, signed for a reported $1.3M. He’s described by scouts as a power-hitting SS a good baserunner with good hands, but may eventually shift to 3B or 2B.

Washington also got the #37 prospect in 18-y.o. (according to BA) OF Andy Acevedo from the D.R. for $1.3M as well as coveted OF Juan Obispo for $600K.

The Nats also announced 10 other IFAs, though most of the dollar amounts are unknown at this time. It should also be noted that bonuses of less than $10K do not count against the pool. Without further ado:

  • OF Carlos Batista, 17 (D.R.)
  • SS Manuel Cabrera, 17 (D.R.)
  • RHP Jose Feliz, 17 (D.R.)
  • IF Eikel Joaquin, 17 (D.R.)
  • OF Hector Liriano, 16 (D.R.)
  • C Agustin Marcano, 16 (Col.)
  • RHP Leuris Portorreal, 17 (D.R.)
  • LHP Juan Reyes, 17 (Pan.)
  • RHP Enyerber Riveo, 17 (Ven.)
  • OF Carlos Tavares, 17 (D.R.)

The Nats appear to be shifting their approach from “all eggs in one basket” (Vaquero, Cruz, Lara, Antuna, the other Soto) and hedging their bets a bit over a larger group. This is, as Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post notes, no doubt attributable to the team’s impending sale. The reported total spend thus far is ~$1.3M less than Washington’s cap of $5.284M. That sound you may hear is the Lt. Dan’s stirring from their graves.

Most of these guys will spend time in the D.R., especially with one fewer stop between there and Low-A.

26 Commments

    1. Jackson, don’t take it personally. Some days my comments are blocked too, and then next day it’s okay.

      1. Unplug Hal … Stanley Kubrick
        2001 Space Odyssey
        We all experienced the same algorithm together
        How are you Fred MD?
        Hmmm Carlos Tavares L/L OF
        Distant relative to Frank the Buc Met infielder from previous decades ??

      1. And there we go!

        Luke, if you can, please look into this. I received an error saying something to the extent of “error due to too many requests”, which has been persistently a problem since mid-December, and I was receiving it across different devices.

  3. https://twitter.com/antoniopuesan/status/1614631885010882568

    Signing bonuses for most of the guys:
    Juan Obispo – 600K
    José Feliz – 120K
    Andy Acevedo – 1.3M
    Eikel Joaquín – 100K
    Carlos Batista – 375K
    Elián Soto – 250K
    Manuel Cabrera – 550K
    Leury Portorreal – 10K
    Edwin Solano 1.3 M

    Apparently Manuel Cabrera was also getting some buzz by prospecters, and cracked the top 50 of some lists.

  4. I have also had a lot of issues posting comments too.

    I was struck on first seeing the list by the ages, a seeming shift in philosophy, or really a return to one that worked for them a decade ago. I can’t remember all of them, but I think all of these guys were “older” when signed: Difo, Marmolejos, Rey Lopez, and I think Severino. None became stars, but all made the majors and have had solid careers.

    The 16-year-olds are equivalent to high school sophomores, which has always seemed crazy to me. The majority of the Nats’ recent big-bucks signees have struggled.

      1. Luke does your computer speak like Hal from 2001 space odyssey or a bot from Mel Brooks Space balls ( Joan Rivers?)

  5. I think I remember seeing that Elian Soto is friends with Vaquero, which may have helped him keep his commitment to the Nats even after big bro was traded. Elian doesn’t seem to be a significant prospect, though, despite the headline name.

    1. Great point KW
      Pals like to go through a player development chain experience together
      West Palm a cool place to toil

  6. Folks,
    Try to comment now. I have a theory about what may be causing the problem (spoiler alert: perhaps a plugin)

    3. and now I’ll never have to rely on multiple searches for nowhere near this much information. thanks so much, guys like you and Luke are what Al Gore had in mind (wink)

  8. All three of the big signings are age appropriate. Acevedo terned 17 in November. Cabreta and Solano are both 16. Elian Soto is also 16/17.

  9. Also, the money being spread out is likely more due to Anthony Gutierrez signing with Texas last year as opposed to with the Nats this year. When that happened all of the top guys were taken. I expect them to be in play for a top IFA in 24.

    1. Yes, I saw the same info, that Gutierrez was supposed to be the big-ticket guy this year, but when he reclassified to 2022, the Nats couldn’t afford him along with Vaquero.

      I’m fine with spreading the wealth and enlarging the pool. As we’ve seen, Vaquero and Cruz haven’t exactly set the world on fire, and the big bucks spent on Antuna are looking like sunk costs. At least Garcia appears to have panned out.

      1. I think it is best to spread it out. I believe Soto and Garcia were both 1-1.5 million.

        Vaquero is such a physical freak and seems to have the work ethic to match. I get that signing and approve, but look at Jorgelys Mota. Almost a year younger, 5% of the cost, and was probably the better hitter at the end of last season.

        I get the Antuna signing. His swing from both sides was so beautiful and there was power there. Missing almost 3 years killed him. Perhaps he will be a late bloomer.

        I need to watch more video, but Acevedo’s swing looks amazing. Only just turned 17 in November and needs to bulk up.

        Cruz can field, but that bonus never made sense to me.

  10. Baseball America just released their Top 100 prospects and here are our guys.

    11 – OF James Wood

    57 – OF Robert Hassell III

    58 – OF Elijah Green

    61 – RHP Cade Cavalli

    1. I love Susana. His FB at 18 with that effortless delivery has me drooling. He needs a ton of work on secondaries and location, but he could be very special. It is hard to imagine he would not easily go in the top 100 in a prospects draft.

      Green will be a superstar if he can hit. 40% K rate in rookie ball is scary. He had six absolutely amazing games and six brutal ones.

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