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.