Today is International Signing Day, the first day of the 2026 free agent signing cycle. Since most of these players have reached informal and non-binding agreements with the team well before today, almost all major signings will be formalized today.
The Cubs are discussing a different free-agent strategy this year than they have in the past. The Cubs are spreading their allotted international money ($6,679,200) among more second-tier prospects rather than spending a bunch of money on one big-name player and then only spending it on one or two players at the next level. Whether that’s a change in philosophy due to frustration with other big-name players (Christian Hernandez, Adan Sanchez, Ronil Quintero) or just a reaction to this year’s international prospects, I couldn’t tell you.
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As a quick reminder, most of the players signed today are 16 years old, the youngest age for international free agency
But the Cubs did sign a few players worth mentioning. These are the top players signed by the Cubs every year american baseball. Their bonus numbers are in parentheses.
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Yadier Muñoz, SS, Dominican Republic ($1.2 million)
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Jaims Martinez, SS, Cuba ($900,000)
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Yanfri Serrano, OF, Dominican Republic ($800,000)
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Eduardo Gonzalez, SS, Venezuela ($800,000)
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Johan Geraldo, SS, Dominican Republic ($600,000)
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Franyel Almanzar, SS, Dominican Republic ($600,000)
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Xavier Cadiz, SS/CF, Venezuela
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Luis Tomas, SS, Dominican Republic
Munoz was undersized at just 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds, but he was praised for his all-around game and baseball intelligence. He was praised for his home plate contact skills and gap hitting skills. His size may limit his strength advantage.
Martinez is a bit older. I think he’s 17, but he could be 18. He left Cuba in 2024 but was only now allowed to sign with an MLB club. He’s undersized (5-foot-10, 150) and a change-hitter with solid contact skills. He is also considered a gloveman with good speed.
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Serrano is a tall (6-foot-2, 180) left-handed power hitter. He may not be done growing yet, but he could definitely add some muscle. He currently plays in midfield, but he will almost certainly eventually have to move to the corners.
Gonzalez is tall (6-foot-0, 185) and is considered a glove-first shortstop, although he does hit left-handed and has good contact skills.
Made by Geraldo american baseball The list of 12 breakout prospects (sub.req.) and scouts are rapidly revising their evaluations of him upward. He is only 6-foot-0 and 170 inches tall, but he has already shown amazing bat speed and exit speed. Scouts believe he still has room to add more muscle.
Almanzar is a 5-foot-10, 160-inch shortstop without a lot of room to grow. But he’s a change-hitter who makes excellent contact and is rarely fooled by home runs.
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american baseball Called Caddis “an engaging left-handed bat and high-level game acumen.”
Thomas is another fast hitter with good speed and a good glove.
Today, the international market is key to developing a winning team, but it is also the most frustrating from a fan’s perspective. Most of these players are 16 or 17 years old and will spend all of this year in the backfield at the Cubs Academy in the Dominican Republic. Some players will participate in this year’s Dominican Summer League, but most won’t make their official debut in the DSL until 2027. Most of them won’t even see the United States until 2028, and it would be a surprise if any of them made it to the majors before 2031 or 2032. Since we all know that wasn’t a real year, they may never make it to the majors. But let’s be honest, one of those players could make his major league debut in 2032 and still be just 23 years old.
