A's Expected to Sign Three Players Once International Signing Period Opens

MLB's international signing period kicks off on January 15

Many baseball fans, even the die-hards, often forget about the international signing period that kicks off in January each year. This year, the first day to sign international players will be on January 15th, and the Oakland A's are expected to sign three of the top 50 players, according to Baseball America. 

The way that BA compiles their ranking is in terms of the bonus the player is expected to sign for, so a player ranking 10th may not be the tenth best international player, he's just signing for the tenth-largest bonus. 

You may recall the A's signing the top pitcher on the international market, Luis Morales, a year ago at this time. Oakland signed him for $3 million. The 21-year-old played at four different levels in 2023, ultimately reaching High-A Lansing, and held a cumulative 2.86 ERA across 44 innings. He'll enter 2024 searching for his first professional win following an 0-5 start to his career.

As for the players that Baseball America has signing with the A's in a couple of weeks, they are ranked 32nd, 36th, and 37th. 

The 37th ranked player, Jose Ramos out of Venezuela, is a 17-year-old outfielder that stands 6-foot-1 and swings it from the left side. From BA: "An athletic center fielder, Ramos moves around well in the outfield, with at least plus speed and what should become an average arm as he gets stronger." 

Moving up one spot to number 36, they have shortstop Edgar Montero out of the Dominican Republic in agreement with the A's. Montero is also 17 years old and 6-foot-1, but swings a right-handed stick. BA's assessment: "For some scouts, Montero has been a player trending in the right direction, drawing praise for his mix of hitting ability and power potential from the left side. Others thought he would hit for power but that it came with a tendency for his swing to get big, leading to swing-and-miss risk." 

They also mention that he has grown a decent amount and could end up as a third baseman in the long run. We'll have to watch where the A's put him to start his pro career.

Finally, there's Jeremy Denaud, a right-handed bat that roams the outfield. Denaud is 6-foot-2 and seems to have the most power of the trio. "Some scouts like his hitting ability, while others thought he got pull-happy and would need to make adjustments to make more contact against live pitching with a power-over-hit profile." He is also 17 years old. 

Montero is interesting because the A's have so many shortstop options already in their system, including two of their last three first round picks in Max Muncy and Jacob Wilson. The A's also selected Myles Naylor 39th overall last season as part of the first round's competitive balance round pick, and the majority of his playing time came at short. 

Granted, nothing is assured in baseball and with Montero being just 17 he has a number of years before he'd sniff the big leagues. Plus, it never hurts to have too much talent in the system since some players can be used as trade bait, and shortstops are typically the best athletes on the diamond. 

Each of these signings are expected to be made official around January 15th.