A's international bonus pool number

Jason Burke | Nov 11, 2024

Mar 2, 2023; Mesa, Arizona, USA; General view of an Oakland Athletics hat, glove glasses prior to a Spring Training game against the Chicago Cubs at Sloan Park. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images / Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

The Athletics of Sacramento will likely be making some changes to their big-league roster this winter, with going after a third baseman high on the to-do list. As they build for the 2025 season, they'll also have an opportunity to pick up some players for the future, when the international signing period opens up in January.

Teams have just been informed of what their pools will be for the upcoming period, and the A's will have the most money to play with on the market at $7,555,500. This is the same amount that the Cincinnati Reds, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners, and Tampa Bay Rays will have to work with.

The A's most prominent recent international signee is Luis Morales, whom they inked on January 15 in 2023 for nearly half of their pool that year. Morales signed for $3 million, the largest bonus in the class for a pitcher, after tantalizing A's scouts with a 99 mile per hour fastball.

A’s assistant general manager and director of player personnel Billy Owens said of Morales this summer, "He oozes projection and a high ceiling. The future is bright for Luis."

Morales, now 22, spent the 2024 season in High-A Lansing, posting a 4.22 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP in 81 innings. He is also ranked as the A's No. 3 prospect on MLB Pipeline, and is seen as a borderline top-100 guy at this point. As he continues to develop he should be able to cement himself on those leaderboards, especially if he begins to touch some of his ceiling as a prospect.

As for the other bonus pools, the Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, and Pittsburgh Pirates will all have $6,908,600 to spend. The Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals will have $5,646,200 pools after signing free agents that rejected the qualifying offer in Sonny Gray and Josh Hader.

The San Francisco Giants had their pool reduced by $1 million after signing two such players in Matt Chapman and Blake Snell, leaving them with $5,146,200, tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the smallest pools this time. The Dodgers had their pool lowered by $1 million for being a team that exceeded the competitive balance tax that also signed a free agent that had rejected the qualifying offer. For them, that player was Shohei Ohtani.

The first 37 ranked players on MLB's international prospect rankings are all position players, with a large portion of them currently listed as either shortstops or outfielders. The first pitcher ranked is left-hander Carlos Alvarez out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, who is ranked No. 38.