SF Giants sign two international prospects to seven-figure deals

With the 2022-23 international free-agent period officially underway, the SF Giants inked OF Rayner Arias and SS Yosneiker Rivas to seven-figure deals.

Major League Baseball's 2022-23 international free-agent period officially began on January 15th, and the SF Giants gave corner bat Rayner Arias and shortstop Yosneiker Rivas the two largest signing bonuses in their class. A source informed Giants Baseball Insider that he received a $2.7 million signing bonus. The source also informed Giants Baseball Insider that Rivas received a $1 million bonus. Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com first reported that the Giants had signed Arias early Sunday morning, but he reported a $2.8 million bonus.

FWIW, I'm hearing from a source that the #SFGiants signed OF Rayner Arias for $2.7 million, not the $2.8 million that has been reported. Obviously a minor detail though, still easily the largest bonus #SFGameUp will give out this IFA cycle.

— Marc Delucchi (@maddelucchi) January 15, 2023

Reports have tied Arias to the Giants since last summer. A scout with a National League team (not the Giants) told Giants Baseball Insider they were high on Arias' offensive upside. They said Arias has already shown some hitting ability alongside legitimate power potential. They compared Arias' physical projection to Nelson Cruz, which likely limits him to first base or the corner outfield in the future, but also suggests he has a strong frame that should be able to drive the ball consistently.

Arias is the son of a longtime scout named Pablo Arias and most scouting reports suggest that Arias showcases an advanced baseball IQ reflected by his exposure to the game. 

As is common with international prospects, there is little other information available about Arias. The most impressive video is several years old, when he won a televised home run competition when he was 13 years old back in 2019. Check out the video below (note: the audio and video do not line up).

Per source, the #SFGiants also signed Venezuelan shortstop Yosneiker Rivas for $1 million today. Seems like Rivas and Rayner Arias will be the only seven-figure deals from #SFGameUp this cycle.

— Marc Delucchi (@maddelucchi) January 15, 2023

Even less is known about Rivas. The only video of Rivas online was posted by the Carlos Alfonso Guillen Academy on Facebook and includes highlights from May of 2021.

Hit y triple al left field 🔥 de yosneiker Rivas INF 2022, que se fue de de 3-2 en el partido de ayer contra Fiñipenses

Posted by A. Carlos Alfonso Guillen on Saturday, March 6, 2021

MLB's international free agent system remains one of the worst aspects of the modern game. Players routinely reach verbal agreements with teams years before they are actually eligible to sign. Generally speaking, players stop playing on the showcase circuit once they have those agreements. The system incentivizes kids throughout the Dominican Republic and other baseball havens in Latin America to drop out of school and enroll in intense baseball academies. While the system is far from ideal for those who receive large bonuses, the vast majority of teenagers are never signed or receive minuscule signing bonuses. The U.S. Department of Justice has investigated the practices of several teams in international free agency.

Since so little is known about Rayner Arias and Yosneiker Rivas' abilities at this moment, neither will likely rank on SF Giants prospect lists until player evaluators and scouts see them in action at spring training and this minor-league season, where they will likely make their professional debuts at the Dominican Summer League. Clearly, the Giants believe both players have the potential to be top prospects, and time will tell if they can live up to those expectations.