Overview
- Players registered with MLB who meet the age window can sign from Jan. 15 through Dec. 15, with eligibility requiring they turn 16 before signing and 17 before Sept. 1 of the following year.
- MLB Pipeline ranks shortstop Luis Hernandez No. 1 and notes he is the first Venezuela-born player to top the list since the rankings began in 2012.
- The Top 50 features 33 prospects from the Dominican Republic, 14 from Venezuela and three from Cuba, with 26 infielders, 15 outfielders, four catchers, three pitchers and two two-way outfield/infielder types.
- Teams must operate within preset 2026 international bonus pools — from $8,034,900 (AZ, BAL, CLE, COL, KC, PIT, STL) down to $5,440,000 (HOU, NYY, NYM, SF) — with pool money tradable in $250,000 increments and acquisitions capped at 60% of a club’s original pool; bonuses of $10,000 or less do not count against pools.
- The Yankees begin the period with a $5,440,000 pool as local reporting highlights leadership turnover in their international department and notes shortstop Wandy Asigen reportedly moved a prior verbal commitment from New York to the Mets.