2025 MLB draft and international signings

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As someone who believes contention in 2025 is a fraud, I fully expect this team to default to a rebuild in all but name, one that ought not be handled by Shatkins. Whoever manages the long-term, actually generating some impact prospects is going to be critical to making real, meaningful and successful playoff runs. This organization - and AA previously - has had limited success in developing high end talent internally. High end talent are today's cheap path to contention.

That said, the International signing period in January and MLB draft next July are critical. The Jays will have amid-sized bonus pool for the January signings and a top 10 pick in July, (I'll amend this sentence when we know the results of next week's draft lottery).

Here, then is place to follow these two acquisition pathways.

First up let's look at MLB Pipeline's top 10 prospects for the July draft. The college crop this year isn;t as deep as last year, but this draft is said to be rich in high school infielders. The Jays did well with their read on Arjun Nimmala, so I hope they don't feel obligated to grab a college player who has a lower ceiling because of the job pressure they are feeling.

Ethan Holliday is son of Matt Holliday and brother of Jackson Holliday, so the bloodline is all baseball.

On the other hand, you kind of hope Jake Laviolette isn't Spencer Torkelson, the Tigers first overall pick in 2020. The draft raters love a lot about Laviolette - he has great power and can play all three outfield positions - but there is a bit of swing and miss with his offence.

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The Blue Jays managed to fall to 8th in the lottery. Just like the 2024 season.

[Parataxis]

Does anybody know the deal with Schoolcraft? Extremely baseball-y name, and looks like he's a two-way player? Any word on the stickability of that?

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https://www.mlb.com/milb/news/first-full-2025-mlb-mock-draft?t=mlb-draft-coverage

[JaysRule15]

Really sucks about falling to 8th. The Astros and O's blatantly tanking really forced MLB's hand in changing the rules.

[T-d0t]

The rule change is so unnecessary in MLB. There have been plenty of 1st overall picks who were busts. Even in the top 10/20 first round in general. MLB draft is the crap shoot of crap shoot drafts more than any league I would think

[DelAbbot]

The rule change is so unnecessary in MLB. There have been plenty of 1st overall picks who were busts. Even in the top 10/20 first round in general. MLB draft is the crap shoot of crap shoot drafts more than any league I would think

Right. Sometimes, there is a Bryce Harper / David Price / Strasburg / Cole that just are cant-miss at #1 overall, but having that superstar is not as important in baseball because there are 14 starting spots (9 bats + 5 SP) to fill in MLB, compared to 5 starting spots in NBA.

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MLB's top 50 international prospects

https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/2025/international/

[polo007]

MLB international prospects signing day 2025 - MLB.com

For talented amateur ballplayers from across the globe, there is no day on the calendar quite like Jan. 15. Signaling the opening of the international signing period, it’s the day in which years of hard work and perseverance make dreams come true.

Most often, it’s the first step on a journey toward the big leagues. The majority of players signing deals as the period opens are still U.S. high school-aged, indicative of the long developmental path they still have to travel.

But things are different in 2025. Roki Sasaki, the No. 1 international prospect, is a unicorn in the sense that, at 23, he’ll immediately be Major League-ready at the time of his signing, something not in play even for the most advanced 16- and 17-year-olds who traditionally headline these classes. Sasaki figures to factor prominently atop MLB Pipeline's Top 100 overall prospects list as soon as he puts pen to paper.

With the timing of Sasaki’s negotiation window (which closes Jan. 23) carrying into the first few days of the 2025 period, three clubs reportedly are still angling to land the potential ace with a triple-digit fastball. Sasaki can only sign for as much as an organization has available in international pool money, figures you’ll find for each club in this story.

Below is a look at which players from MLB.com's Top 50 International Prospects list have agreed to terms with clubs, and for how much.

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Polanco's bonus was reported previously to be $2m. He's a SS, 22nd on MLB's list of top international prospects for 2025.

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[bartron_44]

Hes the only one I was worried about potentially losing.

[polo007]

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[Cyrus]

Wonder what they gonna use that Straw monies on? Additional 2 mill should get a player or two lottery tickets.

[ItsDanger]

You take some swings, Jays can afford the gambles. Target plus hit/power guys. Back on 2015, Jays got Vlad. Soto was #22, Tatis Jr was #30 that year.

[JTT]

Wonder what they gonna use that Straw monies on? Additional 2 mill should get a player or two lottery tickets.

Two million would represent a highly thought of prospect and supposedly they're all gone. They've just got to sort through the dregs of unsigned players and hope to come up with something. Not the worst case in the world as all of these guys are so young.

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[dagger]

Wonder what they gonna use that Straw monies on? Additional 2 mill should get a player or two lottery tickets.

Two million would represent a highly thought of prospect and supposedly they're all gone. They've just got to sort through the dregs of unsigned players and hope to come up with something. Not the worst case in the world as all of these guys are so young.

I would think all the free agents were committed to other teams. Also, signing Santander cost them $500,000 of international allocation money.