Elian Peña, 16, will cost the Mets $5 million in an international signing splash.
League sources have revealed that the New York Mets plan to provide a significant portion of their international bonus pool to Elian Peña, a 16-year-old shortstop from the Dominican Republic. The pact, reportedly valued at $5 million, was first reported by Baseball America. Peña was regarded as a top-tier prospect by some opposing evaluators, who speculated that he might be the best player in the class of 2019. Things won’t be official until January 15, 2025, when the international signing period opens. Teams do, however, typically make early deals with the best adolescents available.
Approximately eighty percent of the $6,261,600 that the Mets have to spend on prospects during the 2025 international signing season would go toward Peña. The Mets would experience a major change if they were to sign Peña since they have never paid an international free-agent prospect nearly that much money. The previous best was $2.85 million, or nearly half of their pool money, given to Venezuelan catcher Yovanny Rodriguez by the Mets in January of last year. Peña may be the finest player in the class, according to rival scouts, but his defensive profile raises concerns.
But other evaluators think Peña’s bat is similar to Rafael Devers’s from when the Boston Red Sox star was younger. One scout remarked, “Some crazy stuff shown at a young age.” Scouts noted that Peña, who is listed at 6-foot-2 and 155 pounds, has a poorer defensive future than Devers. He ends up at left field, third base, or second base, according to several opposition scouts.
Peña has less margin for error because of his defense and physical projection (evaluators say they see his physique filling out), but some scouts think his bat might be so terrific that it won’t really matter what else happens. In light of this, industry insiders speculated that he might be the kind of gifted athlete who makes his professional debut before turning 21. One scout remarked, “I wouldn’t be surprised.”
