BREAKING: Elian Peña, 17-year-old Dominican shortstop, signs with Mets for $5 million bonus

Mets finalize $5 million deal with 17-year-old Elian Pena

NEW YORK (AP) – Elian Peña, a shortstop from the Dominican Republic who turned 17 in October, agreed to a $5 million bonus with the New York Mets on Wednesday that was the largest amount on the first day of the 2025 international signing period.

Peña was rated the No. 3 prospect in the international class for this year by MLB.com behind Japanese pitcher Roki Sasaki, who must agree to a deal by Jan. 23, and Dominican shortstop Josuar De Jesus Gonzalez, who agreed with the San Francisco Giants at $2,997,500.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays, all hoping to sign Sasaki, did not finalize any contracts with bonuses of more than $10,000, which count against their signing bonus pools. Just half of the 30 teams finalized deals of more than $10,000 in the opening hours of the signing period.

“It just created uncertainty for teams and certainly created uncertainty for some players,” Detroit Tigers assistant general manager Rob Metzler said. “Certainly the 2025 signing period has had more uncertainty than others.”

Dominican outfielder Cris Rodriguez, ranked fourth, signed with Detroit for $3,197,500, and Andrew Salas, a shortstop and outfielder ranked fifth, signed with Miami for $3.7 million. Salas was born in the U.S. and moved to Venezuela.

Hoping to become a two-way player just like Shohei Ohtani, 18-year-old Shotaro Morii made the rare decision to bypass Japanese professional baseball entirely and agreed with the Athletics at $1,510,500.

Other agreements included Dominican infielder Johan De Los Santos and Pittsburgh ($2.25 million), Venezuelan catcher Gabriel Davalillo and the Los Angeles Angels ($2 million), Venezuelan infielder Brayan Cortesia and Washington ($1.92 million), Dominican infielder Darell Morel and Pittsburgh ($1,778,600), Venezuelan infielder Santiago Leon and Minnesota ($1,697,500), Dominican outfielder Maykel Coret and Tampa Bay ($1.6 million), Venezuelan outfielder Breyson Guedez and the Athletics ($1.5 million), Dominican outfielder Elian De La Cruz and Arizona ($1.1 million), Dominican shortstop Christopher Acosta and Milwaukee ($1.1 million), Dominican infielder Raymer Medina and Tampa Bay ($1.1 million), Venezuelan catcher Daniel Hernandez and Washington ($1.1 million) and Dominican infielder Warel Solano and Tampa Bay ($1.05 million).

Players born from Sept. 1, 2007, through Aug. 31, 2008, are eligible to sign during this year´s period, which ends Dec. 15. Teams have signing bonus pools ranging from about $5.1 million to $7.6 million.

Australian right-hander Robinson Smith signed with Pittsburgh for $400,000 and Italian right-hander Filippo Sabatini with Philadelphia for $80,000. Ugandan infielder Armstrong Muhoozi agreed with Pittsburgh for $40,000.

Related Posts

🚨BREAKING: Kyle Tucker delіvered іn the decіѕіve moment, Edwіn Díаz ѕlаmmed the door ѕhut, аnd the Dodgerѕ eѕcарed wіth а thrіllіng wіn over the Dіаmondbаckѕ. Thіѕ wаѕn’t juѕt а vіctory — іt felt lіke а full-blown ѕtаtement from а teаm thаt knowѕ exаctly how to fіnіѕh when the рreѕѕure exрlodeѕ. 👀🔥👇👇

Loѕ аngeleѕ, 2026 – аѕ the reіgnіng chаmріonѕ entered the new ѕeаѕon, аll eyeѕ were on them. аnd the Loѕ аngeleѕ Dodgerѕ dіd not dіѕаррoіnt theіr fаnѕ….

🚨 EXCLUSIVE QUEENS IGNITES A BIDDING WAR AS METS PREPARE TO OUTMUSCLE BRAVES FOR A $38M CY YOUNG CALIBER ARM, insiders hint this aggressive push is about more than just pitching as tensions rise and the rivalry takes on a new edge, and now the situation is building toward a dramatic showdown that could reshape the balance in the division overnight..ll 👇👇👇

The New York Mets enter the 2026 season carrying both urgency and unfinished business, determined to recover from a collapse that stunned the baseball world and reshaped…

BOSTON RED SOX MANAGER ALEX CORA SENDS A CLEAR MESSAGE: Upcoming Lineup Shake-Up Is Coming – And It’s Going to Shock Red Sox Nation!

Getty MONTeRReY, MeXіCO – MаRCH 24: Mаnаger аlex Corа of the Boѕton Red ѕox enterѕ the fіeld рrіor to the MLB Monterrey ѕerіeѕ between the Boѕton Red…

EMOTIONAL MOMENT 🚨: Dominic Smith delivers a historic walk-off for the Atlanta Braves less than two weeks after losing his mother, turning heartbreak into one of the most powerful moments of the season 🔥

DOMINIC SMITH’S EMOTIONAL WALK-OFF GRAND SLAM MAKES MLB HISTORY IN BRAVES DEBUT It was more than just a baseball moment — it was something far deeper. Less…

MacKenzie Gore Set for Rangers Debut as Lineup Sees Tweaks Against Phillies

Texas Rangers outfielder Brandon Nimmo. | Kyle Ross-Imagn Images The Texas Rangers’ shiny new toy in the rotation makes his first regular season start for the franchise…

WHY IT MATTERS 🚨: Atlanta Braves fans are already seeing signs from Walt Weiss after just one game, as his early decisions and calm leadership spark belief that he could be the steady hand this team needs moving forward 🔥

WALT WEISS MAKES IMMEDIATE IMPACT AS BRAVES DOMINATE OPENING DAY The Atlanta Braves couldn’t have asked for a better start to the 2026 season — and much…