TORONTO – The Toronto Blue Jays took their latest big swing at elite impact in international free agency by reaching terms on a $4.1-million deal with outfielder Enmanuel Bonilla, their largest-ever bonus in the market class.
At 77.6 per cent of their 2023 international bonus pool of $5,284,000, the agreement, long projected by Baseball America and confirmed by an industry source Sunday as the new signing period opened, it’s also among the franchise’s biggest eggs-in-one-basket plays.
In 2015, under a previous international signing system, the Blue Jays exceeded their bonus pool and pushed themselves into a penalty zone by paying Vladimir Guerrero Jr. $3.9 million, a deal that meant they couldn’t sign any single player in that class for more than $300,000 in 2016.
A $3.5-million bonus for infield prospect Orelvis Martinez in 2018 represented 70 per cent of the club’s bonus pool that signing period. Bonilla’s bonus also exceeds the $4 million given to Adeiny Hechavarria in 2010 as part of a $10-million deal for the Cuban shortstop under rules very different from the current framework.
Baseball America ranked Bonilla, a 16-year-old from the Dominican Republic, as the No. 4 prospect in the current group of eligible international free agents. At 6-1, 190-pounds, the right-handed hitter has what BA calls “high-end bat speed and the ability to drive the ball with impact, giving him a chance to be a 25-plus home run threat.”
MLB Pipeline, which had Bonilla ranked seventh in this year’s class, described him as having “good instincts with a solid arm” defensively giving him a chance to play centre field, although further physical development could push him to a corner spot.
With the Blue Jays in the midst of a competitive cycle that should consistently leave them picking in the bottom third of the draft, the international market is an important pathway to impact prospects, as any team can land the best player in a given year.
Major League Baseball had sought to create a long-discussed international draft during negotiations on the current collective bargaining agreement, but failed to reach a deal with the players association.
