For the uninitiated, the international free agent signing period opens up every January 15 and teams across the league are able to sign eligible international amateurs who are mostly teenagers. For years, international free agency has been a key source of talent for MLB, although projecting kids so young is extremely difficult and requires clubs to navigate what often feels like the Wild West with all of the academies and handlers in talent hot spots like the Dominican Republic and Venezuela. The Atlanta Braves have been one such team to benefit from the international market and now they are hoping to reverse a troubling trend of signing flops with their 2026 class.
To do so, the Braves are not signing any of the absolute top international free agents this year like Luis Hernandez or Francisco Renteria. However, they were pegged to add some top talent from this year's class and all signs point to Atlanta successfully landing shortstop Jose Mañon and outfielder Starling De La Cruz as the headliners of their 2026 international crop.
Felicidades Starlyn por el primer paso de tu carrera. Esto solo comienza. pic.twitter.com/MmU2scMJMn
— Luis Santos-Bejarán (@Lmbejaran) January 15, 2026
Braves international free agent class this year is deep and headlined by Jose Mañon and Starling De La Cruz
According to existing reports, Mañon is expected to sign for around $1.5 million while De La Cruz should be signing for around $1.2 million. Given that Atlanta's international bonus pool is a middle-of-the-pack $6,679,200, it looks like the Braves are going to be spreading their money around a bit this year which tracks with some of the other names they are expected to sign.
The class starts with Mañon who has a real knack for putting the barrel on the ball and has a real chance to hit for average and power. He does have an aggressive approach at the plate and has a small leg kick, but those are minor quibbles. Mañon being highly likely to stick at shortstop helps his case and underscores the type of athleticism the Braves will have to mold in the years to come.
With De La Cruz, he is more of a hit-over-power speedy outfielder type. That does undersell him a bit as he does make hard contact and will hit some homers, but he is a bit on the smaller size right now and doesn't project to add all that much strength in the coming years. With his speed and instints in the outfield, De La Cruz could also develop into a Gold Glove centerfielder if things break the right way.
While most of the minor names Atlanta signs will be revealed in the days and weeks to come, we do know a couple more. Braves prospect Jose Perdomo's brother, who is also named Jose Perdomo as it turns out, is the most fun signing of that next group and he also happens to be a highly regarded catching prospect with a plus arm who has a chance to hit for some power. Shortstop Edelson Cabral rounds out the top 100 bonuses the Braves are expected to sign and is hit-over-power right now, but the quality of contact is still good, though it remains unclear if he will stick at shortstop as he isn't the quickest guy in the world.