The Atlanta Braves have a long history of finding stars on the international market. Andruw Jones, Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies, and Rico Carty are just a few of the guys that the Braves have signed from outside the US that turned into bona fide stars in a Braves uniform.
Unfortunately, not all of that history for the Braves has been good. In addition to the misses on top talent that happen to every team because these guys are so young, but Atlanta also famously had to sit out of international free agency for a while after multiple IFA violations that ultimately cost general manager John Coppolella his job and got him banned from baseball.
The Braves are past those penalties now and can operate just like any other team in international free agency. With an international bonus pool of $5,925,000 to play with in 2024 starting today, the Braves signed arguably the top international prospect Jose Perdomo to what should be the highest international bonus of this year's class at $5 million.
The Braves have agreed to a $5 million deal with 17-year-old Venezuelan shortstop Jose Perdomo, No. 3 on our Top 50 International Prospects list.
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) January 15, 2024
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Braves sign Jose Perdomo to massive IFA deal
Atlanta has long been connected to Venezuelan shortstop Jose Perdomo and they locked him up to what should be the largest international bonus that will be given out anywhere in 2024. Signing Perdomo takes up the vast majority of the Braves' bonus pool this year, but it isn't hard to see why the Braves like him enough to make that level of investment.
Perdomo got himself on scouts' radars early on thanks to a clean swing, aggressive approach at the plate, beyond his years pitch recognition, plus run times, and the ability to hit for average and power. The 17 year old should also be able to stick at shortstop long-term if he doesn't end up outgrowing the position. In short, there is a chance that Perdomo could do it all as a pro if everything breaks his way with his pure hitting ability being his carrying tool.
Not everyone agrees that Perdomo is the best international prospect in the class, although everyone seems to agree that he is in the conversation. The fine folks over at MLB.com have him ranked third in this year's IFA class behind shortstop Leo De Vries who is expected to sign with the Padres and outfielder Paulino Santana who has been connected to the Rangers. Perdomo doesn't have the same physical projection that De Vries has, so there is real argument there, but Perdomo has the higher floor and is probably the better player at present with all the usual "they are all just 17 right now" caveats.
With the Braves adding outfielder Luis Guanipa during last year's international free agent period and now adding Perdomo, the international talent pipeline is finally really flowing again. Time will tell if these guys work out, but it is nice to see Atlanta being major players on the international market nonetheless.