It’s January 15, which means that the new international players signing period has officially opened. The New York Mets and the rest of the 29 teams can go ahead and sign their newest Latin American recruits.
A handful of organizations have put their international signings on hold as they wait for Roki Sasaki’s decision. The Mets are not getting Sasaki, which is bad of course, but that means they can sign all their young prospects including one of the jewels of the class: shortstop Elian Peña.
Mets sign international infielder Elian Pena
According to Baseball America, the Mets and Peña have already put pen to paper on their agreement, which gives the young infielder the highest signing bonus of the period: $5 million.
Peña is still just 17, but he is so good that he immediately becomes one of the best prospects on the Mets’ farm system. The organization will have patience in his development and knows that it will probably take him four or five years to become an option for the MLB team, but the likelihood of him being worth the wait is quite high.
The Mets have a potential offensive star in Peña
Baseball America raved about Pena’s potential and offensive ability:
“At 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, Peña is one of the most advanced hitters in the 2025 class. A left-handed hitter, he has remarkable bat speed that can develop into 25-30 home run power. He features a smooth, explosive left-handed swing that remains compact and stays on plane through the hitting zone for an extended time,” they wrote.
He also knows the strike zone very well. Plate discipline, contact, and power will give Peña a future at MLB, with the Mets or anyone else.
“Peña’s mature offensive approach is highlighted by advanced pitch recognition, solid plate discipline and the patience to work himself into favorable counts and draw walks. He is expected to start his career at shortstop but may ultimately transition to third base (or possibly second base),” they also explained.
The ingredients are there for Peña to be a plus hitter eventually. The glove will likely determine whether he is a star or just an above-average player, but he should hit enough to give himself a chance.
The Mets have so much faith in Peña that they destined the vast majority of their allotted bonus (almost $7 million) to him. Adding the talented Peña alone will make the Mets’ farm system improve considerably and go up a few spots in most rankings.