The new international free agent signing period may not begin until July 2, but the Pirates are expected to make one of the biggest splashes in baseball when that day comes.
Baseball America expects the Pirates to sign 16-year-old left-handed outfielder Shalin Polanco to a contract with a $2.5-million signing bonus.
This report comes from Ben Badler, who projects Polanco to be the second most expensive outfielder signed next year.
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Ben Cherington was not afraid to sign international players to large signing bonuses when he was in Boston. He signed four players to seven-figures in his four years as their general manager, most notably Rafael Devers in 2013 and Yoan Moncada in 2015. The latter signed a $31.5 million contract, which also incurred an additional $31.5 million in penalties since the Red Sox went over their bonus pool limit.
Earlier this week, Cherington signed 16-year-old Australian outfielder Solomon Maguire to a $594,000 signing bonus, a very large amount for this stage of free agency.
The Pirates need to wait until the new international signing period on July 2 to sign Polanco in order to avoid penalties for going over their spending limit, which could include a lower spending pool going forward, fines and a cap on the largest contract they can offer.
This is a very different strategy than how Neal Huntington's Pirates usually approached international free agency. While they did use most, if not all, of their international bonus pool money, they often valued quantity over signing only a couple of players to higher bonuses. Their most lucrative contract in 2019 went to right-hander Christopher Cruz, who signed for $850,000.
