The Yankees didn’t make much noise on the free agent front before the MLB lockout, but they’ve made a big splash to open up the 2022 international free agent signing period.
Jesse Sanchez of Baseball America reports that the Yanks have locked up the top international prospect on the market in shortstop Roderick Arias, the No. 1 ranked international prospect on MLB Pipeline’s rankings (Baseball America has him at No. 2). The signing is reportedly for $4 million, confirming earlier reports that the switch hitter was likely to sign with the Yankees once international signing began.
Arias, just 17 years old, is seen as a dynamic all-around player, as MLB pipeline grades him as a 60-bat and 55 in power, running, arm, and fielding. From the Dominican Republic, Arias stands at 6-foot-1 and 180 pounds, and obviously has more growing to do as a teenager.
The Yankees will have just under $1.2 million left in international bonus pool money after signing Arias, spending nearly all of their funds on one prolific prospect like they did three years ago, when the inked switch hitting outfielder Jasson Dominguez for $5.1 million.
Arias will likely immediately slide into New York’s top 10 prospect rankings, joining other hyped shortstop prospects in Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza.
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