Report: SF Giants expected to sign two top Venezuelan IFA prospects
Major League Baseball's 2024 international free-agent period will officially open on January 15th, resetting each team's spending pool and opening the door for players who were too young to sign last year to become professional ballplayers. Ben Badler of Baseball America released a detailed list of the players expected to receive one of the 50 largest signing bonuses. Per Badler, the SF Giants are expected to sign two of those prospects, catcher Yoendry Sanchez and shortstop Johnny Level, both Venezuelan natives.
Sanchez has drawn comparisons to Gary Sanchez in terms of their skillset. His biggest tool is his power given his already physically mature frame. According to MLB.com, Sanchez has flashed the potential to hit home runs "in all directions". There are swing-and-miss concerns and a tendency to expand the strike zone but there are hopes that it will improve due to his high marks in terms of makeup and work ethic. Even though he's already a physical athlete, Sanchez has shown good mobility for his size with an above-average arm to stick at the position. He will likely receive the biggest signing bonus from the Giants in this cycle.
On the other hand, Level has shown more of a hit-over-power in his offensive profile, per MLB.com and Baseball America's reports. He's a switch hitter whose already shown plenty of bat speed and twitch on both sides of the batter's box. Both of his swings look aesthetically pleasing and should generate plenty of contact. While he's yet to fill in his 5'10", 160 lbs. frame, Level has the potential to hit double-digit home runs once he physically matures. He has the potential to stick at shortstop long-term with his above-average speed, arm strength, and excellent instincts on both sides of the ball. He was also compared to Guardians prospect Brayan Rocchio and former big leaguer Rafael Furcal.
It's worth noting that reporting on IFA deals is much different than usual free agency. While teams are not supposed to negotiate with players prior to the start of the period, it is an industry-wide practice that often leads players to have verbal agreements with teams years before they are eligible to sign. Yes, it is a violation of league rules, but MLB has continuously looked the other way and done nothing significant to curtail the practice.
While these two are the top names that the SF Giants are expected to add to their organization in a couple of weeks, expect the organization to add several IFA talent to round out their 2024 IFA class. The Giants are already poised to have their investment on the IFA front bear fruit with Marco Luciano and Luis Matos at the doorstep of providing a positive impact at the big league level and they also have Rayner Arias, Aeverson Arteaga, and Diego Velasquez just a couple of years away.
