Pirates Add Two New International Signings
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates already landed a great number of talents during the 2026 International Signing Period, but decided they'd add two more players.
The Pirates officially signed both left-handed pitcher Yorgenson Artigas from Venezuela and shortstop Jhoendris Santos from the Dominican Republic this month.
Santos is officially signed to the Pirates, with a page on MLB.com, while the 19-year old Artigas doesn't have his yet, but John Dreker reported the news of his signature and found a video of him throwing.
Pittsburgh Pirates just added 19-year-old LHP Yorgenson Artigas from Venezuela to their international signing class. Here’s some video from a recent throwing session that I was able to get pic.twitter.com/Z42IVjWL41
— John Dreker (@JohnDreker) February 11, 2026
Santos is 16 years old, but has already shown great potential, with top speed and impressive bat power, plus great athleticism, which is important for a shortstop to have.
He stands 6-foot-2 and should stick at shortstop for his future, with a strong arm needed for the position.
Pirates signed 16-year-old shortstop Jhoendris Santos today. He’s very athletic, with some 100+ MPH exit velocities already, as well as 6.4 60 speed. He’s a big signing in this current int’l class, even though he’s been under the radar. Here’s some great video I received today pic.twitter.com/UOh2hMCfqh
— John Dreker (@JohnDreker) February 5, 2026
Other Important International Signings for Pirates
Pittsburgh made an initial 25 signings on the first day of the International Signing Period, but two of those players stand out and both hail from the Dominican Republic.
Shortstop Wilton Guerrero Jr. is the top get for the Pirates, signing him for $1,950,000. Ben Badler of Baseball America ranks him at 19th and MLB Pipeline has him at 17th on their big board.
Guerrero is the son of former MLB player Wilton Guerrero Sr. (1996-2004), with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, Cincinnati Reds and Kansas City Royals. He is also the nephew of Hall of Famer Vladimir Guerrero Sr.
He stands 5-foot-10, 165 pounds and turns 17 years old on May 29 and is a right-handed batter.
Guerrero has incredible speed, with MLB Pipeline giving him a "70" grade, which is "well above average. He also reportedly has gotten to first base in 4.1 seconds and his quickness makes him a better defensive shortstop.
He shows good contact already and has the potential to develop his power. He'll also look to improve upon his arm strength to become an even better fielder.
The Pirates also signed outfielder Jeancer Custodio for $900,000, their second biggest signing so far.
Custodio was 54th on Baseball America, but MLB Pipeline has him at seventh overall and their fourth best outfielder.
He stands 5-foot-10, but 185 pounds, and is a strong hitter, with MLB Pipeline giving him a "65" hit grade and a "55" power grade.
Custodio featured with the Dominican Republic at the U-18 World Cup Americas Qualifier in 2024. He slashed .333/.429/.375 for an OPS of .804, with four stolen bases, eight hits, a double and three RBI.
His best skill set right now is his approach to hitting, with good vision that makes him a hitter that can go for power. Scouts see this as an area that, if he works on, will become a top bat for the future.
Understanding the International Signing Period
The International Signing Period includes players that are already 16 before they sign and not older than 17 before Sept. 1 of the next year, meaning they have to be born between Sept. 1, 2008 to Aug. 31, 2009 for the Class of 2026.
MLB teams have a certain amount of money to spend, a bonus pool, based on a variety of factors like revenue, market size and money earned from trades. Teams can only spend what they're allotted pool and nothing more.
The Pirates had the highest pool in 2026 of $8,034,900, which the Arizona Diamondbacks, Baltimore Orioles, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals all have as well.
Deals for $10,000 or less don't count against the bonus pool, so teams can use that money on just one player, like the Los Angeles Dodgers did with Japanese right-handed pitcher Roki Sasaki.
Both top prospects for the Pirates last season in outfielders Esmerlyn Valdez and Edward Florentino were both signed during this period from the Dominican Republic in 2021 and 2024, respectively.
Some of the better players for the Pirates have come from international signings, like catcher Manny Sanguillen, outfielder Starling Marte and third baseman Aramis Ramírez.
Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.