Minor League Baseball

Miami Marlins Earn High Marks For Star-Studded 2025 International Signing Class

Andrew Salas headlines an elite crop of international free agent signings that the Miami Marlins strung together in 2025, drawing praise from MLB Pipeline in the process.
Sam Connon|
Cincinnati, OH, USA; A view of a New Era Miami Marlins hat in the dugout during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park.
Cincinnati, OH, USA; A view of a New Era Miami Marlins hat in the dugout during the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. | Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

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Miami Marlins

For as many headlines have been focused on the Miami Marlins shedding talent as of late, the franchise brought in some well-regarded reinforcements from overseas this winter.

MLB Pipeline reporter Jesse Borek broke down the five best 2025 international signing classes so far in an article published Thursday. The Marlins made the list, alongside the Tampa Bay Rays, Athletics, Milwaukee Brewers and Boston Red Sox.

Andrew Salas is far and away the headlining addition to Miami's farm system, considering the Venezuelan center fielder/shortstop is ranked as MLB Pipeline's No. 5 international prospect. He picked up a healthy $3.7 million signing bonus when the signing window opened earlier this month.

Salas is the younger brother of San Diego Padres top prospect Ethan Salas, as well as former Marlins top prospect Jose Salas, who was shipped to the Minnesota Twins in exchange for Luis Arráez in 2023.

Kevin Defrank, meanwhile, has been pegged as the top international right-handed pitching prospect this cycle by MLB Pipeline, excluding Roki Sasaki. The 16-year-old Dominican righty ranks No. 40 overall.

And while Adrián Peña isn't ranked among MLB Pipeline's top 50 international products, the 6-foot-7 Dominican righty comes along with plenty of hype of his own.

Miami was working with a $7.6 million bonus pool – tied for the largest in the league – so it checks out that they were able to acquire the top talent on the market. They also went out and signed Dominican shortstop Anthony Abreu, Venezuelan shortstop Johan Machado and Dominican shortstop Steven Herrera to six-figure deals, plus 11 more prospects on smaller contracts.

Related MiLB Stories

  • MIAMI COULD DEAL RELIEVER: If the Marlins decide to trade relief pitcher Andrew Nardi, perhaps the Blue Jays would be willing to give them a top prospect in return. CLICK HERE
  • RAYS INT'L PROSPECTS PRAISED: Tampa Bay cobbled together an elite 2025 international signing class by adding Maykel Coret, Raymer Medina and others. CLICK HERE
  • NORBY POISED FOR BREAKOUT: After showing flashes down the stretch in 2024, Marlins infielder Connor Norby could establish himself as an everyday big leaguer in camp. CLICK HERE

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Sam Connon
SAM CONNON

Sam Connon is a staff writer for “Minor League Baseball on SI’’ and other "On SI'' baseball sites. He previously covered UCLA Athletics for “UCLA on SI’’ and won awards from the College Media Association and Society of Professional Journalists. Connon also wrote for “New England Patriots on SI’’ and was on the Patriots and Boston Red Sox beats at Prime Time Sports Talk. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamConnon.

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