Royals sign two top-ranked players in their 2022 international free agent class

The Royals will sign two of the top 50-ranked international free agents according to MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez. According to Sanchez, the Royals will ink catcher Juan Olmos, Jr., ranked #25 on MLB Pipeline’s international free agent prospect list, and outfielder Henry Ramos, ranked #45. Both will reportedly sign bonuses worth $800,000 each. The Royals can spend up to $6,262,600, the highest-tier for international bonus pools. The international signing period began on Saturday, but the club has not confirmed the deals yet.

The Colombian-born Olmos has a similar frame Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez and “has the potential to be a similar player if he continues to grow and develop at his current pace”, according to Sanchez. He notes that Olmos could move off catcher to right field or even the pitcher’s mound due to his strong arm.

Ramos is a toolsy outfielder from the Dominican Republic with the ability to stick in centerfield, according to Sanchez. He writes that Ramos “shows tons of bat speed and is a fast twitch player with some power potential.”

The Royals also signed Dominican outfielder Erick Torres to a $500,000 bonus, according to Sanchez.

The Royals are also reported to have reached agreement with Dominican shortstop Ivan Sosa and Aruban right-handed pitcher Shawn Oduber, according to Baseball America.

The Nationals signed Cuban outfielder Cristhian Vaquero to a $4.9 million bonus, the largest in this international signing period, and the Yankees signed Dominican shortstop Rodrick Arias toa $4 million deal. The White Sox continued their Cuban pipeline by signing outfielder Oscar Colas to a $2.7 million deal.

The Royals have invested more in international free agents since Dayton Moore took over in 2006, signing players such as Adalberto Mondesi, Yordano Ventura, Kelvin Herrera, and Cheslor Cuthbert, as well as prospects such as Seuly Matias, Erick Peña, and Darryl Collins.