The Cincinnati Reds have announced that they have agreements in place with 13 players to begin the 2023 international signing period. Update: While not listed on the Reds announcement, there is now a 14th player on the official transactions log and that has been reflected below.
Earlier today we discussed how the Reds had an agreement with Venezuelan catcher Alfredo Duno, setting a new signing bonus record for the organization. Now we’ve got 13 other players that Cincinnati has deals in place with. It should be noted here that the Reds used the words “have agreed to terms with” because the contracts are not signed yet. I’ve been informed that the Reds will be having their signings on Monday afternoon at their complex in the Dominican Republic, which will then make the deals official.
Here are the players that the team announced agreements with:
- Alfredo Alcantara – Shortstop – Dominican Republic
- Alfredo Duno – Catcher – Venezuela
- Andre Vasquez – Right-handed pitcher – Dominican Republic
- Angel De La Cruz – Outfielder – Dominican Republic
- Anielson Buten – Utility – Haiti
- Brauil Diaz – Shortstop
- Brayan Joseph – Shortstop – Dominican Republic
- Bryan Diaz – Left-handed pitcher – Dominican Republic
- Emmanuel Talavera – Right-handed pitcher – Venezuela
- Irvin Gonzalez – Right-handed pitcher – Venezuela
- Rafael Leon – Right-handed pitcher – Colombia
- Rafhlmil Torres – Shortstop – Venezuela
- Sergio Villa – Right-handed pitcher – Colombia
- Yeycol Soriano – Center fielder – Dominican Republic
These are not likely to be the only signings from the organization. Guys that sign the first day or two tend to make up the majority of a signing class, but there are almost always signings that come throughout the year. Guys pop up, new guys become eligible to sign (because of their birthdays or guys who come out of Cuba after the period begins as another example).
With that said, let’s talk about the group that’s joining the organization tomorrow when ink lands on paper. Alfredo Duno is the only catcher in the class. It’s a huge signing, but one catcher in a class is a bit unusual. Last year the Reds signed two catchers in the class.
The team also has six pitchers coming in. Five of them are right-handed pitchers with one left-handed pitcher. Last year there were five pitchers in the class with one lefty.
Perhaps the most interesting guy on the list is Anielson Buten. He was born in Haiti. No player born in Haiti has ever played a big league game (though many of Haitian descent have).
Scouting reports are now available for all 14 of the players that have signed with the club so far. You can read them here.