The San Francisco Giants may have missed out on Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki, but the team has reportedly signed Josuar de Jesus Gonzalez, who is considered to be the second-best player in the 2025 international amateur free agent class.
According to MLB.com, Gonzalez had a signing bonus of $2,997,500.
Gonzalez, 17, is a switch-hitting shortstop hailing from San Cristóbal, Dominican Republic who has drawn comparisons to Francisco Lindor and José Reyes. On the 20-80 scouting scale, MLB Pipeline provided Gonzalez with an overall grade of 60, his strongest tools being hit (60) and power (60).
MLB Pipeline and FanGraphs both consider Gonzalez to be the second-best player in his class while Baseball America lists Gonzalez as fifth. Willy Adames, the Giants’ shortstop of the present after signing a seven-year, $182 million deal, appears to have been on hand for Gonzalez’s signing. Adames is also from the Dominican Republic.
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According to MLB Pipeline, outfielder Rayner Arias is currently the Giants’ highest-rated prospect who signed as an international amateur free agent. Arias, 18, signed with San Francisco for $2,697,500, which was the the second-highest international bonus in franchise history behind Lucius Fox ($6 million). Over 25 games with the Giants’ rookie-ball affiliate last year, Arias hit .250 with a .735 OPS.
Regarding Sasaki, the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Toronto Blue Jays have emerged as finalists to land “The Monster of the Reiwa Era.” The Dodgers have long been a favorite to land Sasaki and reportedly had a second meeting with the right-hander that featured several of Los Angeles’ stars. Clips of Sasaki working out at Petco Park in Padres apparel have emerged as well.
