New York Mets Sign Dominican Shortstop German Rosario

The Mets made some organizational moves yesterday, as they signed three international free agents to deals. The biggest news was about 16-year-old shortstop German Rosario signing a deal with the Amazins, worth $1.75 million. Want to put that amount into perspective? Well, New York’s first pick in the amateur draft, Gavin Cecchini, signed for $2.3 million, and the previous high for the Mets to sign an international free agent was Fernando Martinez, at $1.3 million back in 2005. Let’s hope Rosario turns out better than Martinez did.

According to Paul DePodesta, VP of Player Development and Amateur Scouting, he thinks Rosario will eventually be a force both offensively and defensively. In addition to signing the young shortstop, the organization also signed Franklin Correa, a second baseman from the Dominican, as well as Miguel Patino, another shortstop, from Venezuela. All three of these ballplayers are 16 years

old, and New York continues to show their willingness to pay for young talent on the first day of the international signing period. Since 2011, the organization has now spent $2.86 million on international talent, the 12th highest amount in baseball.

Even though Rosario didn’t rank in the top-20 of MLB.com’s international prospects, Baseball America did rank him 11th on their list, and this is just the latest proof that the Mets front office isn’t afraid about breaking the bank for raw, young talent and allowing them to grow within the farm system. For now, all three of these players will be reporting to the Mets Dominican complex. Is it any coincidence that Alderson has been willing to spend money abroad since he came to the Mets after he was the point man for Bud Selig and the commissioner’s office to address the corruption issues in the Dominican Republic? I don’t think so.

Should New York be giving a 16-year-old that much money when they’re not sure they will have an impact on the Major League roster? It will be quite some time before we find out whether or not this investment will be fruitful for the Mets, but I’m OK with it because I trust the player evaluations done by the front office. A lot of people associated with Major League Baseball felt that the Mets farm system was one of the worst in the league, but here they are, in second place on July 3rd, with a mostly home grown team. So, I’ll defer to the judgment of the front office and the player personnel to properly mold Rosario and their other international players into Major Leaguers.