NY Mets-Guardians trade swaps prospect for international free agent bonus slot money

Today marks the first day that international amateur free agents can sign deals with MLB clubs, and it appears that the New York Mets have something up their sleeves. The club entered the day with a $5,440,000 million pool, tied with the New York Yankees, Houston Astros, and San Francisco Giants for the lowest in league.

Now, the Mets are adding to their coffers, trading lefty pitching prospect Franklin Gomez for an undisclosed amount of bonus money.

Gomez, 20, isn't a ranked prospect, so this is a minor deal, but it is significant given New York's involvement in the international market in recent years.

Mets add to international bonus pool by trading LHP prospect Franklin Gomez to the Guardians

This time last year, the Mets signed teenage phenom Elian Peña to a deal with a whopping $5 million bonus. After a strong first pro season, Peña is poised to become one of the very best prospects in baseball with a strong showing in 2026.

The Amazins also had another big swing planned for today, as we learned last month that they swiped top-ranked IFA shortstop Wandy Asigen from the crosstown Yankees' clutches. Asigen is expected to get $3.9 million, taking up the vast majority of the funds the team had to work with.

What the team is planning with this extra ammunition is unclear. Many of these kids (and kids they are, with most being 16 or 17 at the time of signing) come to agreements with big league clubs months or even years in advance. However, since these deals can't become official until January 15, they are simply handshake agreements that can be broken with no repercussions.

The whole process is pretty seedy, but that's a discussion for another day. The Mets going after more money could mean they have another big name they're looking to wrestle away. Or, it could mean that they want to spread the wealth and sign several lesser prospects, loading up on lottery tickets in the process.

Whatever the case is, it means something is coming. Whether or not it will be exciting, remains to be seen, but David Stearns and company have something up their sleeve, and thankfully, we'll find out what that is soon. These signings happen quickly, and once the flurry is over the dust quickly settles.