The New York Met signed 20 international free agents on Monday, with one of them being the top catcher in the IFA class and one of the top players overall, Yovanny Rodriguez. The 17-year-old received a $2.85 million signing bonus ($150K additionally for education), setting the new record for the highest in Mets franchise history.

Let’s take a look at the highest IFA bonuses in Mets history:

  • $2.85 million – Yovanny Rodriguez, C, 2024
  • $2.7M – Francisco Álvarez, C, 2018 – Currently the starting catcher for Mets.
  • $2.1M – Ronny Mauricio, SS, 2017 – Could miss the entire 2024 season following knee surgery.
  • $2.05M Alex Ramírez, OF, 2019 – Coming off a disappointing 2023 season (.627 OPS in High-A)
  • $1.9M Daiverson Gutierrez, C, 2023 – Struggled in first year as pro (.565 OPS in DSL).
  • $1.9M Simón Juan, OF, 2022 – Struggled to begin career in two seasons (.619 OPS).
  • $1.75M Amed Rosario, SS, 2012 – Currently a major league free agent.
  • $1.5M Willy Fañas, OF, 2022 – Posted a .739 OPS in FCL last season.
  • $1.5M Adrian Hernandez, OF, 2017 – Retired, came back, was released earlier this offseason.
  • 1.5M Gregory Guerrero, INF, 2015 – Reached High-A before getting release in 2022.
  • $1.45M Freddy Valdez, OF, 2018 – Part of trade that got Mets Khalil Lee. Didn’t play last year.
  • $1.4M Cristopher Larez, OF, 2023 – Finished first season as pro suspended for PEDs.
  • $1.4M Fernando Martínez, OF, 2005 – Had .630 big league OPS in 99 games.
  • $1.2M Juan Urbina, LHP, 2009 – Reached Low-A before release.
  • $1.2M Andrés Giménez, INF, 2015 – Back-to-back Gold Gloves, 12.7 bWAR over the last two seasons.
  • $1.1M Anthony Baptist, OF, 2023 – Posted .903 OPS in pro debut last year in DSL.

As you can see, signing players at 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17 years old can be a crapshoot. (Lots of deals are agreed upon before the player can officially sign at 16 years old). Another thing to keep in mind with bonuses is that you can see a player make significant strides on the field from the time they agree to the deal until when the deal actually becomes official. We’ve seen multiple pitches in recent years- Robert Dominguez, for one- adding significant velocity in that time span.