Houston Astros 2020-21 International Signing Preview

By Ben Badler
on July 15, 2020

As penalty for their sign stealing violations, the Astros lost their first- and second-round picks in the 2020 and 2021 drafts.

For international signings, though, the Astros don't have any future signing restrictions. Major League Baseball announced those penalties in January 2020, then in February the Astros hired James Click as their new general manager. Soon after Click arrived, the Astros reached an agreement to sign Pedro Leon, a 22-year-old free agent outfielder from Cuba, with a bonus likely to be around $4 million. That could end up being the highest bonus for any player in the 2020-21 international class, an amount that seemed rich to several other clubs, though Leon hasn't been scouted extensively.

The Astros have $5,348,100 in their pool, with the remaining $1.3 million or so in their pool likely to be spread around to players in the $300,000 and under range. Those targets include Venezuelan outfielder Brayan Nolasco, Dominican outfielder Richel del Rosario and Dominican shortstop Yamal Encarnacion.