Cardinals Announce 17 International Signings For 2023 Period

Nine Pitchers and Eight Position Players Representing Six Different Countries Among Today’s Signees

ST. LOUIS, Mo., January 15, 2023 – The St. Louis Cardinals announced today the signing of 17 free-agent players representing the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Mexico, Ecuador, Cuba and the Bahamas from the first day of Major League Baseball’s international signing period for 2023. Nine pitchers, five outfielders, two shortstops, and one catcher were among the signees.

All of the players are being signed for the 2023 minor league season and are subject to MLB approval.  A complete listing of the Cardinals international player signings is below:

Name	Pos.	B/T	HT	WT	DOB	Age	Hometown	Bonus
Hancel Almonte	CF	R/R	6-1	183	12/6/2005	17	Villa Mella, Dominican Republic
Andru Arthur	OF	L/L	6-1	172	11/1/2005	17	Nassau, Bahamas
Luis Atocha	C	L/R	6-0	184	12/14/2004	18	Guayaquil, Ecuador
Jarol Baez	RHP	R/R	6-2	187	10/21/2005	17	Bani, Dominican Republic
Emisael Carrera	RHP	R/R	6-0	200	2/22/2006	16	Chirgua, Carabobo, Venezuela
Xavier Cruz	RHP	R/R	6-2	153	9/4/2005	17	Santiago, Dominican Republic
Angel Gil	OF	L/L	6-3	174	12/12/2005	17	San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic
Reiner Lopez	RHP	R/R	6-8	196	4/11/2006	16	Caja Seca, Zulia, Venezuela	$500,000
Bernard Mack	LHP	L/L	6-2	160	10/24/2005	17	Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic
Ruben Menes	RHP	R/R	6-1	193	4/17/2002	20	Matanzas, Cuba	$425,000
Keiverson Ramirez	RHP	R/R	6-1	155	4/5/2006	16	Miranda, Venezuela
Daniel Rojas	SS	R/R	5-9	151	11/16/2005	17	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Stiveen Rojas	LHP	L/L	5-9	136	8/29/2006	16	Moca, Dominican Republic
Fernando Roquez	RF	L/R	6-1	181	9/1/2005	17	Santo Domingo Oeste, Dominican Republic
Bracewell Taveras	SS	S/R	6-0	162	6/5/2006	16	Higuey, Dominican Republic	$450,000
Giovanni Vargas	RHP	R/R	6-1	179	3/3/2006	16	Gomez Palacio, Durango, Mexico
Facundo Velasquez	CF	S/R	6-1	175	1/16/2006	16	Guarico, Venezuela

— STL —

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I’ve added a bonus column to the Cardinals table and will update their spending pool as I find it. Teams are assigned a pool based off slot values; the pool is impacted by things like free agent signings (if they had a qualifying offer), team revenue (teams that receive competitive balance draft picks get a higher pool), and luxury tax penalties. Team can also trade slot amounts; the Cardinals have done that in the past, receiving low level prospects back. Any free agent signed for under $10,000 does not count against the bonus pool.

Signed	Bonus Pool	Bonus Confirmed	% of Pool Used
17	$5,284,000	$1,375,000	26.02%

Lopez is the prize prospect; he ranked #36 on MLB’s Top 50 International Prospects. Already 6’8″ at 16 years old, Lopez has a fastball that sits 88-93 and projects to get fast as he fills out. He’s got an above average changeup that’s his second pitch, a slider that’s potential above average, and a curve. As of right now, he projected as a starter; based off his pitches and frame, his ceiling is a #1 starter, mid-range is a #3-4 starter, and his floor is middle reliever. Based off his projections, he could crack the top 15 Cardinal prospects.