The New York Mets paid $3.9 million to sign shortstop Wandy Asigen, a prospect who spent months lined up with the rival Yankees before an executive shake-up sent him to Queens instead.
A verbal agreement between Asigen and the Yankees fell apart late last year, and a newly published bonus tracker shows just how big a swing the Mets landed in his place, ranking his bonus among the largest of the entire 2025-26 international class, according to BeisbolFR‘s Francys Romero.
Asigen and the Yankees had an informal handshake deal worth as much as $4.3 million, the kind of early, non-binding commitment common in international scouting. That arrangement crumbled after New York parted ways with international scouting director Donny Rowland in November 2025, according to CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa.
“His contract had expired, so just like everything else, you’ve got to make some very difficult decisions,” Yankees general manager Brian Cashman said of the move, according to CBS Sports.
Wandy Asigen’s Winding Road to Queens
Asigen backed out and shopped himself to other clubs before the Mets closed the deal once the 2025-26 signing period opened on January 15. New York funded the bonus in part by trading pitching prospect Franklin Gomez to the Guardians for pool space, according to Metsmerized Online. The Mets entered the period with just $5.44 million in total bonus allotment, tied for the smallest in baseball, meaning Asigen’s deal consumed most of their available spending.
MLB Pipeline ranks Asigen as the No. 2 international prospect in his class, and scouts praise his left-handed swing and elite bat speed, with exit velocities that have already topped 110 mph, according to MLB.com’s scouting report. He’s also shown 60-yard dash times near 6.5 seconds and enough range to project at shortstop long-term, though his arm currently grades as average.
Born August 21, 2009, in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic, Asigen trained under Jaime Ramos, part of MLB’s Trainer Partnership Program, and represented his country at the 2024 WBSC U-15 World Cup. His hometown has also produced big leaguers Nelson Cruz and Tony Batista.
The Mets handed a similarly massive bonus to fellow Dominican shortstop Elian Peña a year earlier, a franchise-record deal that made Asigen the club’s second straight blue-chip investment at the position, according to SI’s Inside The Mets.
Where the Rest of the Top International Bonuses Landed
Romero’s rankings put Venezuelan shortstop Luis Hernández atop the class in terms of bonus value. The San Francisco Giants gave him roughly $5 million, nearly their entire pool, after he starred as a teenager in Venezuela’s pro league, according to MLB.com.
Dominican shortstop Johenssy Colome, son of former big-league pitcher Jesús Colome, landed $4 million from the Athletics for his raw power and defensive versatility. Venezuelan outfielder Francisco Renteria commanded the same $4 million from the Phillies, a franchise-record international bonus built around his power and advanced approach at the plate.
Dominican infielder Victor Valdez rounded out the group at $3.5 million from the Tampa Bay Rays, who liked his all-fields contact skills and an arm that’s now grading in the 92-94 mph range, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Asigen’s $3.9 million sits just behind the top trio, a number that would have belonged to the Yankees’ ledger if not for a front-office change that sent one of winter’s best infield prospects across town instead.
The Yankees, meanwhile, closed the period with a far smaller headline bonus of their own, roughly $872,500 for Taiwanese right-hander Chien-Fan Lai, while still carrying close to $2.9 million in unspent pool money.
Mets Paid 16-Year-Old $3.9 Million: Where Does That Bonus Rank Among MLB Teams?