Cubs Sign Pair of Top-15 International Free Agents in 2025 Class

The Cubs were a little late to the international free agency party, but they showed up with a bang on Thursday. After failing to formally announce any deals of the first day of the 2025 IFA period, perhaps because they were hoping to poach a top prospect from another team, the Cubs have officially landed two top-15 players from MLB Pipeline’s top-50 rankings. It should come as no surprise that both are listed as shortstops.

Juan Cabada, a 16-year-old from the Dominican Republic, was ranked No. 10 and earned a $1.5 million bonus. The lefty batter boasts high bat speed and quick feet with a strong arm that should enable him to stay at short in the immediate future. He’s not a physical specimen at 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds, but still got several years to fill out.

Wilfri De La Cruz landed a $2.3 million bonus as the No. 13 international prospect on MLB Pipeline’s board, mainly because he’s a few months older and may have more physical projection. Already standing 6-foot-2 at a trim 170 pounds, scouts believe the young Dominican has some of the highest upside in this class. A switch-hitter with loose action on both sides, De La Cruz could develop big power as he matures. That could also mean a move off of short at some point in the future.

Baseball America lists five other young international players as having reached agreements with the Cubs, so we’ll update this as more deals are formalized. That remaining group consists of Juan Tomas (SS, Dominican); Tadeo Gamez (RHP, Mexico); Elerick Gomez (SS, Venezuela); Julio Acosta (OF, Dominican); and Luis Santos (SS, Dominican).