Last year the Dodgers international signing period was dominated by the signing for Roki Sasaki, the pitching sensation from Japan who signed for $6.5 million and started his career in the major leagues. Their 2026 international signing period is more traditional in the sense that they have spread things around to several prospects.
The Dodgers’ bonus pool this year for the international signing period, which began Thursday and runs through December 15, is $6,679,200, tied with eight other teams for the 16th-highest
in MLB. Any signing bonuses over $10,000 count toward the bonus pool.
Among the reported signing bonus for new Dodgers prospects are Rubiel Arias, a Dominican outfielder who signed for $1 million per Francys Romero, Ben Badler at Baseball America, and Jesse Borek of MLB.com.
Arias trained in the same program in the Dominican Republic as Emil Morales, the Dodgers’ top signee of their 2024 international class.
“He gets his swing started with a leg kick, cranks his back elbow up high and unleashes a fast swing with the bat speed to drive the ball over the fence to his pull side,” Badler wrote about Arias at Baseball America. “Scouts highest on Arias praised his feel for hitting, as well—some scouts think it will be a hit-over-power profile—and given the physical projection remaining in his lean, high-waist frame, there should be more power still in the tank.”
Arias was ranked the 24th-best international prospect by Eric Longenhagen at FanGraphs, and was ranked 46th by Baseball America.
Ezequiel Melbourne, a shortstop from the Dominican Republic, signed for $750,000 per Romero and Badler. Melbourne was ranked the 29th-best international prospect by MLB Pipeline, and was 75th at Baseball America.
Borek at MLB.com said of Arias, “A switch-hitter with a quality eye and a smooth stroke from both sides of the dish, he’s presently focused on line drives, but scouts believe there will be plenty of pop to come as he enters the professional environment.”
The other Dodgers signee ranked among the top-100 prospects was shortstop Ariel Reynoso, also from the Dominican Republic, rated 86th by Baseball America.
We’ll update this with more signings as they are reported.
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