As the Major League Baseball 2025 international free agency signing period got underway on Wednesday, the Philadelphia Phillies did exactly what the experts predicted they would do. The team signed one of the top international prospects in this year’s crop, one who is related to a division rival from the Atlanta Braves.
This year, the Phillies have a bonus pool of $6,261,000 to spend during the international free agent signing period that runs until Dec. 15.
According to Baseball America’s 2025 LB international signings tracker, the Phillies signed 17-year-old shortstop Nieves Izaguirre, a cousin of former NL MVP Ronald Acuña Jr. Izaguirre hails from the baseball hotbed of La Sabana, Venezuela, also known as the “Land of Ballplayers.” Listed at 5-foot-10 and weighing in at 160 pounds, Izaguirre isn’t an imposing physical figure but has speed and athleticism that helped rank him No. 44 in MLB Pipeline’s top international prospects for 2025.
“With baseball ubiquitous in his background, it comes as little surprise that Izaguirre’s in-game IQ is regarded as top-notch, and that scouts have been impressed with his aptitude for maximizing his development,” reads Izaguirre’s MLB Pipeline scouting report.
