Baseball America has good news for Royals' 2026 international signing outlook

Don’t look now, but the Kansas City Royals are scorching at Kauffman Stadium—fitting, considering the ballpark has felt about as hot as a dying sun during their latest homestand.

Kansas City has vaulted back into the postseason conversation with a trio of series wins, aided by some timely losses from teams ahead of them. Following up their surprising 2024 run with another competitive campaign in 2025 is exactly what fans hoped for when general manager J.J. Picollo took over, pairing fresh thinking with manager Matt Quatraro.

Free agency can provide short-term boosts, but the long-term vision hinges on rebuilding the farm system—keeping talent in Royals blue and stacking wins for years to come.

Kansas City’s renewed push into the international talent market has already paid off—and could deliver even bigger dividends in the years ahead. Developing players like catcher Freddy Fermin and pitcher Ángel Zerpa has boosted the current roster in different ways, but six of the Royals’ top 15 prospects now come from recent international free-agent signings.

Right-hander Kendry Chourio has been one of baseball’s fastest risers this season, and that’s without even factoring in Kansas City landing three of MLB Pipeline’s Top 50 international prospects in the 2025 class.

So when more news surfaces about what the Royals might do on the international market this offseason, it’s absolutely worth paying attention.

Baseball America has good news for Royals 2026 international signing outlook

Baseball America put out their first bonus board for the 2026 international signing period, set to open on Jan. 15, 2026. This isn't necessarily a ranking of the prospects but rather the expected signing bonus for each player.

Many players are already set to sign with teams, including two of Baseball America's top 30 players for the Royals on the bonus board. The highest linked to Kansas City is outfielder Angeibel Gomez, ranked sixth overall. A well-rounded prospect for his age, Gomez could represent a significant investment from the Royals in their continued push on the international market.

"Gomez for some scouts is the top prospect from Venezuela in the 2026 international class. He has a strong, lean 6-foot-2 build that’s well-proportioned with wide shoulders and significant strength projection remaining. Gomez has exciting athleticism and seems to hit everywhere he goes, including last year in MLB’s Amateur Scouting League, where he ranked third in OPS. He makes frequent contact, has a good sense of the strike zone and big raw power for his age that he has been able to tap into in games, driving balls out of the park from the middle of the field over to his pull side. Given how much room he still has to add weight, he could end up a 25-plus home run threat. Gomez is also one of the better defensive center fielders in the class. He’s a plus-plus runner with a plus arm and great instincts, reading the ball well off the bat and taking clean routes to show good range in all directions."

Baseball America

Next up linked to Kansas City is Cuban shortstop Jaider Suarez, ranked 23rd on Baseball America’s bonus board. Suarez stands out for his strong hit tool and plus speed, traits that could make him an intriguing addition to the Royals’ international class.

"After being the youngest player on the Cuban team at the U-15 World Cup in 2022 when he was 13, Suarez in 2023 dominated in Cuba’s 15U national league. He hit .355/.495/.605 with 22 walks (including a league-high nine intentional walks) and seven strikeouts in 101 plate appearances for Ciego De Avila, leading the league with three home runs and tied for the league lead with 17 stolen bases. Suarez has broad shoulders on a strong 6-foot-1 frame and good bat-to-ball skills from the right side of the plate. It’s mostly gap power with occasional over-the-fence juice to his pull side that should tick up over the next few years with strength gains. A plus runner, Suarez doesn’t have the typical shortstop build, but scouts highest on him thought he could stick there and that he fielded his position well with good instincts and a plus arm."

Baseball America

Together, Gomez and Suarez would headline Kansas City’s upcoming international class and mark another step in the franchise’s resurgence on that front. The Royals could get all the help they can down on the farm, according to MLB Pipeline, which remains a bottom-five farm system according to their most recent rankings.