Royals already appear to have big plans for top international bonus pool

The Kansas City Royals have really refocused their efforts in the international market in recent years, and the results are starting to show in the prospect pipeline.

While catcher Salvador Perez will long be the banner example of that development path in Kansas City, prospects like pitcher Kendry Chourio, catcher Ramon Ramirez, and outfielder Asbel Gonzalez have all added some legitimate helium to the lower minors. Any international signing is a long-term investment, but the system is in a far better place now than it was even two years ago on that front.

Baseball America’s latest bonus board suggests the Royals are intent on keeping that momentum rolling. The board is not a traditional ranking based strictly on talent or long-term outlook, but rather on expected bonus size.

So, when Venezuelan shortstop Luis Hernandez sits atop the list, it’s because of his projected class-leading bonus from the San Francisco Giants, not necessarily because he has the best tools in the class.

You don’t have to scroll far to find Kansas City.

Royals linked to a pair of top international prospects in 2026 class

With their co-league leading $8,034,900 bonus pool this year, the Royals are expected to hand out the sixth-largest bonus of the signing period to Venezuelan outfielder Angibel Gomez. His deal should clear the $2 million mark, and Baseball America’s write-up makes it easy to understand why the industry is so high on the 17-year-old:

"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 in 2024 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

Projecting teenagers in the international market is never clean work, but Gomez reads like a player who could climb quickly and become a top-five prospect in the Royals’ system before long. He won’t fix Kansas City’s current outfield questions in the short term, but this is the kind of investment that can change what the position looks like three or four years from now.

Kansas City pops up again near the board’s midpoint with the No. 25 prospect in Cuban shortstop Jaider Suarez, who could command a bonus north of $1 million thanks to his track record and a growing power profile.

"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 frame and good bat-to-ball skills from the right side of the plate. His raw power has spiked considerably over the past year as he’s gotten stronger and adjusted his swing to get better separation and incorporate his lower half more, giving him the look of a player who could end up hitting 20-plus homers. A plus runner, Suarez doesn’t have the typical shortstop build and some scouts think he could end up at third base, but scouts highest on him think he could stay at shortstop and that he fields his position well with good instincts and a plus arm."

Baseball America

Like most teenage shortstops, Suarez isn’t a lock to stay at the position forever and his frame will be the first thing scouts point to when they start projecting a third-base move. But the athleticism is real, and he’s already shown he can handle the defensive demands against quality competition.

The Royals have leaned into this demographic recently. They signed Cuban shortstop Yandel Ricardo in 2024, and the early returns have been a reminder of just how steep the learning curve can be once a player hits full-season ball. Ricardo ran through the Arizona Complex League, then found Low-A Columbia to be a different animal.

MLB Pipeline currently grades Suarez’s tools more favorably than Ricardo’s across the board, and Ricardo still sits as Kansas City’s No. 5 prospect on Pipeline’s list, a good reference point for how quickly the Royals could elevate Suarez in the public prospect conversation when he takes to pro ball.

The international market offers no sure things, but it’s also one of the richest veins for star-level talent when a club hits right.

Four of MLB Pipeline’s top seven overall prospects are international signees, and the best organizations in that space have built real inroads and repeatable development tracks.

Kansas City’s hits have been too few and far between historically, but a stronger foundation the past couple of years, and a 2026 class headlined by Gomez and Suarez, could be how that reputation starts to change.