Where the SF Giants stand with the upcoming IFA class

The SF Giants will not be landing top international free agent Roki Sasaki but they are still projected to have a strong class when international free agency opens on January 15.

Where the SF Giants stand with the upcoming IFA class

For starters, the Giants will be tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the lowest bonus pool at $5.1 million. The Giants lost $500,000 apiece when they signed Matt Chapman and Blake Snell last offseason. Chapman and Snell rejected a qualifying offer from the Toronto Blue Jays and San Diego Padres, respectively.

This year, the Giants did cross the $237 million Competitive Balance Tax (CBT) threshold, so the penalties for signing a qualifying offer player become stiffer. This came to fruition when they inked Willy Adames to a seven-year deal after he rejected a qualifying offer from the Milwaukee Brewers. With this signing, the Giants forfeited $1 million in international bonus pool money for the 2026 cycle.

In theory, the Giants could add up to 60 percent of their original pool through trades but trades of this nature are not too common. For now, the Giants are hard capped at $5.1 million in total. Only signing bonuses over $10,000 count against that pool and teams cannot exceed their allotted bonus pools. That last detail is a stark change from what it was in the past when teams could exceed their bonus pools but would be penalized in the ensuing two signing periods.

Despite missing out on Sasaki, the Giants look like they could have one of their better international free agent classes in years. According to Baseball America (subscription required), the Giants are projected to sign infielder, Josuar Gonzalez (Dominican Republic), Djean Macares (Aruba), and Yulian Barreto (Venezuela).

Gonzalez is ranked as the No. 6 prospect in this year's class but is viewed even higher than that. On the other hand, Macares is No. 36 and Barreto is No. 41.

Francys Romero of Beisbol FR has put together projected signing bonuses for many of the top prospects in this year's class. Gonzalez is estimated to receive $2.5 million while Macares is projected to receive a $1.1 million signing bonus.

Oftentimes, teams and players have verbal agreements well in advance of the cycle opening. Romero is very well connected on this front. That said, these numbers should be considered more of a data point until they are finalized.

The good news is that many teams will finalize these deals within the first few days of the new period. Teams involved on Roki Sasaki are believed to be holding off on finalizing deals with prospects they are connected to until that situation plays out.