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Blue Jays: 2026 International Free Agency Recap
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Photo credit: © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jan 15, 2026, 20:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 15, 2026, 21:01 EST
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The Toronto Blue Jays were active on day one of the 2026 International Free Agent market.
Their biggest signing of the day was Venezuelan catcher Juan Caricote, who signed for a bonus of $1.95 million. In past years, the Jays have been hit or miss when signing Venezuelan catchers, finding a gem in Gabriel Moreno, but also picking up Luis Meza, who was released this month. 
There’s a lot to like about Caricote, he’s a strong defender with a promising swing and projection potential. Baseball America had Caricote ranked as their 17th-best IFA prospect, while he didn’t rank on MLB Pipeline’s list.
The other notable signing was Michael Mesa, an outfielder with a strong swing and potential for more power from a corner outfield. An outfielder, Mesa ranked as Baseball America’s 55th-best IFA prospect and MLB Pipeline’s 30th-best IFA prospect. He’s another left-handed batting outfielder, something the Blue Jays have been looking to develop for a while now. Mesa signed for $900,000.
There was another prospect who ranked on Baseball America’s top 100 IFA prospect list that signed with the Blue Jays: Aneudy Severino. The outfielder signed for $700,000 and ranked as the 71st-best prospect. His scouting report notes that he’s just 5’9”, but is strong and hits the ball hard. A right-handed batter, he’s more of a line-drive hitter than a power hitter, but a simple swing change could change that. Like Mesa, Severino will likely be a corner outfielder.
The Blue Jays tend to sign shortstops often during the International Free Agency period, and Sebastian Casanova signed for an undisclosed amount. Baseball America notes he’s an “excellent” athlete and a “plus-plus” runner. Like Severino, he has a line-drive approach with some pop in his bat.
Baseball America also has a scouting report for another shortstop, Gabriel Porras. He’s on the shorter side, standing at 5’7”, 160 lbs. He has a good swing, speed, and is a solid contact hitter, something that the Blue Jays love in their system.
There are some other players the Jays signed, according to their transaction tracker. Position players include outfielder Luis Nunez, shortstop Yariel Cordero, shortstop Frelian Flores, outfield Deret Gonzalez, and shortstop Alexander Linares. Gonzalez stands at 6’5”, 225 lbs and is a switch-hitting outfielder, he could be a prospect to monitor.
On the pitching side of things, the Jays signed Adrian Moreta, Abrahan Diaz, Fayon Dumorne, Franiel Severino, Evington Gascon, and Sahir De La Cruz, all are right-handed pitchers.
As the year continues, there’ll likely be more signings. It’s unclear how much of their $5.94 million bonus pool the Jays have remaining, but they could also make a trade for more if they need some.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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