Aneudy Severino: Outfielder from 🇩🇴 Omar Laurencio: Pitcher from🇩🇴 Among others which I’ll post later. plus some strong 2027, 2028 classes. Exciting times to be a Blue Jays fan.
Blue Jays are expected to sign catcher Juan Caricote when the 2026 International Free Agency period begins
Photo credit: © Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Aug 20, 2025, 18:00 EDT
The Toronto Blue Jays are once again linked to a top catcher in International Free Agency.
On Wednesday, Baseball America released their Top 30 prospects for the 2026 IFA, with the Blue Jays being linked to the 18th-ranked Juan Caricote, a catcher from Venezuela.
To summarize his profile, he’s a solid all-around hitter who’ll stick at catcher because of a strong ability to receive, while he’ll eventually grow into his arm. An athletic catcher, he’s a good blocker and has a good swing from the left side of the plate with projection remaining.
Because the Blue Jays signed Anthony Santander last off-season, the Jays lost $500,000 in international free agent bonus pool money, giving them just $5.94 million. According to Twitter user NWints30, who dug up the Moon Seo-jun signing before it was reported in the mainstream, the bonus for Caricote is estimated to be in the $1.5 million to $2 million range.
The Twitter user also noted a handful of other names the Blue Jays are linked to in the 2026 class: Michael Mesa, Aneudy Severino, and Omar Laurencio. That’s some great work.
As for the Blue Jays’ success with Venezuelan catchers, it’s a mixed bag. In 2016, they signed Gabriel Moreno to a bonus of $25,000, which has worked out well as he was traded for Daulton Varsho. On the other end of the spectrum, Luis Meza was their top signing for the 2022 IFA period, and he hasn’t improved at all over the three seasons in the organization.
For the first time in a long time, one of their top IFA prospects broke out in the Dominican Summer League. Signed for a bonus worth $1 million, Juan Sanchez has become a Top 10 Blue Jays’ prospect after finishing the season slashing .341/.439/.565 with eight home runs in 253 plate appearances for a 156 wRC+.
All of this is to say that there is a lot to look forward to in the Blue Jays system, as plenty of prospects have taken a step forward this season.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.