Today marks a key date on the MLB calendar - the opening of the international signing period, where teams look to secure the next wave of global talent. For the Cleveland Guardians, this window wasn’t just about adding young prospects. It was about smart roster-building, and they made some savvy moves that could pay dividends down the line.
Armed with over $8 million in international bonus pool money, Cleveland could’ve gone all-in on a single high-profile prospect. Instead, they opted for a more balanced approach, spreading their resources across a variety of signings. That strategy not only gave them a deeper, more well-rounded international class, but also opened the door to make a key trade - one that brought in a promising young pitcher with real upside.
On Thursday, the Guardians shipped $1.5 million in international bonus pool money to the Mets in exchange for 20-year-old right-hander Franklin Gómez. It’s the second straight year Cleveland has capitalized on another club’s aggressive international spending.
Last year, they moved Myles Straw’s contract to the Blue Jays for bonus pool space - a deal that helped Toronto pursue Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki. This year, it was the Mets going big for shortstop Wandy Asigen, and Cleveland again found a way to turn that into value.
These aren’t headline-grabbing blockbusters, but they’re the kind of under-the-radar moves that smart front offices make - finding value on the margins and turning financial flexibility into talent.
And make no mistake: the Guardians clearly think highly of Gómez. They didn’t spend more than $860,000 on any single international prospect this cycle, which puts the $1.5 million they traded for Gómez into perspective. That’s a significant investment - not in cash, but in opportunity cost - and it signals how much potential they see in the young Venezuelan.
Gómez is coming off a breakout season in the Mets’ system, where he posted a 2.76 ERA over 71 2/3 innings split between Single-A and High-A. He made 13 starts in 20 appearances and showed the kind of development that gets scouts and player development staff excited.
Originally signed by the Mets as a 16-year-old in 2022, Gómez had a quiet start to his pro career. But last season, he took a leap - and it started with a jump in velocity.
According to Mets pitching coordinator Kyle Rogers, Gómez wasn’t chasing velocity the way many young arms do. Instead, he found it through a dedicated, high-intensity throwing program he began during spring training.
The result? A three-mile-per-hour bump on his fastball and a noticeable uptick in performance.
The Mets were cautious with his workload, spacing out his outings - which explains the relatively low innings total - but when he was on the mound, he showed real flashes.
One of his standout performances came in July, when he struck out six over seven innings for the St. Lucie Mets - his longest outing of the season. It was a glimpse of what he could become: a durable, efficient starter with the stuff to miss bats and the poise to go deep into games.
Gómez isn’t a finished product - far from it. But that’s where Cleveland’s player development group comes into play.
The Guardians have a strong track record of developing young arms, and with Gómez’s foundation - a live arm, improved velocity, and experience as a starter - there’s plenty to build on. He’s likely a year or two away from making a push for the majors, but as a depth arm with upside, he could rise quickly through Cleveland’s system.
In the end, this move is a classic example of the Guardians playing the long game. By leveraging their international bonus pool and targeting a high-upside arm rather than chasing one big-name prospect, they’ve added another intriguing piece to their already-deep farm system. Keep an eye on Franklin Gómez - he might not be a household name yet, but Cleveland clearly believes he could be something special.