Tigers make international free agency history and didn't need Roki Sasaki to do it

Emma Lingan

Philadelphia Phillies v Detroit Tigers / Brandon Sloter/GettyImages

Even though they didn't land the biggest fish in the international signing pool in Japanese pitching phenom Roki Sasaki, the Detroit Tigers still managed to make some record-breaking noise on the opening day of the 2025 international signing period.

The Tigers signed Dominican outfielder Cris Rodriguez to a $3.2 million bonus Wednesday, setting a new franchise record for a financial commitment to an international prospect. Rodriguez, who turns 17 later this month, is the No. 4-ranked prospect and the top-ranked power bat in the 2025 international class, according to MLB Pipeline.

The Tigers were one of eight teams with the highest bonus pool – just over $7.5 million – in the 2025 international signing period. The other teams in this category included the Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays.

Per Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, the Tigers' previous international signing bonus records had been held by Dominican infielder Cristian Santana ($2.95 million in January 2021) and Cuban outfielder Roberto Campos ($2.85 million in July 2019). Only Campos remains on the Tigers' Top-30 prospects list at No. 25, according to MLB Pipeline.

Tigers make international free agency history and didn't even need Roki Sasaki to make it happen

Rodriguez already towers at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds at age 16, making evaluators giddy over his upside as a power hitter. His above-average speed gives him staying power at center field, where he has spent the majority of his innings as an amateur, but his large frame and strong throwing arm could eventually push him into a corner outfield position as his career progresses.

MLB Pipeline describes Rodriguez as having "immense raw pop," saying that he has "done damage during every step of his amateur career, consistently generating extra-base hits, which becomes all the more impressive when factoring in that opponents are well aware of the hype that surrounds his potency."

Rodriguez, who will compete in the Dominican Summer League in the 2025 season, joins Venezuelan infielder Sterling Brazil and Venezuelan catcher Carlos Benavides as the Tigers' top international signings in this year's class.

Stay tuned for updates as more signings become officialy over the next 24 hours.

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Emma Lingan

Emma Lingan is an MLB Staff Writer for FanSided primarily covering the Pittsburgh Pirates. She has been covering baseball for more than a decade dating back to her time as a student at Wake Forest University, and she has won two gold medals as a member of the U.S. National Team delegation (2016 Pan-American Championships & 2017 World Baseball Classic). A native of Washington, D.C. and current resident of Nashville, Tenn., she is also entering her seventh season as a credentialed NHL media member and currently covers the NHL’s Nashville Predators for The Hockey News. When she's not watching hockey, baseball or football, she enjoys podcasting, reading, going to the gym, consuming large amounts of coffee and taking long walks with her dog, Minkah. You can follow her @Emma_lingan on Twitter and Instagram.