The first domino fell quietly, the way these things often do in January, with most of the noise happening behind closed doors and inside front offices. But when the New York Mets opened the 2026 international signing period by landing Wandy Asigen, it carried more weight than a typical prospect signing line on a transaction log.
Asigen was supposed to be a Yankee. Close enough that people around the industry assumed it was done. Instead, the Mets stepped in late, flexed their preparation, and walked away with one of the most intriguing shortstop prospects on the market, handing him a $3.9 million bonus that made a clear statement about priorities.
A targeted swing, not a scattershot one
The Mets did not spread their international bonus pool around this year. They aimed it.
Asigen took up the majority of their available money because the organization believes in the profile. A left-handed hitter with a smooth, powerful swing, he projects as more than a glove-first shortstop. The bat is the separator, the kind that scouts envision growing into real impact as he fills out. That combination is why the Mets were willing to get aggressive and why they were comfortable outmaneuvering the Yankees to do it.
But the front office did not stop there, and that is where this class gets more interesting.
Turning depth into leverage
To add more pieces, the Mets needed more money. International rules are rigid, and creativity often shows up in the margins.
On Thursday, the Mets traded left-handed pitching prospect Franklin Gomez to the Guardians in exchange for $1.5 million in 2026 international bonus pool space, per Mike Mayer of Metsmerized Online. It was not a throwaway move. Gomez is a real arm, a 20-year-old signed out of Venezuela in January 2022 who showed legitimate progress last season.
Between Single-A and High-A, Gomez posted a 2.76 ERA and struck out 68 hitters in 71.2 innings. He dominated Single-A with a 1.85 ERA before running into expected turbulence at High-A, where the ERA climbed to 4.70. That split does not scare evaluators. It reads like development, not regression.
Cleveland is also not a random landing spot. The Guardians have a reputation for extracting value from young pitchers, especially lefties with feel. If Gomez becomes a big leaguer, it will not surprise anyone. The Mets understood that risk and still made the deal.
That tells you how clearly they valued what came next.
Cleiner Ramirez and the second act
With the added pool space, the Mets have signed outfielder Cleiner Ramirez, the No. 23 prospect in this international class according to MLB Pipeline.
Per MLB Pipeline, Ramirez does not look the part at first glance. He is listed at 5-foot-9, a frame that historically invites skepticism. But his swing erases a lot of doubts. Ramirez generates serious bat speed from the right side, with a repeatable path that allows him to square up different pitch types.
The production backs it up. In the Caracas Prospect League, Ramirez hit .419 over a small but telling sample, collecting 21 total bases in just 10 games, according to Pipeline. More impressive than the raw average was the approach. Fourteen walks against eight strikeouts suggests a hitter who already understands the strike zone, not just someone swinging his way through amateur pitching.
He is only 17, and the power is still coming. That is fine. The Mets are betting on the foundation.
What this says about the Mets
This is not about winning an international signing headline in January. It is about process.
The Mets identified Asigen as a potential difference-maker, were willing to spend heavily to get him, then flipped pitching depth to add another high-upside bat in Ramirez. It is a layered approach that reflects confidence in their evaluations and patience with timelines.
International classes rarely announce themselves loudly. The real verdict comes years later, in quiet moments on back fields or under stadium lights. For now, the Mets have given themselves two strong bets in Asigen and Ramirez, and they did it by acting decisively when opportunities opened.
That is how organizations build futures, one calculated move at a time.