After pushing the original signing date of July 2 back to January 15 because of the pandemic, MLB’s international free agency will finally open this Friday. With a new collective-bargaining agreement looming on the horizon, this could be the last signing period where any team can individually reach agreements with players ahead of time. More than likely, MLB is going to institute a draft in either 2022 or 2023.
The Cubs have a total of $5,348,100 to spend on international free agency this year, not including contracts under $10,000. A bulk of that will be going to 17-year-old shortstop Cristian Hernandez, who has been linked to the Cubs since October 2019 and could earn a signing bonus north of $3.