Cardinals sign top Dominican outfielder as international free agency opens up

The St. Louis Cardinals just added a whole lot of talent to their already strong farm system today.

Across Major League Baseball, international free agent signings are being made official today as clubs are now officially allowed to put pen to paper with some of the most exciting young talent in international baseball. Lately, the Cardinals have found a ton of success in that market, highlighted by top slugging prospect Rainiel Rodriguez and current top 100 player in baseball, Ivan Herrera.

Chaim Bloom just secured more exciting names to that mix, including one of the top outfielders this class has to offer.

The Cardinals signed an exciting international free agent class today, highlighted by top outfielder Emanuel Luna

At the very top of the Cardinals' class is Dominican outfielder Emanuel Luna, who turns 17 today and is the 10th-ranked prospect in the entire international class according to Baseball America. Luna, who the Cardinals signed to a $2.3 million signing bonus, has incredible raw power for his young age. Many scouts believe he has plus-plus raw power and could be a 30+ home run hitter if the Cardinals can help him develop as a prospect.

On top of that, Luna is also a great athlete, so the Cardinals could be looking at a future center fielder here with big-time power, which gives Luna true star upside. This applies to every prospect in this class, but with Luna being a teenager, we obviously need to temper expectations and see how he performs in the complex league and stateside before getting too amped up. But it is encouraging that the Cardinals have found so much success so far with Rainiel Rodriguez, who could be putting himself in the conversation for a top 10 prospect in all of baseball soon.

Aside from Luna, the Cardinals also brought in another high-upside Dominican 17-year-old in Carlos Carrion, who was previously linked to the San Diego Padres. Carrion signed for a $1.1 million signing bonus today, and Ben Badler of Baseball America called him one of the best athletes of this class.

Carrion is a switch-hitting shortstop with plus-plus speed and has flashed the ability to slug as well. Standing at six feet tall and 165 lbs, Carrion could continue to put on more mass and be an extra-base hit threat long-term. He's extremely raw as a prospect, so there is a wide range of outcomes here.

While Luna and Carrion highlight this class, the Cardinals did bring in another pair of Dominican outfielders in Jhon Fraganten and Christopher Vargas. Fraganten is a powerful right-handed bat who, at his best long-term, will provide his value at the plate while playing a corner outfield spot. Vargas is more of a balanced offensive profile who plays center field, but may end up in a corner as well.

Sebastian Rojas is seen as one of the best defensive catchers in this class and was signed by the Cardinals out of Venezuela. He has already received great reviews for his ability behind the plate and hopes to develop as a bat-first catcher at the dish.

We'll continue to bring more coverage to the Cardinals' international signings as they come, but for now, the organization has been able to add a lot of exciting talent today to a farm system that has already taken massive steps forward this past year.