On Monday, Major League teams were officially allowed to begin signing international free agents, and the Detroit Tigers made sure to be active on opening day by coming to terms with two 16-year old middle infield prospects from the Dominican in Domingo Leyba and Willy Adames.
By league rules, the players were eligible to be signed because they reached the age of 16 earlier this year.
At the time of this writing, the terms of the contracts were not yet disclosed, but the deals aren't expected to exceed $500,000 apiece. Both players will need to pass physical exams as well as background investigations prior to the deals being finalized.
Via MLive.com:
The switching-hitting Leyba was a member of the Dominican team that won the junior division RBI World Series last summer at Target Field in Minnesota.
Leyba, a 5-foot-9, 155-pound shortstop, shows "smooth hands and a quick release, along with good baseball instincts," according to Baseball America.
The right-handed hitting Adames, who plays shortstop, is recognized as having strong defensive skills, a strong arm and is projected to hit with power.