There's a short list of elite catchers from Venezuela in this year's class, and it appears the Mets have landed one.
:: 2018 International Signing Period ::
According to industry sources, the Mets agreed to a $2.7 million deal with catcher Francisco Alvarez, ranked No. 13 on MLB.com's Top 30 International Prospects list, along with outfielder Freddy Valdez, ranked No. 25, of the Dominican Republic for $1.45 million.
The Mets have not confirmed the deals.
At 5-foot-11 and 220 pounds, Alvarez is a strong prospect with a stocky build and an offense-oriented set of tools. He's known for his offense, but he has also shown a good arm and solid defensive actions behind the plate.
As for Valdez, the athletic teen has shown bat speed and the potential for plus raw power in the future. He could end up in right field and has a chance to be a decent defender, but it's his offensive potential, not his defensive prowess, that will carry him through his professional career.
According to the rules established by the Collective Bargaining Agreement, clubs that received a Competitive Balance Pick in Round B of the MLB Draft received a pool of $6,025,400, while clubs that received a Competitive Balance Pick in Round A of the Draft received $5,504,500. All other clubs, including the Mets, received $4,983,500.

Teams are allowed to trade as much of their international pool money as they would like, but can only acquire 75 percent of a team's initial pool amount. Additionally, signing bonuses of $10,000 or less do not count toward a club's bonus pool, and foreign professional players who are at least 25 and have played in a foreign league for at least six seasons are also exempt.