The New York Mets are seemingly experts in poaching talent out of the New York Yankees‘ hands. Now, it’s been reported they did it again. This time, they did it with an international star prospect who had previously verbally agreed to become a Bronx Bomber.
According to Baseball America, Dominican shortstop Wandy Asigen will sign with the Mets as soon as the 2026 signing period opens on January 15th. Asigen had a verbal agreement with the Yankees. But, since the Bronx Bombers cut ties with international scouting director Donny Rowland, Asigen backed out. His deal with the Mets is reported to have a $3.8 million signing bonus.
In all fairness, verbal agreements are technically against the rules and many times those agreements don’t come to fruition. However, it’s usually because of the team and not the player. For example, the Dodgers backed out of many verbal agreements to land Rori Sasaki last year.
Asigen is a very good prospect
According to MLB Pipeline, Asigen is the second best prospect in the 2026 international signing period. At only 16 years old, this is how the scouting report describes the shortstop: “Asigen has been heralded as having arguably the most advanced offensive profile among his class … Asigen has a knack for creating loft from his frame, something that should allow him to continue to tap into his above-average power as he continues to fill out.“
As for the defense, the scouting report states that “While his arm is merely average at this stage, he performs many of the quick-twitch movements that evaluators look for when projecting a young player’s ability to stick at shortstop. Asigen has a nose for the ball and his wheels – which have been clocked at 6.5 seconds on 60-yard dash times – allow him to cover tons of ground laterally.”
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The Mets already have an elite shortstop
At 16, it’s clear that Asigen is a project for the future. He could end up in the majors a few years from now. However, the Mets can take their time to develop him into a star, since they have a superstar at shortstop already.
Francisco Lindor is arguably the MLB’s best shortstop. While it’s debatable against guys like Bobby Witt Jr., Mookie Betts, Corey Seager or Elly De La Cruz, he belongs in the elite club. Also, Lindor is 32 years, so while not a spring chicken. He still has some good years ahead of him while Asigen becomes pro-ready.
