Oakland Athletics sign two international amateurs on day one of the signing period

The Oakland Athletics have reportedly signed two international amateur free agents, both of whom rank inside Baseball America's Top-50.

According to MLB Pipeline, the Athletics have come to terms with Dominican shortstop Edgar Montero and Venezuelan outfielder Jose Ramos. Pipeline had Montero ranked as the 43rd best prospect in the 2024 signing period, while Ramos ranked 47th.

Per the report, the switch-hitting Montero is known for his bat speed and ability to hit for contact all over the field. He's reportedly a strong defender in the middle infield and should be able to stick there throughout his development.

Ramos is lauded by MLB Pipeline as a five-tool player with strong intuition in the outfield. He reportedly has good control of the strike zone and features a power / speed combo that has helped him move up prospect lists thus far.

We don't know the signing bonuses as of yet. The Athletics entered the IAFA signing period with a budget of $6.52 million. Neither Montero nor Ramos should take up a significant portion of the budget, meaning the A's should have the capacity to sign a handful of other players during the open window.

Baseball America has also connected the Athletics to Dominican outfielder Jeremy Denaud. It remains to be seen whether the A's are able to come to terms with the right hander.

The A's farm system isn't widely regarded as strong, so adding international talent in this signing period is an important task for David Forst and company. Unless we see some surprises, they likely won't sign anyone ahead of Montero in the rankings but that shouldn't stop the A's from adding depth to a system in need of it.