International scouting used to be the bread and butter of the Chicago White Sox organization.
Alexei Ramírez, José Abreu, and Luis Robert Jr. are a few of the big name Cuban-born players to sign and debut in Major League Baseball with the White Sox.
The White Sox also signed Dominican infielder Fernando Tatis Jr. back in the day before trading him to the San Diego Padres.
In today's game, scouting and signing top international talent is essential. So many of the best players in the game were once international signings - Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuña Jr., Juan Soto, José Ramírez, and Julio Rodríguez just to name a few.
It has been a while since the White Sox landed a blue chip international prospect. Oscar Colas once generated some buzz, but he quickly busted out of Major League Baseball.
Hopefully, that will all change in the coming years. According to recent reports, the Chicago White Sox are making an unprecedented splash in the international market, agreeing to sign Dominican prospect Braston Basker to a $6 million deal while he is still only 12 years old.
Who is Braston Basker?
Braston Basker is a 12-year‑old baseball prospect from the Dominican Republic. He plays shortstop, and is known for his powerful swing, which has gone viral online.
Basker won't officially be eligible to sign as an international prospect until 2030 (after his 16th birthday), but it is already speculated that he might sign with one of the largest international signing bonuses ever, due to his potential.
12 year old Dominican Republic Braston Basker is expected to sign the biggest international signing bonus ever in 2030. https://t.co/odVUtvMDhM
— Prospect Dugout (@prospectdugout) March 15, 2025
The rumored price of $6 million being paid by the White Sox to Basker would, as predicted, set a new record.
Basker is widely considered to be the top international prospect his age, meaning he has the upside to develop into one of the top prospects in all of baseball. Signing him could be a franchise-altering move for the White Sox, even if it's another 10 years before we actually see him debut in MLB.
The White Sox are not guaranteed to sign Basker
It probably goes without saying, but just because Basker has verbally committed to an agreement with the White Sox does not mean he is actually joining the organization.
Just like when a high school freshman makes a college commitment, this could flip at any time between now and 2030. As could the financials associated with the deal.
Hopefully, international scouts with the White Sox will continue to nurture their relationship with the 12-year-old phenom and an early verbal commitment will eventually lead to inking a contract with Chicago.
For the time being, the White Sox are the front runners to sign a special talent that could become a premiere player in all of MLB.