The Philadelphia Phillies made headlines when the most recent international free agency window opened last month, signing the top power bat in the class. Now they've made more headlines (of a much different nature), shattering the norms of international free agency by reportedly reaching a pre-agreement with David Basabe, an 11-year-old shortstop from Venezuela, according to Wilber Sánchez.
No, that's not a typo, he's 11. Understandably, the Phillies are facing backlash from this rumored deal for a young player who won't be officially eligible to sign until 2031.
Basabe's bonus is worth $1.8 million. That's a lot of money to promise to someone still in the sixth grade, but that's not the part of this story with which people are concerned. Again, he's just 11 years old. That fact can't be overstated.
Phillies facing harsh backlash over agreement with 11-year-old international prospect David Basabe
If you're unfamiliar with Major League Baseball's international amateur free agency system, international prospects must be 16 before officially signing. However, it's common practice for teams to reach "handshake" agreements with international players years before they're eligible. These pre-agreements aren't officially recognized by MLB.
But the Phillies have taken it to a whole new level of weird with Basabe.
"At just 11 years old, Basabe becomes the youngest player in history to secure a pre-agreement with a Major League organization," Sánchez notes. "The agreement sets a new benchmark in the international market and places David Basabe firmly on the radar as one of the most ambitious bets of his generation."
The Philadelphia Phillies have reached a pre-agreement with Venezuelan shortstop David Basabe, a member of the 2031 international class, for a $1.8 million bonus.
— Wilber Sánchez (@wilberdata) February 17, 2026
At just 11 years old, Basabe becomes the youngest player in history to secure a pre-agreement with a Major League… pic.twitter.com/brX4NTYqfN
"He is the shortstop with the best offensive tools in the 2031 class," according to Sánchez. "His combination of coordination, bat speed, and physical projection places him in a distinct category within his generation."
Obviously, there's inherent risk in "locking up" an 11-year-old who isn't even close to finishing his development. A lot can change in the five years before he's eligible to sign. There's no guarantees anything will come of this.
Plenty of international prospects much older than Basabe never pan out. The Phillies famously spent $4 million on Jhailyn Ortiz in 2015, and he never played a major league game. After getting as high as Triple-A in 2023, the now 27-year-old was last seen playing independent ball in Mexico last year.
But most observers aren't concerned with the perceived risk to the Phillies (there's no money changing hands yet) as much as the ethical ramifications of such a move.
The agreement sparked intense criticism on social media. Many fans are expressing discomfort with MLB's current system that lets teams' scouting run rampant in predominantly developing Caribbean countries. Words like predatory and gross were tossed around online after this news broke.
Basabe's deal with the Phillies has also reignited calls for an international draft to replace the obviously flawed system. Whether that's in the cards with the next CBA remains to be seen, but for now teams like the Phillies are more than willing to flaunt the lack of rules around the international free agent system that exists.