Astros 2026 International Free Agency: Full Details, Expected Signings, Bonus Pool

With the signing of Tatsuya Imai, the Houston Astros checked off a major item on their offseason shopping list. Beyond that, any other major additions to the Astros' big league roster are probably going to have to come with cutting payroll with an Isaac Paredes trade being the "easiest" move to make to accomplish it. However, those considerations will soon take a brief back seat as international free agency is set to open up this week.

The Astros' biggest win in terms of international free agents has to be Jose Altuve who many scouts didn't even want to bother with because of his size at the time. However, Houston dug a little deeper into him and signed the future Hall of Famer for just $15,000 and the rest was history.

The odds that Houston gets that lucky again are pretty slim, but it does appear as though they have some big time talent joining the organization when international free agency opens on January 15.

Explaining international free agency and how much the Astros can spend in 2026

The way international free agency works is relatively straightforward. Basically, any international player that is 16 when they sign and who will turn 17 before September 1, 2027 is eligible to sign during this period. There are certainly concerns over age verification and age fraud (both of which have stung Houston in the past) to navigate, but that is the gist.

More importantly, the Astros only have a set amount to spend on international free agents this year and that is determined by their international bonus pool. Determined by their spending status and whether or not they signed any players with qualifying offers attached, the Astros are tied at the bottom of all of MLB with the Yankees, Mets, and Giants for the lowest bonus pool at $5,440,000.

Albert Fermin headlines the Astros' expected international free agent class this year

Having a smaller bonus pool does create some difficulties, but Houston is still expected to add some of the better players available. The jewel of their class appears to be shortstop Albert Fermin who makes consistent and hard contact at the plate despite his young age. Defensive prodigy and shortstop Randy Arias is the next highest ranked bonus the Astros are expected to ink with outfielder Imanol Feliz being a late riser in the class expected to land in Houston as well.

Again, the Astros got a franchise cornerstone in Altuve for just $15K, so one should not overlook the more minor signings Houston makes that fly under the radar initially. We'll know more once their class is announced, but initial impressions are that the Astros have managed to put together a pretty decent class despite their bonus pool restrictions in 2026.