Astros poised to land top international shortstop with advanced hitting approach

The Houston Astros have been pretty busy this offseason for a team that entered the winter with some real questions as to how much they could afford to add to their roster at all. On top of that, the Astros got one of the international jewels of the offseason when they signed Tatsuya Imai. However, when international free agency opens on January 15, Houston is set to add even more international help to the organization.

The Astros have been relatively active when it comes to international free agents in recent years, though they have not really leaned on that market to add talent. A spree of age fraud hurt the Astros in 2024, and that didn't help, but top prospects Miguel Ullola, Kevin Alvarez, and Alimber Santa were all international free agents and all appear likely to at least get a shot at the major leagues in the not-too-distant future.

Fans should hope that the Astros' 2026 crop of international free agents can continue that positive trend, as the team has a couple of really intriguing players coming in, including a shortstop prospect in Albert Fermin who possesses an approach at the plate that is way beyond his years.

Albert Fermin and Randy Arias headline Astros' expected international free agent class in 2026

Reliable scouting information on international free agents is tricky to come by, especially when you factor in that projecting teenagers at all is an incredibly difficult challenge. However, based on the information that is available, both Fermin as well as shortstop Randy Arias have some exciting tools at their disposal already.

According to Baseball America's international bonus board for this year (which is a fantastic resource), Fermin is expected to get the 13th-highest bonus once international free agency opens up. Fermin is getting that kind of money thanks to a surprisingly polished approach at the plate for a teenager, as well as a 6'3 frame that allows for real projection in his strength and raw power. There is a chance that he outgrows shortstop, but Houston is buying the bat here.

As for Arias, he is a smaller guy than Fermin, who doesn't project to be a masher, but he is very quick and seems to be more likely to stick at shortstop. Arias isn't so small that he will never be able to hit the ball hard enough, but there are some who worry that his offensive impact may never catch up with his defensive upside.

It is a mortal lock that a smaller signing that we don't even know a thing about yet is going to make some waves in the Astros' minor leagues at some point. Both Ullola and Santa were cheaper international signings, and now they are pushing for promotions. For now, fans will just have to enjoy the fact that Houston is getting two top 20 international free agents to mold into big leaguers. Actually pulling that off is the next step and, unfortunately, the hard part as well.