The end of the regular season is busy for every single MLB team, but it was particularly busy for the Atlanta Braves. In addition to all of the usual housekeeping that comes at season’s end, the Braves have had to manage the retirement of Brian Snitker as well as a ton of late season waiver claims which were clearly an attempt to get a head start on the roster machinations coming this offseason. Lost in the shuffle, unfortunately, is that the Braves made a pretty interesting international signing.
Normally, most international free agents sign very shortly after the IFA signing period opens in January. That was certainly the case for the Braves whose IFA class was highlighted by Diego Tornes out of Cuba. However, it seems as though Atlanta had a little bit of international bonus pool money left over and they used some of it to sign RHP and fellow Cuban Luis Mantilla.
Cuban RHP Luis Mantilla (18) officially signed with the Atlanta Braves. Bonus: $20,000.
Mantilla becomes the 36th Cuban-born player to sign in the current international period (2024-2025). His fastball reaches 89-93 mph.
Braves signing RHP Luis Mantilla flew completely under the radar
In fairness, Mantilla is not considered to be one of the top international free agents this year and late IFA signings don’t get much in the way of attention especially when the playoffs are going on. However, Mantilla isn’t completely unknown and Atlanta ability to grab him is an extension of what seems to be a new organizational push to be bigger players for Cuban free agents.
Predictably, actual baseball information is sparse when it comes to Mantilla. We know that he is 18 years old and throws right-handed. Francys Romero noted in the post above that his fastball currently hits 89-93 mph which pretty sweet especially if he is projectable at all. Beyond that, the biggest takeaway is that the Braves signed another Cuban free agent alongside Tornes after spending most of their international efforts in recent years on the Dominican Republic and Venezuela.
The odds that this is the last time we hear about Mantilla are relatively high. With a $20,000 signing bonus, Mantilla is more a lottery ticket for the Braves to take a shot on than anything else. There have certainly been times where guys signed to cheap bonuses turn into stars with former Braves catcher William Contreras coming to mind. However, these are the types of gambles Atlanta should be taking as they attempt to reload what is a pretty shallow farm system right now.
