The Los Angeles Dodgers have had a quiet offseason thus far, considering their major league moves. However, that has been far from the case regarding filling out the rest of their roster and getting younger in key positions.
LA is thinking in terms of the present and certainly the future. MLB insider Francys Romero shared that the Dodgers have signed outfielder Rubel Arias and shortstop Ezequiel Melbourne.
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Arias and Melbourne are the Dodgers’ top two prospects in the 2025-26 class.
The Dodgers are no strangers to finding international talent, particularly in the Dominican Republic. Los Angeles has stamped their name there over the past few decades, and they hope they have found their next new star in Melbourne.
The 6-foot-3 switch-hitter is the No. 29 prospect in the 2026 class. At only 16 years old, Melbourne has a chance to become one of the better players to come out of the Dominican Republic, and that says a lot. He’s shown shades of fellow Dodgers international signees, Adrián Beltré and Carlos Santana, due to his physical projection.
The switch-hitting shortstop flashes the tools to stick, and he’s refining them at the Jaime Ramos Academy — an MLB Trainer Partnership Program member — as part of a deep 2026 international class. Melbourne has a signing bonus of $747,500.
As for Arias, he and the club agreed to a $997,500 bonus. Arias and Melbourne have been working out together with Jaime Ramos as they get ready for what many expect to be a call from the Dodgers sooner rather than later.
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Arias is no slouch, far from it, as he has a smooth strike in the batter’s box and has plenty of power potential to grow into. He landed just outside the Top 50 prospects in his class.
The Dodgers know how to evaluate talent; it’s one of the many things they have a knack for. So much so, that they were recently ranked as having the No. 1 farm system in the sport, they’ve remained at the top or near it for the past few seasons.
The Dodgers’ success goes far beyond targeting or signing big-time talent. It all starts at the top, and LA’s management is arguably the best in all of sports, not just baseball.
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