The Seattle Mariners international scouting department has been one of the strongest facets of the organization for several years.

The Mariners' international scouting has spawned several notable major and minor leaguers, including franchise superstar Julio Rodriguez and top 100 prospects Lazaro Montes and Michael Arroyo and additional well-regarded minor leaguers Felnin Celesten and Yorger Bautista.

Bautista and Celesten were among the better players in their respective international signing classes. Celesten was ranked the second-best prospect available in the 2023 signing class and Bautista was ranked No. 6 in the '25 signing class (both per MLB Pipeline).

According to current projections and predictions, Seattle is likely due for another fruitful international signing period in 2026.

According to the international big board from Baseball America, the Mariners are currently projected to sign two of the top 15 players available in the international signing period.

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The two players the publication has Seattle signing is 5-foot-11, 170-pound outfielder Gregory Pio out of the Dominican Republic. He's ranked eighth on Baseball America's big board. 

Ben Badler had the following scouting report on Pio:

Pio’s athleticism and tool set at a young age made him an early standout in the 2026 international class. He’s a quick-twitch athlete with plus-plus speed, giving him the wheels and range to handle center field. At the plate, Pio’s swing can get big at times and he has some things to iron out mechanically. But he has a lean, tapered build with the bat speed to hit balls out of the park to his pull side and room to fill out to continue adding power. His speed gives him a chance to be a high stolen base threat.

The 14th-ranked player available, 6-foot-1, 185-pound outfielder Juan Rijo (Dominican Republic), is also anticipated to be signed by the M's.

Here's Badler's scouting report on Rijo:

Rijo has long stood out for his hitting ability since he was a smaller player early in the process, whether it was facing hitters his own age or barreling up pitchers several years older than him. Since then, Rijo has continued to show polished hitting ability for his age while growing to 6-foot-1, 185 pounds. He’s a lefty with sound swing mechanics, taking a tight turn of the barrel into a balanced swing. He recognizes pitches and takes a short, direct path with an approach geared to use the whole field. Rijo has the components to get on base at a high rate and has added strength to be able to drive the ball out of the park now to his pull side with the bat speed and physical upside to grow into a 20-plus home run threat. Rijo is an average runner who could slow down as he fills out and projects best as a corner outfielder.

The 2026 international signing period will open Jan. 15. The Mariners are estimated to have around $7.357 million to spend in bonus pool money.

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