Phillies reach a pre-agreement with 11-year old Venezuelan shortstop David Basabe

The Phillies reportedly reached a pre-agreement with an 11-year-old kid, and if that sentence doesn’t make you do a double take, you haven’t been paying attention to how insane the international market has become.

According to reports, Philadelphia has a $1.8 million pre-agreement in place with Venezuelan shortstop David Basabe, a member of the 2031 international class. He is 11 years old, in sixth grade and a member of the 2031 class. Let that sink in for a second.

Phillies reach a pre-agreement with 11-year old Venezuelan shortstop David Basabe

The Philadelphia Phillies have reached a pre-agreement with Venezuelan shortstop David Basabe, a member of the 2031 international class, for a $1.8 million bonus.

At just 11 years old, Basabe becomes the youngest player in history to secure a pre-agreement with a Major League… pic.twitter.com/brX4NTYqfN

— Wilber Sánchez (@wilberdata) February 17, 2026

Basabe becomes the youngest player in history to secure a pre-agreement with a Major League organization, which is both wildly impressive and mildly terrifying. Basabe is reportedly raking in front of scouts and setting market benchmarks before he’s even hit puberty.

The agreement is being framed as a new benchmark in the international space and one of the most ambitious bets of his generation. That’s a lot of pressure for a kid who probably still has to ask permission to stay up past 9:30, but this is where baseball is now. Teams are identifying talent earlier and earlier, and if you think this is the last time you’ll see a preteen tied to a seven-figure number, it won’t be.

The Phillies have clearly decided that if they can’t always win at the top of the free agent market, they’ll win in the long game. Remember, this is the same organization that reportedly had a verbal agreement with Ronald Acuña Jr.’s younger brother when he was barely a teenager. They’re cornering the preteen market like it’s a tech startup investing in middle school coders.

By the time Basabe is actually eligible to sign and work his way through the minors, we’ll be talking about 2031 and beyond. Bryce Harper’s contract expires in 2031, which is objectively hilarious timing.

Imagine a 38-year-old Harper signing a one-year extension and standing at first base while this kid, who is currently doing homework somewhere in Venezuela, makes his debut. Symbolic passing of the torch. “Not Elite” mentoring the next phenom.

Obviously, projecting anything for an 11-year-old is absurd. We have no idea what he’s going to look like at 16, let alone 21 but again, that’s the game now. If you want impact international talent, you have to move early and move aggressively.

It’s a long, long runway from sixth grade to Citizens Bank Park, but the Phillies just planted their flag about as early as humanly possible.

Whether it turns into the next franchise shortstop or just another footnote in the wild world of international scouting, one thing is certain: 11-year-olds signing seven-figure pre-agreements is the new normal. And baseball is only getting crazier.

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