Brazilian baseball gained a new historical chapter. At 17 years old, the pitcher Claudio Pereiraborn in Marília, in the interior of São Paulo, made official last Thursday (15/01) the signing of a contract with the Boston Red Soxone of the most traditional, winning and emblematic franchises in Major League Baseball (MLB)the main baseball league on the planet.
The agreement was signed on the first day of MLB’s international signing window for the class of 2026, a time when franchises compete for young talents spread across the world. According to market estimates, the contract includes a signing bonus of around 500 thousand dollars – a value equivalent to approximately 2.6 million reais at current prices –, a significant figure for a Brazilian athlete at the beginning of his career.
Cláudio Pereira’s monthly salary was not disclosed. He will begin his journey in the United States with one of the Red Sox teams in the minor leagues.
Cláudio Pereira: data and how he plays
At 1.97 meters tall and with a physical structure that attracts the attention of scouts, Cláudio is seen as a player with enormous projection. International evaluators point out similarities between his size and that of Eury Pérez, today one of the main names of the Miami Marlins, when both were the same age. It is no coincidence that the young man from São Paulo is considered the main Brazilian prospect of the 2026 generation and is among the 100 best international talents in the class, according to the traditional specialized magazine Baseball America.
On the field, the pitcher’s repertoire reinforces optimism. His main launch is his fastball, which already reaches 90 miles per hour, around 145 km/h, with good room for evolution as he gains more muscle mass and physical maturity. Furthermore, Cláudio presents a changeup considered advanced for his age, showing good control and reading of hitters, and works on developing a curve that tends to further expand his options on the mound.
Claudio Pereira, from Marília, Brazil 🇧🇷, is one of the top talents in the 2025–26 class.
The Red Sox are the favorites to sign him for around $500,000 starting on January 15.
“High baseball IQ, long-bodied guy with long arms like Eury Pérez,” said a scout. pic.twitter.com/pZkdetZdxR
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) January 8, 2026
Brazilian RHP Claudio Pereira likely will get the top pitching bonus from the #RedSox and be one of the top league wide. pic.twitter.com/o4M2XGnhkC
— ProspectosMilb (@ProspectosMilb) January 5, 2026
Claudio Pereira, 15-year-old RHP from Marília, SP, Brazil, will be signing with the Boston Red Sox on International Signing Day in 2026. 🇧🇷
He is the top Brazilian prospect in the 2026 class, and is expected to be one of the most expensive international amateur pitchers from any… pic.twitter.com/NtZ7j1l9fn
— Shawn Spradling (@Shawn_Spradling) September 19, 2024
Cláudio Pereira: career
The path to the contract with the Red Sox also came from training in Brazil. Known as Claudinho in the national baseball environment, the athlete spent time at the CBBS/Ibiúna Academy, one of the main development centers for the sport in the country, and stood out defending Marília. The signing was celebrated by the Brazilian Baseball and Softball Confederation (CBBS), which highlighted the feat as yet another sign of the technical and structural growth of the sport in Brazilian territory.
The agreement with the Boston Red Sox represents more than an individual step in Cláudio Pereira’s career. This is a symbolic milestone for national baseball, traditionally dominated by powers such as the United States, Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Japan. In recent years, however, Brazil has started to attract greater attention from MLB franchises, driven by the creation of academies, base programs and international partnerships aimed at training young athletes.
How many Brazilians have played in the MLB?
If he manages to follow the natural path of development in the minor leagues and reach the MLB, Cláudio will become only the sixth player born in Brazil to play in the major league – and the first in history to officially wear the Boston Red Sox jersey in a league game. To date, only five Brazilians have reached this level: Yan Gomes, a catcher who made history when he debuted in 2012; Paulo Orlando, 2015 World Series champion outfielder for the Kansas City Royals; and pitchers André Rienzo, Thyago Vieira and Luiz Gohara.
At 17 years old, Cláudio Pereira still has a long way to go, marked by physical, technical and mental challenges common to the transition to high-level professional baseball. Still, the combination of talent, physical size, shot repertoire and international recognition means that his name is already treated as one of the biggest promises in the sport in Brazil. The signing with the Boston Red Sox, right at the opening of the international window, reinforces the perception that Brazilian baseball is slowly beginning to gain space on the radar of major MLB franchises.
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