BRADENTON, Fla. -- The earliest point in the building process for any Major League Baseball team is through Latin America. That is because international players -- anyone outside the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico -- are exempt from the draft and can be signed at age 16, two years younger than draftees.

By all measures, the Pirates have been late and lacking in this critical talent pool.

BASEBALL 2006

Building Blocks: How the Pirates' 40-man roster -- plus injured players -- was built.

International players usually go to the highest bidder, a scenario that seems skewed in favor of wealthy clubs. Not so, the Pirates say. General manager Dave Littlefield and his scouts support the system because it allows them to land any prospect they want badly enough for a price that rarely exceeds five figures.

Still, the Pirates were no more than a bit player in the region until recently, and the numbers underscore that:

Only one player on the 25-man roster, Jose Castillo, was an internal Latin American signing. That happened in 1997, four years before Littlefield and scouting director Ed Creech arrived. Last season, a quarter of all major-leaguers were from Latin America.

Two others on the 40-man roster, minor-leaguers Ronny Paulino and Javier Guzman, were Latin American signings, also predating current management.

Baseball America annually compiles a top-30 list of each organization's prospects. Over the past three years, the Pirates and Cincinnati Reds were alone without a post-2000 international signing on their lists.

It is an unusual position for the Pirates, for the franchise of Roberto Clemente that once scoured Latin America as well or better than anyone.

They began to address this shortcoming 2¹/₂ years ago by hiring Rene Gayo as their first full-time Latin American scouting director, and Gayo speaks boldly about inroads made since then. But he acknowledges it will take time.

"It's a long way from the Dominican to PNC Park, probably five to six years," Gayo said. "I know there was a period where things didn't go well for the Pirates in Latin America, but I feel good about what we're doing. Wait until you see these kids we've signed."

Global farming

In 1999, Cam Bonifay, Littlefield's predecessor, instructed scouting director Mickey White to oversee Latin America in addition to his regular duties. White was not keen on spreading himself thin and, keeping with most of his brethren, mostly focused on the draft.

When Littlefield and Creech came along, they had scout Roman Perez in charge of that region, but the title was as hollow as the scope of the network there.

In November 2003, Littlefield hired Gayo away from Cleveland. He had been with the Indians since 1994, mostly as an area scout, and his signings were highlighted by Jhonny Peralta, Willy Taveras, Danys Baez and Hector Luna.

Gayo, born in America but of Cuban descent, started by hiring 14 full-time scouts -- many following him from Cleveland -- and placed them in seven nations: Venezuela, Dominican Republic, Panama, Mexico, Curacao and Aruba. Two others, El Salvador and Nicaragua, are scouted by Gayo periodically.

He also reinvigorated the team's existing baseball academies in the Dominican and Venezuela. The Pirates own and operate the facilities for the players they sign, and they provide housing near the field, cooks, maids and security.

"Gloves, shoes and vitamins, too," Gayo said.

It takes money, as well.

When the Milwaukee Brewers made a public commitment last year to get serious in Latin America, they signed 16-year-old Dominican pitchers Rolando Pascual and Wily Peralta to bonuses of $710,000 and $450,000. Some scouts for other teams deride those signings as outrageous, accusing the Brewers of seeking publicity, but the bar nonetheless was raised.

Can the Pirates compete?

"We already are," Gayo said. "We've got the money we need, and it helps, of course, that the Pirates' name still means so much to people in that part of the world. A lot of that goes to Clemente, but you have to understand, too, what it means for kids in Panama to know that we're the team of Manny Sanguillen, Rennie Stennett and Omar Moreno."

The larger help, Gayo adds, has been his background with the Indians. "Me and my scouts, we've been there building relationships in these countries for years. The kids know us. Their families know us."

One American League scout who specializes in Latin America rates the New York Yankees, Boston and Atlanta as the most aggressive in that territory. Asked about the Pirates, he replied: "I didn't see them much before, but I'm starting to now."

Small price to pay

One player Gayo has signed has broken into the Pirates' system to date: Venezuelan pitcher Romulo Sanchez, who reached Class AA Altoona last season. The rest remain in their home countries.

Gayo's most expensive signing was Starlin Cespedes, a switch-hitting shortstop from the Dominican whom Gayo likens to a young Tony Fernandez. That was two years ago, and Cespedes turned 16 at the time. His bonus was $90,000 and, according to Gayo, he took less than he was offered by two other teams.

"I've been following that kid since he was 14," Gayo said. "He wanted to stay with us."

Another favorite signing cited by Gayo was first baseman Alex Vargas, also out of the Dominican. He is a left-handed power hitter who "really can rake," Gayo said, comparing his swing to that of David Ortiz.

"These guys, I'm telling you, are on par with the best I signed with Cleveland," Gayo said. "I realize that's a strong statement, but I mean it."

Vargas signed for $60,000.

Such bonuses are a pittance when measured against those of draft picks, which is why competition in Latin America is intensifying. Twenty-five signed draft picks will cost a team roughly $4 million in bonuses, according to one National League scout, while the same number of Latin Americans can be had for $450,000.

While with Cleveland, Gayo signed 89 players and spent $1.85 million. Twelve made it to the Indians. The bonuses for his four prized players: Peralta got $18,000, Taveras $25,000, Baez $15,000 and Luna $10,000.

The Pirates paid Andrew McCutchen, their top draft pick last summer, $1.9 million.

"It's a much more efficient way of adding to your talent pool," Gayo said. "And not just because of dollars. The players in these countries get better every year. You can't afford not to be there."