Eloy Jimenez, of, Dominican Republic
On Tuesday, Ben Sadler of Baseball America shared the estimates of what every major league team spent on international amateur players during the 2013 calendar year.
Sadler explains the process:
The time frame overlaps multiple signing periods, including the second half of the 2012-13 signing period in which Major League Baseball gave every team a $2.9 million bonus pool, as well as the 2013-14 signing period, which began on July 2 last year and had teams begin with tiered pool spaces based on reverse order of major league winning percentage from the previous season.
The spending estimates do not include players who are exempt from the bonus pools, like Asian or Cuban players who are at least 23 years old and played at least three seasons in a foreign professional league, including White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu, Dodgers infielder Alexander Guerrero or Orioles outfielder Dariel Alvarez. Cuban players who do fall under the bonus pools, such as Indians righthander Leandro Linares and Reds outfielder Reydel Medina, are included.
Since comprehensive, accurate financial data on players obtained from Mexican League teams (like Rangers pitcher Edgar Arredondo) is difficult to obtain, the data excludes Mexican League signings, although Mexico typically only accounts for a small percentage of international spending each year.
With how big scouting has become in the International market, it is interesting to see just how much each team has spent in their pursuit of the next big star. The Rangers and Cubs, the leaders in the spending spree with over $8 million dollars each, are nearly $4 million more than the next closest team. The spending spree by the both clubs shows that they are each going to do whatever is necessary to make sure the talent pipeline is stocked for the future. The Mets have done well in their pursuit of the next international star by spending $3.18 million dollars, and even though it is much less then the top 12 teams on the list, it still looks good that they are involved in the growing market.
No. |
Team |
Spending |
| 1 | Rangers | $8.42 million |
| 2 | Cubs | $8.22 million |
| 3 | Dodgers | $4.48 million |
| 4 | Indians | $4.25 million |
| 5 | Red Sox | $3.98 million |
| 6 | Astros | $3.86 million |
| 7 | Royals | $3.61 million |
| 8 | Mariners | $3.58 million |
| 9 | Twins | $3.49 million |
| 10 | Reds | $3.47 million |
| 11 | Rockies | $3.38 million |
| 12 | Diamondbacks | $3.18 million |
| 13 | Mets | $3.13 million |
| 14 | Giants | $3.00 million |
| 15 | Blue Jays | $2.95 million |
| 16 | Rays | $2.83 million |
| 17 | Padres | $2.73 million |
| 18 | White Sox | $2.65 million |
| 19 | Nationals | $2.64 million |
| 20 | Pirates | $2.58 million |
| 21 | Brewers | $2.54 million |
| 22 | Marlins | $2.53 million |
| 23 | Phillies | $2.46 million |
| 24 | Yankees | $2.45 million |
| 25 | Braves | $2.40 million |
| 26 | Cardinals | $2.30 million |
| 27 | Tigers | $2.28 million |
| 28 | Athletics | $2.10 million |
| 29 | Angels | $1.83 million |
| 30 | Orioles | $1.23 million |
(Photo: Baseball America)
