December 23
Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, updates us with the latest on Cuban SS prospect Yoan Moncada who is expected to start private workouts within two weeks. Moncada continues to wait for clearance by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) which will then pave the way for MLB teams to sign him.
Over 70 scouts representing all 30 MLB teams including the Mets scouted Moncada‘s public workout in Guatemala last month. The Yankees, Braves, Red Sox and Cubs all reportedly had four or more scouts in attendance.
Sanchez says scouts have called Moncada the next Jorge Soler and his skills have been matched up against Yasiel Puig’s at the same age.
“He once beat new Red Sox outfielder Rusney Castillo in a base running competition and his power has been compared to Cuban slugger Yasmany Tomas.”
Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com says the consensus among scouts is that Moncada is as good as advertised.
“He’s worth going way over your international spending pool, in my opinion,” one scouting director said. “This game is about talent and Moncada is the kind of talent worth the investment.”
When asked to grade out his tools based on this workout, one scout gave Mayo the following scouting grades (20-80 scale):
Hit — 60
Power — 60
Speed — 70
Arm — 60
Field — 50
According to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports, four different MLB executives and general managers predicted that Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada will land a record-breaking $30-40 million dollar signing bonus. Passan calculates that with the tax, Moncada would cost teams around $80 million dollars.
Moncada, 19, falls under the MLB International Bonus Pool guidelines, which means for every dollar a team goes beyond its allotted budget they must pay a 100 percent tax. Additionally, if a team goes 15 percent beyond its pool, it cannot spend more than $300,000 on an International free agent for the next two signing periods.
November 12
Today’s the day that all MLB teams including the Mets will have scouts watching the showcase of Cuban shortstop Yoan Moncada. This is the first real look that teams will get of Moncada, according to Ben Badler of two sources Baseball America.
According to what two sources told Kristie Ackert of the Daily News, the Mets expect to have a scout at the first workout of Cuban shortstop Yoan Moncada, which is tentatively scheduled for next week.
Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com expects that most major league teams are expected to be in attendance for Moncada’s workout, which is tentatively scheduled for November 12.
“Scouts have called Moncada the next Jorge Soler and his skills have been matched up against Yasiel Puig’s at the same age,” he writes.
“He once beat new Red Sox outfielder Rusney Castillo in a base running competition and his power has been compared to Cuban slugger Yasmany Tomas.”
“The scouts are high on him,” another source said of Moncada. “We’ll be there to take a look.”
Moncada, 19, is subject to international signing guidelines. Once he’s cleared as a free agent, teams who exceeded their allotted budget will be charged a penalty. Those teams include the Cubs, Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays.
The penalty for exceeding the allotted budget by 15 percent or more would be a a 100 percent tax, plus not being allowed to sign a player for more than $250,000 during the 2014-15 signing period.
The Mets have been mostly bystanders as these Cuban players make their way to major league baseball, many of whom have made a great impact. Despite what they say, they are still hampered financially and continue to avoid entering into bidding contests with other financially fit teams.
