As was reported last week, Cuban phenom Yoan Moncada is now free to sign with any MLB team.
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe says he can’t find one GM, either involved or not involved in obtaining him, who doesn’t rave about Moncada, and who wouldn’t take him No. 1 in the draft if he were an American amateur player.
“Most teams involved can’t talk about Moncada on the record because he’s a free agent, but one National League talent evaluator pointed out, “He could be the next Robinson Cano or Chase Utley, but more Cano. That’s the kind of potential bat we’re talking about.”
“He may be better than Yasiel Puig or Jose Abreu or Yoenis Cespedes or Jorge Soler,” said one National League GM. “Certainly there’s more upside, and the fact he’s a middle infielder who can hit for average and power makes him a much sought-after commodity. There isn’t anyone who compares to him in the draft or a player of his age around the league. He’s got every tool.”
The Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers, Padres, Brewers, and Cubs have been the most aggressive, but the Athletics, Phillies, Tigers, Giants, Rays, and Rangers also covet him, writes Cafardo.
Sandy Alderson spoke with season ticket holders and told them the Mets are unlikely to bid on the Cuban phenom because of the cost and because league rules would prohibit them from making future signings.
“We’ve seen him, we like him, I doubt that we’ll be in on him. This is a player who is 19-years-old, he’s subject to the International Pool limits that exist for amateur International players, so – let’s say he gets a $30 million contract, that would require an immediate $30 million tax be paid within 30 days. And, more importantly than that, it would also limit us over the next two years from signing another Amed Rosario out of the Dominican Republic.”
“I think our goal here is that we invest at least somewhat efficiently, but also spread it out so we give ourselves the best chance to succeed. The bottom line is that our farm system is one of the best in baseball. So, one of these days, maybe we will be in on a guy like Moncada, but my guess is that you’re going to find that teams that are in on him don’t have a Rosario at the bottom end of their system, and they’re doing it because of a real hole they have as opposed to dealing from strength.”
I don’t know how true that is when you have the Cubs’ Theo Epstein in on Moncada despite having two of the best middle infield prospects in baseball right now. I think it’s just easier to say we can’t afford him and stop there. Because anything else doesn’t really matter if you’re never in a position to afford him anyway.
