2007 International Free Agent Market

[CaliforniaRaisin]

The international free agent market opens on July 2 this year. Last year, the Cubs made their first big move in years by signing Venezuelan RHP Larry Suarez.

 

Here are a few blurbs from Baseball America about some of the bigger names:

 

RHP Julio Teheran (16-years old, Colombia)

OF Itaniel Arias Guzman (16-years old, Dominican Republic)

OF Kelvin Deleon (16-years old, Dominican Republic)

SS Michael Almanzar (16 years-old, Dominican Republic)

OF Jose Ricardo Garcia (16-years old, Domincan Republic)

 

From the Global Baseball Blog - an entry on March 17:

 

Baseball America and the New York Times have highlighted 4 Dominican outfielders on the early schedule for showcasing, but from what I’m hearing, this year’s Latin American crop is going to be heavy on pitching. Two 16-year-old pitchers, one a rare top target from one of the several training programs on the fields adjacent to the Estadio Olympico in the middle of Santo Domingo, and the other from San Cristobal, are generating considerable buzz. Apparently one of them has already turned down an $800,000 offer (though of course, any such offer would have to have been under the table, since we’re well in advance of July 2).

 

I hope the sale doesn't hurt the Cubs on the international market.

 

Confirmed Cubs Signings:

 

RHP Dae-Eun Rhee, South Korea (age 17) - $525,000 bonus

RHP Hung-Wen Chen, Taiwan (age 21) - $200,000 bonus

RHP Esmailin Caridad, Dominican Republic via Japan (age 23) - $175,000 bonus

IF Junior Lake, Dominican Republic (age 17) - ~ $100,000 bonus

RHP Ryan Searle, Australia (age 17)

RHP Yohan Gonzalez, Dominican Republic (age 17)

RHP Jose Tineo, Dominican Republic (age 16)

RHP Dumas Garcia, Colombia via U.S. independent leagues (age 24)

IF Dwayne Kemp, Netherlands (age 19)

Edited June 29, 2007 by CaliforniaRaisin

[cuubs4life]

can you copy and paste the info. on these guys for those of us who dont subscribe?

[CUBSSorianoWS]

what are the chances that we can get one of these guys?

[Guest]

what are the chances that we can get one of these guys?

 

I don't know, I haven't seen the Cubs mentioned as interested in any of them but we don't know all the potential suitors for some of these free agents. Also, I have a feeling we might see pennies pinched in the international market after they were pinched at the draft.

 

Teheran is being courted by the Braves and Yankees.

Guzman: "Several teams"

Deleon: Yankees are the front runners.

Almanzar: Red Sox are a front runner, will command a bonus over $1 million

[Guest]

I added Jose Ricardo Garcia to the first post, he had a BA write-up yesterday. He has drawn looks from the Blue Jays, Giants, Mets and Rangers.

[Guest]

July 2nd is right around the corner!

 

Chris Kline had a huge article in BA and is doing a chat right now (I asked him a Cubs question, hopefully he answers but I think I sent it in too late).

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/online/prospects/news/264399.html

 

The Yankees look like they will (once again) be the biggest players - they have $4 million they can spend!

 

The Cubs have been linked to three 16-year olds:

 

LHP Carlos Flores, Venezuela:

 

Colombian righthander Julio Teheran and Venezuelan lefthander Carlos Flores are considered to be the elite arms in this year's class, and Dominican outfielder Kelvin DeLeon is also expected to command a signing bonus in the $1.6 to $1.8 million range.

 

...

 

A lot of clubs weren't on Flores, a 16-year-old from Barquisimeto, but his stock rose significantly over the last two weeks after several workouts with representatives from the Mariners, Cubs, Astros, Red Sox and Twins all present.

 

LHP Martin Perez, Venezuela: other teams linked to Perez: Astros, Mariners, Mets.

RHP Dae-Eun Rhee, South Korea: the article only mentioned the Cubs as potential suitors

 

Also, given the Cubs activity recently with a few recent Cuban defectors, I think they might be one of the 12 teams interested 22-year old RHP Kenny Rodriguez who fled to Ecuador and now is in the Dominican Republic:

 

BA on Cuban Defectors / Aug 7, 2006[/url]"]An unrelated, newer defector will need time to go through the unblocking process before he can sign. Righthander Kenny Rodriguez defected in mid-July while playing in Ecuador with Cuba's university team. It was considered a surprise defection in that Ecuador has an excellent relationship with Cuba's government. Rodriguez, whose age is reported as being either 20 or 22 (depending on the source), is believed to have fled to Peru.

 

Rodriguez pitched for Cuba's junior national team in 2003 in Curacao and reportedly has reached the mid-90s with his fastball in the past. More recently, a source who saw him pitch in Ecuador reports the 6-foot-1, 170-pounder sat in the upper 80s, while another source said Rodriguez threw his fastball in the 89-91 mph range. He also throws a slider. Rodriguez has been a below-average pitcher in Cuba's highest-level league, Serie Nacional, and was 6-4, 4.18 this season with 72 strikeouts in 75 innings. While one source likened him to a good college reliever who could be drafted in the first five rounds, another was less impressed with Rodriguez.

 

"He looked weak to me," said one source who saw Rodriguez both in 2003 in Curacao and again in Ecuador last month. "His stuff was a lot livelier when he was in Curacao. He has a quick arm but he just didn't look good at all in Ecuador."

 

Looks like the Cubs presence in Venezuela is getting stronger and it's nice to see Steve Wilson linked to a big name on the Pac Rim already.

[Guest]

Bah, got my question in too late. Here are a few Cub-related questions:

 

Q: Luke from Des Moines asks:

Hey Chris, love the chats. Do you think the White Sox will sign any high-profile players this year?--I hear they want to have a bigger international presence. (By the way, at my game last Sunday, D-Ray's prospect Jeremy Hellickson's dad was the home plate ump.)

 

A: Chris Kline: Haven't really heard them connected to anyone of significance, to be honest. If they want to have more of a presence in Latin America, that's cool, but I've heard that people in Venezuela weren't exactly fine with what happened in La Guaira last winter. Now big league bench coach Razor Shines was fired from there and players like Josh Fields, Ryan Sweeney, etc., left after Shines was gone. I know Ozzie Guillen and Joey Cora hold a lot of weight; but I don't think Chicago are going to be major players this year, anyway. I think the Cubs actually have more of a stronghold in VZ, no matter how much that hurts The Good Guys.

 

Carlos Flores, a LHP linked to the Cubs (and at least another half dozen teams):

 

Q: Adam Hunt from Mount Pleasant, MI asks:

Chris, since you already mentioned his name would you please tell us about Carlos Flores? It would be appreciated

 

A: Chris Kline: Lefthander from Venezuela whose buscone has hidden him from every team except one which I'm not at liberty to say right now. Clubs have been involved in pushing the commissioner's office to allow a showcase so other clubs can offer, and that will likely happen either tomorrow or Sunday. His stuff is legit--90-91 from the left side, plus breaking ball, changeup and a lot of projection.

 

Geovany Soto:

 

Q: Jon from Peoria asks:

Hi Chris: With the Cubs' catchers consisting right now of Koyie Hill and Rob Bowen, how long do you think it will be until Geovany Soto is given a chance? Is Soto a guy that can be an everyday catcher at the big league level?

 

A: Chris Kline: I like Soto OK, but I'm not sold on him as an everyday guy. I think he deserves that chance above the two guys on the roster though . . . He needs an opportunity and frankly, the Cubs won't lose anything by giving him that.

[Guest]

No surprise here - Scout.com is saying Kevin Deleon (the best position player available) signed with the Yankees. He was expected to get a bonus between $1.6 and $1.8 million.

[cuubs4life]

No surprise here - Scout.com is saying Kevin Deleon (the best position player available) signed with the Yankees. He was expected to get a bonus between $1.6 and $1.8 million.

 

they should call him up now to see what he can do lol.

[questionmarkgrace]

will we even be able to sign any of these guys with the no new debt edict? I should rephrase that, any of the good guys who will command over a million dollars?

[jersey cubs fan]

will we even be able to sign any of these guys with the no new debt edict? I should rephrase that, any of the good guys who will command over a million dollars?

 

I don't think they consider signing an asset that you can keep around for a long time to be debt, in the way they think paying a guy to play elsewhere is debt.

[UBlink]

I don't think they consider signing an asset that you can keep around for a long time to be debt, in the way they think paying a guy to play elsewhere is debt.

 

I've been involved in a few acquisitions and, generally, the purchase agreements state that the current mangement will continue business as usual - if that involves signing contracts, acquiring or selling assets, etc. Then after this general provision, there will be certain trigger levels that would require consultation/approval fromm the buyer. Even then, though, if the proposed transaction in excess of the trigger levels is seen to be beneficial to the business the approval will be granted. What they're looking to avoid is current management selling an asset worth $10 million to a brother-in-law for $1 million, or buying an asset worth $1 million and paying $10 million. But if you have an asset you paid $10 million for that is now worth only $1 million (say a pallet full of first generation Ipods or Jacque Jones's contract) selling that for $1 million generally wouldn't be a problem.

 

On the other hand, if the buyer thinks current management doesn't have a clue and making any decisions with long term consequences is going to reduce the value of the business, then the answer will generally be no.

[E.J.]

I don't think they consider signing an asset that you can keep around for a long time to be debt, in the way they think paying a guy to play elsewhere is debt.

 

I've been involved in a few acquisitions and, generally, the purchase agreements state that the current mangement will continue business as usual - if that involves signing contracts, acquiring or selling assets, etc. Then after this general provision, there will be certain trigger levels that would require consultation/approval fromm the buyer. Even then, though, if the proposed transaction in excess of the trigger levels is seen to be beneficial to the business the approval will be granted. What they're looking to avoid is current management selling an asset worth $10 million to a brother-in-law for $1 million, or buying an asset worth $1 million and paying $10 million. But if you have an asset you paid $10 million for that is now worth only $1 million (say a pallet full of first generation Ipods or Jacque Jones's contract) selling that for $1 million generally wouldn't be a problem.

 

On the other hand, if the buyer thinks current management doesn't have a clue and making any decisions with long term consequences is going to reduce the value of the business, then the answer will generally be no.

 

So you're basically saying we're screwed.

[Guest]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/news/264421.html

 

BA confirms that the Yankees signed OF Kevin Deleon (rumored bonus of $1.6 million). They also say the Red Sox are very close to signing SS/3B Michael Almanzar.

 

Some stuff about a couple of Venezuelan lefties the Cubs have been linked to in the past (the Flores situation certainly is weird):

 

The Braves have also been on the elusive lefthander Carlos Flores, who we originally reported on Friday as a 16-year-old from Barquisimeto. But according to several scouts based in Venezuela, Flores is 19 or possibly 20 years old and his buscone, Martin Hernandez, claims that the lefthander and his parents had a parting of ways and moved Flores to Fort Lauderdale so more teams could see him.

 

But the Braves are the only club in on Flores, according to one source, and he could command close to $2 million. “We call him ‘Fantasma’ because that’s exactly what he is--he’s a Phantom,” one international scouting director said. “We’ve followed up and tried to see him, but it’s always met with some kind of opposition. That’s one way of how you know a deal is done with somebody down here.”

 

Venezuelan lefthander Martin Perez is actually 16 and unlike Flores, a lot of teams know he actually exists. Reports have varied on Perez, however, with some scouts saying his fastball was 89-90 with a solid-average curveball and others saying he was 82-86 with a 62 mph curve.

[Guest]

The Braves get the highest rated pitcher (and possibly the best player overall) in the market - RHP Julio Teheran of Colombia. The signing bonus is supposed to be $1.8 million, which would be the biggest bonus handed out.

 

Red Sox sign SS Michael Almanzar (Dominican Republic) to a $1.5 million bonus.

 

Nothing new on the three big names recently linked to the Cubs (Flores, Perez and Rhee).

[Guest]

One of the three big name players the Cubs were linked to, 16-year old LHP Martin Perez, signed with the Mets with a $560,000 bonus.

 

Now the Mariners seem to be the leading candidate to get the elusive LHP Carlos Flores. Still haven't heard anything about RHP Dae-Eun Rhee the third big name free agent linked to the Cubs, hopefully the Cubs are still very much in the mix for him.

 

ETA: BA says Julio Teheran signed with the Braves for only $850,000 (he had bigger offers but his family was most comfortable with the Braves rep) and there are grumblings that Kevin Deleon only signed with the Yankees for about $1.2 million.

[Guest]

Nothing big to report but I found this very amusing about Boston's biggest signing:

 

Boston Herald[/url]"]Almanzar also had a hit and an RBI. But after singling to first, he forgot the game and wandered away to drop off some equipment, forcing a rare dugout-to-first slide to beat the throw.

[jersey cubs fan]

Nothing big to report but I found this very amusing about Boston's biggest signing:

 

Boston Herald[/url]"]Almanzar also had a hit and an RBI. But after singling to first, he forgot the game and wandered away to drop off some equipment, forcing a rare dugout-to-first slide to beat the throw.

 

Interesting phrase.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

Yeah, but did he take off his helmet and hold it in his hand as he ran/roamed?

[Guest]

The Cubs signed a big name!!

 

Dae-eun Lee (I'm guessing this is the same as RHP Dae-Eun Rhee who BA said the Cubs were very interested in) supposedly already signed with the Cubs with an $800,000 bonus. This is the only source I've found about it, so I'd still take it with a grain of salt for now (especially since this story came out over two weeks ago and no one else picked up on it). If true, this is the Cubs biggest Pac Rim signing since Jae-Kuk Ryu in 2001.

 

Donga.com[/url]"]Major League Interest-

 

The Korean Baseball Organization (KBO) has recently been asked by U.S. major league scouts to identify nine of its top high school baseball players. Lee Dae-eun already signed a contract with the Chicago Cubs for $800,000 on June 4, and Choi Won-je, a pitcher for Jangchung High School, is about to join the Minnesota Twins. Minnesota is more interested in his long-ball prowess than his 140kmph straight ball pitching.

 

Assist to cubfan1954 for finding a blog entry that had a link to this story. Here's the blog entry cubfan1954 found with an interview from Cubs Pac Rim area scout Steve Wilson:

 

Taiwan Baseball[/url]"]TTT:

Could you comment on the two kids that you signed out of Taiwan? - P Hong-Wen Chen & Chih-Hsiang Wen. While HW Chen is more of a known commodity, CH Wen is someone that I had not heard of until his signing.

 

Steve Wilson:

"1) Chen Hung-Wen: He's the equivalent of a college junior sign in the States. Very polished pitcher, he has the ablility to throw 5 pitches, and has pretty good command of all of them. Pitches comfortably at 89, but will get it up to 91-94 in a closer situation. Has a usable curve, and slider which can be tightened up, but his split can be an out pitch vs. lefties in the big leagues I feel. He can move his fb around, and has a feel for pitching. He's a good athlete, fields his position well, and is tough on the mound.

 

2) Wen Chih-Hsiang is like a college senior sign. He's a kid that's a bit raw, but has some nice tools and raw power. He's a quiet kid that is a hard worker with good makeup. A kid that I want to give a chance to, and with some work on his hitting which has improved this year you never know. he runs well, plays a nice OF, and like I said, has some pop. Pretty good sized kid for a Taiwanese boy."

 

Steve also stated that "The Cubs are very committed to not only Taiwan, but the rest of Asia, that is why they hired me. We are going to be an aggressive player in this market, and have started to establish a very good network of part time scouts."

[Jon]

That's certainly an encouraging sign.

[Guest]

From cubfan1954's blog, it also mentions that 22-year old RHP Chen Hung-Wen got a $200,000 signing bonus so it looks like he's a significant signing.

[Wrigley Rat]

For what it's worth:

 

Chih-Hsiang Wen signed for $2,500 + additional money for college tuition. He stands 6'1", weighs 188 pounds, bats and throws righty. He has some power in his bat and has good speed, having run the 100M in 11.30 seconds. Not a household name, the kid has never played on any national squad for Taiwan - although he did graduate from the same junior HS as Chin-Hui Tsao -> Kuang Fu junior high in Hualien, before attending Taitung Agricultural Vocational HS. Wen was primarily a pitcher in HS.

 

http://taiwanbaseball.blogspot.com/search/label/chih-hsiang%20Wen

(Scroll down several pages)

 

He also struck out 4 out of 5 at bats today in Mesa!!! :shock:

[Wrigley Rat]

Uh oh! - 3 more strikeouts in 4 at bats today for Chih-Hsiang Wen. I'm not sure how different baseball in Taiwan is from baseball in the Arizona League, but I might recommend he stop holding the barrel-end of the bat when batting?!?!? :roll:

[cuubs4life]

are there any updates on who has signed from over seas?