2015-16 International Free Agency Thread

[Guest]

I know this isn't George's Yankees, but I can't see anyone outbidding them. Doesn't mean he will sign with the though.

 

At the end I don't think the Cubs will be in the discussion.

[davell]

I know this isn't George's Yankees, but I can't see anyone outbidding them. Doesn't mean he will sign with the though.

 

At the end I don't think the Cubs will be in the discussion.

 

I think Mark Walter can use his stripper tip money and outbid the Yankees.

[Cubswin11]

Do Soler and Moncada have any sort of connection/friendship? i.e. did they play on the same team at any time in Cuba or are the ages to far apart?

[mul21]

Ben Badler ‏@BenBadler 2m2 minutes ago

 

Oh boy. Another big-name Cuban player is out. This time it's Guillermo Heredia, the national team center fielder: http://bit.ly/1zxDaDT

 

Ben Badler ‏@BenBadler 44s44 seconds ago

 

Guillermo Heredia will be exempt from the bonus pools. Ranked him the No. 11 player in Cuba in August. Love the glove.

[davell]

Do Soler and Moncada have any sort of connection/friendship? i.e. did they play on the same team at any time in Cuba or are the ages to far apart?

 

I'm not aware of any connection between the two. However, the 23 year old CF, Guillermo Heredia, who JUST defected, was teammates with Soler. He was ranked 11th last time Badler did Cuban prospect rankings. He won't be subject to the bonus pools and is very close to major league ready. Elite defender, bat is possibly a question mark.

[ctcf]

git him

[Guest]

Kiley McDaniel with a few more details on Yoan Moncada's holdup with OFAC and how the softening American relations with Cuba could affect Cuban baseball players: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/u-s-governments-new-policy-may-help-cuban-ballplayers/

[Guest]

@JeffPassan: Sources: Cuban prospect Yoan Moncada worked out for the Dodgers this morning. They remain a significant threat because of deep pockets.

[Guest]

@JesseSanchezMLB: Sources: Brewers, #Rangers, #Giants, #Yankees, #RedSox, #Padres & #Dodgers among teams to see Moncada in private workouts this month.

 

@molly_knight: I don't know who the other bidders are, but I'd be very surprised if the Dodgers don't wind up with Yoan Moncada. FO loves him.

[Clem Fandango]

I [expletive] hate the Dodgers

[Guest]

So the OFAC isn't blocking Moncada from signing, it's MLB:

 

Ben Badler[/url]"]Major League Baseball, not the United States government, is the reason that Yoan Moncada and several other Cuban players have yet to begin their careers.

 

The U.S. has an embargo against Cuba, which means Cuban nationals must be regarded as “unblocked” by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) before they can work for a U.S. company.

 

Moncada, though, has already met the government’s requirements to be able to begin his career. Moncada has permanent residence in Guatemala. Any Cuban national who presents documents showing permanent residence in a country outside of Cuba qualifies for OFAC’s “general license,” which is not a written document. As far as OFAC is concerned, that should make him unblocked, and that’s good enough for the government to allow him to sign.

 

The holdup is that MLB won’t let Moncada—or any Cuban player, for that matter—use the general license any more. That wasn’t always the case. Yasiel Puig, for example, signed using the general license. It’s not clear what exactly changed, but at some point in 2012 after Puig signed in June that year, MLB no longer allowed Cuban players to sign using the general license and instead required them to apply for the specific license, which is a written document from OFAC. That goes beyond what the government requires from Cuban players to be able to begin their careers, and with some players waiting six months to receive their licenses, MLB’s policy has added a significant bottleneck for those players.

[Cubswin11]

Well, that's good news

[RammyFanny]

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/sources--star-cuban-prospect-yoan-moncada-s-free-agency-imminent-230856047.html

 

On my phone, so not going to copy/paste, but basically Moncada will be a FA in as soon as 2 weeks. That theoretically sucks, but we are still listed as one of four favorites and Moncada is apparently open to waiting until July 2nd. Realistically, he's probably saying that to keep us in there to drive the price up. But hopefully he's sincere.

[Guest]

From Rammy's link:

Star Cuban prospect Yoan Moncada no longer needs a specific unblocking license to play baseball in the United States, paving the way for Major League Baseball teams to pursue him with a contract most expect to shatter bonus records, government and major league sources told Yahoo Sports.

 

Recent changes by the Obama administration allow native Cubans who can prove permanent residence in a third country to receive a general unblocking license and avoid the sometimes-arduous application process for an Office of Foreign Asset Controls specific license, which was previously needed to do business in the U.S. Moncada, who left Cuba for Guatemala in August, has a permanent residency document, a Guatemalan National Identity Card and a statement from a Guatemala-based bank as proof of residency, sources familiar with his case told Yahoo Sports.

 

Any person who meets the requirements for a general unblocking license no longer will be issued a specific unblocking license, a Treasury Department official told Yahoo Sports, putting the onus on MLB to verify Moncada’s residency and allow teams to begin negotiating contracts with him. Moncada had been waiting for a specific license from OFAC since late September, sources said, the only holdup in an expected bidding war for his services.

MLB was drafting a letter to OFAC on Tuesday asking for a meeting in the near future to clarify the new regulations and potentially change league policy, which requires a specific unblocking license. Should a meeting take place soon, one league official estimated Moncada could be free to negotiate with teams within two weeks.

 

“If OFAC confirms that the process for unblocking Cuban players is no longer to apply for a specific license,” the official said, “MLB will conform to the law.”

[Guest]

@BenBadler: One, you should read @JeffPassan’s new story. MLB has some interesting new statements. http://t.co/F4igBI0hU6

 

@BenBadler: For OFAC, as long as Moncada is a permanent resident in another country (which he is), he already is unblocked through the general license.

 

@BenBadler: The general license for Cubans to be considered unblocked has existed for years. Puig used it. MLB’s policy is the holdup. They know this.

 

@BenBadler: But if MLB ends its specific license requirement, not just Moncada, but Hector Olivera & Andy Ibanez should be eligible to sign immediately.

 

@BenBadler: And no, MLB is not targeting the Yankees or any one team with their policy. I can’t believe how many people think otherwise.

[Guest]

@BenBadler: After my story went up yesterday, MLB sent a memo to teams. Memo confirms that all of their policies on Cuban players are still the same.

 

@BenBadler: That means MLB is still requiring the specific unblocking license for Cubans to sign. That policy is what's delaying Moncada, not OFAC.

 

@BenBadler: Yes. By the commissioner's office. RT @Darth_Stout So then is Moncada still blocked from signing with an MLB team?

[Clem Fandango]

Well [expletive]

 

Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports that Yoan Moncada has been cleared by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and is licensed as an unblocked national.

David Hastings, the agent for Moncada, believes that his client should now be cleared to sign with any MLB team. The 19-year-old is subject to international signing guidelines. He has attracted interest from more than a dozen teams and has already held private workouts with the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers among others. He's expected to command a signing bonus of at least $30 million.

[Cubswin11]

Well [expletive]

 

Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports that Yoan Moncada has been cleared by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and is licensed as an unblocked national.

David Hastings, the agent for Moncada, believes that his client should now be cleared to sign with any MLB team. The 19-year-old is subject to international signing guidelines. He has attracted interest from more than a dozen teams and has already held private workouts with the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers among others. He's expected to command a signing bonus of at least $30 million.

I don't think that's anything new, MLB still needs to clear him. He' already been cleared by the Government for a while now.

[Clem Fandango]

Well [expletive]

 

Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports that Yoan Moncada has been cleared by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and is licensed as an unblocked national.

David Hastings, the agent for Moncada, believes that his client should now be cleared to sign with any MLB team. The 19-year-old is subject to international signing guidelines. He has attracted interest from more than a dozen teams and has already held private workouts with the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers among others. He's expected to command a signing bonus of at least $30 million.

I don't think that's anything new, MLB still needs to clear him. He' already been cleared by the Government for a while now.

 

I think you're right, because on Rotoworld last night it was the leading headline and it said "Yoan Moncada cleared to sign with MLB team" and now that headline has been removed and it's merely a footnote in the list of player updates. They probably realized that wasn't accurate.

[davell]

My prediction is the Dodgers get him AND hold off signing him til July 2nd, where they can go crazy then too.

[Vinestal]

MLB:“Do not enter into agreements with Cuban players until you receive further notice from the Commissioner’s Office” bit.ly/1Dp4cvs

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/ofac-sends-letters-cuban-players/

[Guest]

Well [expletive]

 

Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports that Yoan Moncada has been cleared by the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and is licensed as an unblocked national.

David Hastings, the agent for Moncada, believes that his client should now be cleared to sign with any MLB team. The 19-year-old is subject to international signing guidelines. He has attracted interest from more than a dozen teams and has already held private workouts with the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers among others. He's expected to command a signing bonus of at least $30 million.

I don't think that's anything new, MLB still needs to clear him. He' already been cleared by the Government for a while now.

 

Correct. Ben Badler had Jesse Sanchez beat on this - MLB has been the one blocking teams from signing Moncada for a while now.

[ctcf]

Jeff Passan @JeffPassan

Breaking: Yoan Moncada is a free agent after MLB changes its rules regarding Cuban players. Story with details soon on Yahoo Sports.

 

There it is

[Cubswin11]

Jeff Passan @JeffPassan

Breaking: Yoan Moncada is a free agent after MLB changes its rules regarding Cuban players. Story with details soon on Yahoo Sports.

 

There it is

Hey Theo,

 

http://mrwgifs.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Gus-Fring-Wants-You-To-Do-It-On-Breaking-Bad.gif

[Guest]

So we should move talk of him to the 2014-15 thread, huh?

 

@BenBadler: Not a certainty, but today's news likely knocks the Cubs and the Rangers out of the Yoan Moncada competition. Tough sell to wait til July 2.

 

@BenBadler: Not a certainty, but today's news likely knocks the Cubs and the Rangers out of the Yoan Moncada competition. Tough sell to wait til July 2.

 

:(