International Thread 2015-2016

[craig]

Cubs spent over $30, right? $18+ on players, and then with tax that puts them over $30 in actual expense?

 

Can't fault the willingness to spend.

[davell]

Oh yeah, the ML team comes first obviously. I was hoping the lack of a draft budget could allow for one IFA pitcher, like Gutierrez. But, as nice as it'd have been, its awfully hard to criticize the approach. Excellent showing, based on early looks and money spent overall.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Ben Badler[/url]"]Chicago Cubs

 

When the Cubs went over their international bonus pool in 2013-14, they signed the top two prospects available, Dominican outfielder Eloy Jimenez and Venezuelan shortstop Gleyber Torres. They signed other players too, but those two alone could make for a dynamite class. Even under the penalty in 2014-15, international director Louie Eljaua and his staff found quality players with good instincts for the game.

 

They’re going to have to do the same again this year after exploding past their international bonus pool in 2015-16, when they spent more money than any team on international amateur players when you exclude Cuban signings. The Cubs are always one of the most aggressive teams scouting players from all over the world, not just in in the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, but in Mexico, Panama, Colombia and Asia as well.

[Hrubes20]

Decided to not get the BA subscription this year. They just put out a J2 article for all 30 teams. Any of you have BA and are willing to share a blurb about what they said about the Cubs?

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Decided to not get the BA subscription this year. They just put out a J2 article for all 30 teams. Any of you have BA and are willing to share a blurb about what they said about the Cubs?

 

I posted the blurb a few posts up. Nothing of meat in terms of names.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

A chance for the Cubs to get some big name Latin American IFAs despite their bonus restrictions:

 

Baseball America[/url]"]MLB Penalties For Red Sox International Signings Could Come Soon

 

Major League Baseball could penalize the Red Sox over their 2015 international signings before this year’s signing period opens on Saturday, international baseball sources have told Baseball America.

 

The penalties being considered, according to those sources, include signing restrictions for the upcoming 2016-17 international signing period, and possibly making several of Boston’s top 2015 international signings free agents, who would then be available to sign with any team.

 

...

 

Baseball America will have more information on the full extent of penalties as they’re revealed. The commissioner’s office had been investigating the Red Sox over whether they signed several Venezuelan players from the same training programs last year in “package deals,” which are not uncommon for Latin American signings. The Red Sox were limited to signings of no more than $300,000 last year as a result of exceeding their bonus pool during the previous signing period.

Two of their most prominent signings last year were Venezuelan outfielders Albert Guaimaro and Simon Muzziotti for $300,000 bonuses each on July 2. Guaimaro was BA’s No. 15 international prospect last year, while Muzziotti ranked No. 24. They have both been playing in the Dominican Summer League.

[Old Style]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/news/source-red-sox-banned-from-signing-international-players-for-a-year-153432545.html

 

Source: Red Sox banned from signing international amateurs for a year

[Tryptamine]

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/news/source-red-sox-banned-from-signing-international-players-for-a-year-153432545.html

 

Source: Red Sox banned from signing international amateurs for a year

 

wow that sucks with a likely draft coming in 2017. No last chance to splurge.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Baseball America[/url]"]Major League Baseball on Friday handed down unprecedented penalties to the Red Sox, removing prospects from their organization and banning the team from signing any international players during the upcoming 2016-17 international signing period, which opens Saturday.

 

As a consequence, five Red Sox signings will not become international free agents again, including 17-year-old outfielders Albert Guaimaro and Simon Muzziotti. Guaimaro ranked as Baseball America’s No. 15 international prospect last year and Muzziotti ranked No. 24. Shortstops Antonio Pinero and Eduardo Torrealba and righthander Cesar Gonzalez will also become free agents. All five players signed with the Red Sox last year on July 2 for $300,000 each, the maximum bonus the Red Sox were allowed to pay a player last year as a consequence for exceeding their bonus pool the previous signing period (2014-15) to sign players such as Anderson Espinoza, Christopher Acosta and later Yoan Moncada.

 

Those five players will be allowed to keep their bonus pool money—which essentially works out to a fine for the Red Sox—and will be subject to the 2016-17 international bonus pools, with one catch. Only the amount of money that the players sign for in excess of $300,000 will count against a team’s 2016-17 bonus pool. So if a player signs with another club for $500,000, only $200,000 would count against that club’s pool.

 

...

 

MLB is holding a showcase on July 5 at Estadio Quisqueya in Santo Domingo. The players will also be allowed to hold private workouts for clubs.

 

MLB’s decision to ban the Red Sox for 2016-17 signings leaves several amateur prospects in Venezuela out to dry. Several 16-year-old Venezuelan players were expecting to sign with the Red Sox on Saturday, but those players are now scrambling to find deals with other clubs. Due to MLB’s timing, that could be difficult for some of those players, since the majority of teams have already committed their bonus pool money elsewhere with oral agreements for other players. The most notable prospect who was expected to sign with the Red Sox is Venezuelan outfielder Roimer Bolivar, the No. 31 international prospect on Baseball America’s Top 50 international prospects list.

 

The Red Sox could only sign Bolivar and any other prospects for $300k this period so maybe the Cubs have a chance at both the free agents and this year's potential Red Sox signings.

[Tim]

I wonder how wary this will make other teams (like the Cubs, of course) from making those package deals. That amounts to a huge penalty for the Red Sox.

 

Also, let's scoop up as much of the fallout as we can!

[davell]

Trying to read thru Badler's lines......I don't think we can sign the 2015 guys. He's saying teams over their pools THIS period and the teams still uncommitted(Mets/Marlins are lined up best for those 2.

 

I'm insinuating here, but for him to bring it up like that, it appears teams already in the penalty, aren't eligible to grab them.

Edited July 1, 2016 by davell

[Tim]

Trying to read thru Barker's lines......I don't think we can sign the 2015 guys. He's saying teams over their pools THIS period and the teams still uncommitted(Mets/Marlins are lined up best for those 2.

 

I'm insinuating here, but for him to bring it up like that, it appears teams already in the penalty, aren't eligible to grab them.

huh, not how I read that at all. But I may have just missed it.

[Johnny OHagan]

I thought it was more in the sense that the teams already over the pool can stay signing players as they already have the penalty for next two years. And the two teams mentioned have not used their whole international pool allocation.

 

How I read it in relation to the cubs that we have already allocated our pool to players that we will be signing and therefore won't be pursuing these players.

[Tryptamine]

Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports that the Braves have reached an agreement with top international prospect Kevin Maitan.

The deal is for a reported $4.25 million. 16-year-old Venezuelan shortstop is widely regarded as the top talent in this year's crop of international free agents. A switch-hitter, Maitan is believed to be the best prospect to come out of Venezuela since Miguel Cabrera. He's a pure hitter that's expected to hit for average and power, and a skilled defender with a strong arm that could remain at shortstop.

 

Combine that with Oakland signing Lazarito for 3.5M and the two top talents are already off the board.

[ctcf]

It appears AJ Preller has signed the rest of the international free agents.

[Regular Show]

So there haven't been any announced signings by the Cubs so far correct? I realize they are in the "penalty box" for going over their pool amount last yr and can only offer $300K, but it still seems strange that they haven't signed anyone...

 

My worry is that they were about to do the exact same thing Boston just got penalized for and decided to nix those plans; I pray that wasn't the case. I mean it makes sense to do a bundle deal with one legit prospect and a couple scrubs and then re-allocate those payments, but it is technically cheating and a deceptive practice. I don't want the Cubs to do that or any club to do that, but these restrictions are dumb and MLB needs to come up with a better system for signing J2 international FAs.

 

I have no idea what this system should be. I think an international draft would just further incentivize bad teams to tank as much as possible. I think they will address this in the next CBA.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

The Rays signed one of the 2016 IFAs who were previously linked to the Red Sox.

[Hrubes20]

Decided to not get the BA subscription this year. They just put out a J2 article for all 30 teams. Any of you have BA and are willing to share a blurb about what they said about the Cubs?

 

I posted the blurb a few posts up. Nothing of meat in terms of names.

 

My mistake. I was reading Badler's twitter account, and he said that BA had a new J2 post for all 30 teams. I didn't realize it was the one from a day or two before. Thanks.

[Regular Show]

Ah, just mentioning or rather asking again, but have the Cubs announced any of their July 2nd signings yet? There is no way the other teams just cleaned up and got every prospect out there lol. I mean you can still get some interesting young players w/ lots of projection left at $250k/$300k.

[Tim]

Ah, just mentioning or rather asking again, but have the Cubs announced any of their July 2nd signings yet? There is no way the other teams just cleaned up and got every prospect out there lol. I mean you can still get some interesting young players w/ lots of projection left at $250k/$300k.

I haven't gotten anything official from the Cubs. But they typically only send out media info when they sign the big dollar guys.

[Regular Show]

Tim wrote:

I haven't gotten anything official from the Cubs. But they typically only send out media info when they sign the big dollar guys.

 

Okay, thanks. I guess we'll have to wait and see.

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Ben Badler is really good even listing the smaller 6-figure signings (obviously Cubs can only sign players for $300k or less) but he hasn't mentioned anything yet.

[Tryptamine]

SD continues their crazy international spending spree by signing Jorge Ona to a 7M deal.

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/07/padres-sign-jorge-ona-seven-million.html

[davell]

Padres are getting Bolanos too for around 2 mill or so. Seeing him go for that, Arozarena going for under that.....I am really surprised we didn't add anything else, while we could.

[Liam Neeson]

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