4:23pm: The left-hander will obtain a $4MM bonus, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. He has five pitches, including a fastball that ranges from 86-92 mph, and a competitive approach.
1:09pm: The Yankees have agreed to sign Cuban left-hander Omar Luis Rodriguez to a minor league deal worth an estimated $4-5MM, MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reports (on Twitter). Rodriguez, 19, drew interest from several MLB teams, including the Dodgers, Royals and Phillies, Sanchez reported two days ago.
Rodriguez projects as a starter and impressed onlookers with his performance at the 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship, according to Sanchez. MLB declared Rodriguez a free agent earlier in June. Like Jorge Soler and others, he had until July 2 to sign without being subjected to the spending restrictions that will soon take effect under baseball's collective bargaining agreement.
Hell yeah!!! Keep piling up the lower levels with great talent so that the system eventually grows to be one of the best in the majors.
Nice move.
how good is this kid? never heard of him.
didnt the dodgers say they wanted to get back into the international mix of signing players?!! guess not…..
…or maybe their scouts didn’t feel he was worth the money.
I’ve never heard of this guy before. $4-5M isn’t chump change so I’m guessing he has to be decent. Any references on this guy?
4 – 5 Million dollars is definitely not chump change. I think this is a good move by the Yankees when you take into account the fact that spending restrictions will soon take place as a result of the new CBA agreement. He’s a young lefty and those are always in high demand. His stuff reminds me of Manny Banuelos but he has a much bigger build. The Yankees missed out on the big ticket in Jorge Soler, but in my opinion he was always destined to be a Chicago Cub and if any team was going to sign him, I’m glad it was the Cubs. Soler and Rizzo could be a potent middle of the order tandem in the near future. If the Yankees continue to be involved in the international market, it will be interest to see how they progress in talks with Yasiel Puig. He definitely has a cool name!