Int’l Free Agency Links: Puig, Rangers, Royals

There's been no shortage of signings on this, the first day of 2012's international signing period, but there's also plenty of chatter around the league. Here's some links for your perusal…

• In the latest edition of Ask BA, Jim Callis relays some Yasel Puig-related notes from his colleague Ben Badler. Giving the caveat that it's difficult to compare the 21-year-old Puig to 15- and 16-year-olds, Badler notes that he'd only have ranked Puig 11th on his Top 20 international free agents. Beyond that, Badler says that the consensus from his talks with teams was that Puig would've gone in the third round of the 2012 Amateur Draft. Puig signed a seven-year, $42MM deal with the Dodgers just prior to July 2, narrowly avoiding the new CBA's spending limitations.
• Badler tweets that the Rangers could be a fit for Wendell Rijo now that the Yankees have used up most of their $2.9MM cap. Badler ranked Rijo 10th on his Top 20.
• Despite Badler's comment, Rangers GM Jon Daniels told MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez that his club isn't likely to be active on the international front because they're awaiting resolution on the Jairo Beras situation (Twitter link).
• Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow told reporters (including MLB.com's Brian McTaggart) that his team is prepared to spend on international players in the coming days. Luhnow though, is more excited for the 2013-2014 classes, when bonus pools will be based on the previous year's standings. "…that's when things will be more interesting, and you'll see more unique strategies like we saw in the Draft this year," said Luhnow.
• Badler doesn't think the Royals will be shy with signing someone they like, despite not having been active yet (Twitter link).