Royals To Sign Noel Arguelles

4:38pm: Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star tweets that the Royals are saying there could be up to two or three weeks worth of paperwork before the signing is official. Technically, no deal is in place yet.

SUNDAY, 2:46pm: Keith Law weighs in with his reaction to the signing, calling it a "tremendous get for the Royals." Law profiles Arguelles, and also discusses the mentality that international free agency favors big-market teams like the Yankees and Red Sox. Law finds the mentality to be a myth, to put it lightly.

SATURDAY, 10:41pm: More detail courtesy of Passan, who says that the two sides have agreed to a pact.  On top of the $7MM, Arguelles can earn up to $2MM in incentives as well – and give Passan a dead-on prediction.  Of course, the deal will not become official until the youngster passes a physical. 

Arguelles' fastball reached 94 mph when he threw for the Cuban national team.  Also armed with a strong changeup and above average curveball, he must improve his control to truly capitalize on his potential.

10:31pm: The Royals are believed to be near a major-league agreement with lefty Noel Arguelles, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.  The deal is reportedly worth $7MM over five years.

This comes as somewhat of a surprise as we recently heard that the most interested clubs were the Athletics, Rays, Mariners, and Yankees.  Late last month, Passan predicted that the Cuban defector would fetch between $8.2MM and $10MM, slightly more than what he is set to receive from Kansas City.