10:54pm: A source confirmed that Hechevarria has agreed to a $10MM contract with Toronto, tweets Melissa Segura of Sports Illustrated. The deal is for four years, a source tells Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald (via Twitter).
3:22pm: Toronto GM Alex Anthopoulos would neither confirm or deny the report, tweets Jordan Bastian of MLB.com.
2:34pm: Cuban shortstop Adeiny Hechevarria is close to signing a $10MM deal with the Blue Jays, writes George King III of the New York Post. The 19-year-old is close to choosing Toronto over the Yankees because he was leery of Derek Jeter's impending extension which would keep him at short for the foreseeable future. King infers that the Yankees were willing to spend similar money to land him.
Just over a week ago, Hechevarria was "unblocked" by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, giving him the freedom to sign with any team. If the Toronto deal comes to fruition, Hechevarria's contract will top the $8.2MM given to Jose Iglesias by the Red Sox last July.
I like this signing very much. It’s good to see the Jays put some money down on a guy like Hechevarria, who they sorely need at shortstop in the near future.
Good player, good signing, good deal.
Completely agree. Hopefully this will bring some more fans to the Ballpark. This could only means good things for the Blue Jays.
As you said, Good Signing…
We’ll know if he’s putting butts in seats or not if he’s shilling for McCain Fruit Punch.
I think if he plays Baseball as good as he can Rogers Centre will be filled. I’m not sure if its possible for the Rogers Centre to be filled but he’ll still do it.
I’m guessing you havnt seen video from the early 90’s when the stadium was packed every game and the jays were setting attendance records
Obviously. But now I mean.
Obviously. But now I mean.
I’m guessing you havnt seen video from the early 90’s when the stadium was packed every game and the jays were setting attendance records
I think if he plays Baseball as good as he can Rogers Centre will be filled. I’m not sure if its possible for the Rogers Centre to be filled but he’ll still do it.
We’ll know if he’s putting butts in seats or not if he’s shilling for McCain Fruit Punch.
Completely agree. Hopefully this will bring some more fans to the Ballpark. This could only means good things for the Blue Jays.
As you said, Good Signing…
hope it happens
Anybody know the ETA of this kid? I see that hes 21, but not too many Cubans have been able to hit right away in the majors(alexei ramirez being the only 1 that comes to mind), so is he destined for a few years in the minors? Or is he capable of hitting MLB pitching right away?
I can’t tell you for sure obviously, but I’d certainly expect at least some time in the minors. I’d be surprised if we see him at all this year. Can’t imagine him opening the season higher than double A, he is pretty young. If we use Jose Iglesias, the Red Sox comparable SS prospect, as a comparison, 2012 is probably a good ETA, which is perfect for the Jays and their plans.
That really is the perfect comparison. I could also compare them talent wise as well.
That really is the perfect comparison. I could also compare them talent wise as well.
Enjoy always finishing in third or fourth.
The Yankees really need some SS prospects.
huh?
The AL East is a tough division, so why wouldn’t you want to play for a perennial WS contender.
It’s not like the guy is MLB ready yet either.
see you soon, bud.
I love the arrogance of a Yankee fan. If they sign Hechevarria, he’s the next Jeter. If they don’t, he sucks and isn’t ready to play anyways. Get over yourself, please.
“so why wouldn’t you want to play for a perennial WS contender.”
Because with Toronto he would be up quicker, meaning he’ll get to arbitration quicker, meaning he’ll get paid quicker. It’s not that hard to figure out, he (and almost every other prospect) wants to take the path that gets him to the majors the fastest.
The only ones who dont are probably starters who get turned into relievers to help the club, because obviously it hurts their future pay.
Sounds like a Yankee fan who can’t deal with defeat, wether if it’s in games or sweepstakes for a player. Perennial WS team? What happened 2 years ago?
Words can’t describe how bad the Jays need this signing.
Learn to troll better.
Its good to finally see the Jays are serious about beefing up the farm system. The Jays need a dynamite SS prospect over more pitching anyways, so this makes up for not signing Chapman.
From what I’ve read Hechevarria is a better fielder then Igelsias, hits for more power, but
hit for a lower average. On the Cuban junior team he forced Iglesias to move to secound so he could play short.
This move also affects dealings with Cubs/Twins about Frasor as the farm no longer needs a SS (cubs had a ton to offer besides Castro). CF/3rd is now the biggest areas of weakness.
Well, in a sense, but I wouldn’t go that far. We’re only talking about prospects here, who knows how they turn out. Plus, if we’ve learned anything from chasing SS prospects, you know teams can really overpay for them, so there’s great value in them.
A great move for the Jays if true and a table setter for hopefully more to come by Anthopoulos.
I’m excited to be a Jays fan and Anthopoulos is one of the reasons why!
Baseball season is starting and can’t wait for it.
Is he 19 or 21 ?
Oh well, I was hoping for the Yankees to sign him. The Iglesias-Hechevarria debate would`ve been amusing.
Good signing for the Jays though.
Excellent signing by the Jays if this pans out. Really glad to see AA involved in these kind of moves. Not to beat a dead horse but JP would have never made this kind of ballsy move.
Dayton Moore and the Royals are going to swoop in and top the Blue Jays offer… or so I hope
i wonder if anthoupolos felt pressured to increase his bid because the yankees were involved. curious to know how much he would be worth if the big market guys weren’t in it..probably like 5 or 6 mil
I’m not so sure. Iglesias got $8m and Hechevarria is considered by many to be the better prospect. He has more pop in his bat and he’s good enough defensively to have moved Iglesias to 2b when they were on the same team. That says a lot about Hechevarria when you consider that Iglesias is among the best defensive SS prospect in the game right now.
c’mon, it’s JP Ricciardi — there’s a few more beatings before that horse is completely dead
JP did some good things for the Jays, especially with pitching.
but, yeah, he buried this franchise deep in some doodoo (or, dodo, maybe!) contracts.
Jays def. need an SS for the future and this kid will be able to buy Havanas at the cigar shops in downtown Toronto, but these Cuban players are very much a dice roll
I seriously hope the Jays sign this guy. NOT because I firmly believe he’s a long term answer at short (nobody knows this answer), but because the Jays then won’t waste their 1st round this year on an SS. Most of the SS prospects in this draft aren’t projected to stick at short and project more as 1B prospects… which the Jays need about as much as a hole in the head.
Anthopolous MUST go best player available at #11 and will likely find himself with one, maybe two, of the top-10 prospects fall to #11. Would be nice to see The Jays snag one of the top position players and not a pitcher. Bryce Bentz or Austin Wilson would be great additions.
Manny Machado doesn’t project to have to move to 1B but yeah and he seems like a guy the Jays will target if he’s still around at 11.
Cuban players may be a dice roll but when a team pays $10 million for a guy they probably have a good idea of what they’re getting
Maybe not, scouts are wrong on these blue chip prospects most of the time. We will see what happens when a big league curvball is pitched to him.
They must be low on Justin Jackson.
Pretty sure Gustavio Pierre has surpassed Jackson on the Jays SS depth chart by now. (Man the SS depth chart for the Jays is SUPER SAD though).
Pretty much every single SS prospect the Jays have is a sleeper.. until perhaps now.
Im hoping the Jays go for Zack Cox 3B since Kevin Ahrens really doesn’t seem to be doing anything anymore. That is, of course, if Cox can stay at 3rd. Barring that i would love for the Jays to go for pitching and not any of those SS guys people have been predicting.
I wonder if this comes out of the 16 mil they planned on using on the draft?
Probably not… Jays have an abundance of freed-up cash right now. They had 24$ to blow on Chapman remember.
@ pastlives
It definitely does not come from the draft moneys.
The organization would be crucified if they went from $16 million in the draft war chest to $6 million.
With 9 picks in the first 3 rounds, $6 million would mean we’d again not sign a significant portion of or drafts or we’d have to draft poorer quality players hoping to sign them at a discounted slot price.
Either two of those moves are beyond terrible and beyong happening.
Jays got money, don’t let anybody try to fool you on that.
They turned $2 million in profit in ’08 with a $100 million dollar payroll (well $99mill), they’ve slashed that payroll by tens of millions, ya attendance will be down, but TV ratings are still on a national level and have been strong.
Plus ownership of billion dollar stadium, initial cost adjusted for inflation, bought for a song on land that’s value is probably over $100 million itself, added to ownership of the broadcast network, and incredible national exposure to the Rogers Media brand…. plus what’s sure to be an increase in their revenue sharing check this year and a Canadian Dollar that’s close to parity with the US…..
They got the dough, whether they or others trick you into believing it or not, 10 million is nothing for an investment in a solid SS prospect, and stealing one from the Yanks also has merit in a long term vision.
To be honest, I’m suprised Rogers hasn’t bought the planet yet. I wouldn’t be suprised either if they try to buy the rights to the moon and paint the Rogers logo on it so everyone sees it at night.
To be honest, I’m suprised Rogers hasn’t bought the planet yet. I wouldn’t be suprised either if they try to buy the rights to the moon and paint the Rogers logo on it so everyone sees it at night.
Great, great signing for the Jays….just a perfect fit.
somewhere torri hunter is reading this with a frown on his face
Good move for the Jays. Its moves like this that will help them rebuild and contend in a few years.
Yup. Around 2012/2013, the AL East is just going to be horrifying.
Yep. If the Jays rebuild properly there wont be one weak team in the whole division. One thing I could see is the Rays falling back to nowhere if they refuse to spend money.
Yup. Around 2012/2013, the AL East is just going to be horrifying.
Nice move by the Jays. I wish the Yankees had signed him.
thanks for showing some class.
Nice move by the Jays. I wish the Yankees had signed him.
YEAH BABY
YEAH BABY
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaahhh that’s what I’m talking about AA.
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaaaahhh that’s what I’m talking about AA.
But…but…but… HE WAS SUPPOSED TO REPLACE JETER!!! We need to reform the international amateur free agent system immediately so no one can outbid the Yankees.
I like this move a lot by the Blue Jays after missing out on some high-profile shortstops in the last few drafts. This probably equals a 1st rd pick in my mind and a gives them a needed SS prospect since the organization was without one before this move.
I am disappointed in the Yanks and Adeiny.
But in retrospect I have to admit that this is a good decision on his part. Why spend 3 or 4 years in the Yankee minor league system wasting your talent and potential, while waiting for Jeter to hand his bat in. That is valuable time that could be better spent maturing as a big leaguer and playing in the toughest division in the MLB (which should sharpen his skills).
He can play 4 years for the Jays and hypothetically (if they don’t resign him) still become Jeter’s heir, if he proves himself worthy and if the Yanks are still interested.
The Yanks have to stop depending on free agency for position players. God forbid if Jeter, A-Rod, or Tex were to get hurt. Who would be able to be place holders for them while being productive at the plate. They need to invest more in infielders.
Don’t get me wrong I love free agents. Hopefully we can get Cliff Lee/Carl Crawford next offseason.
Will
Really,
God I hate the arrogance of Yankee fans… Oh great another team will develop him and we can put our juicy little hands all over him when he’s a free agent..
Go away.
Probably a stupid question to some of you, and i apologize, but I just want to clarify – this 4 years thing doesn’t affect MLB’s service time system right? Like, if he spends 3 years in the majors and on the 4th year of this deal is a rookie, the Jays still control him for 5 more years right?
I’m assuming you meant 3 years in the minors. If that is the case then yes he needs 6 years of MLB service time to become a free agent
Yep, it pretty safe to assume that in this case. It is possible that they could include a clause that the Jays must non-tender him after the contract is up, but it would be beyond stupid for a team to to offer that in this case.
Those types of clauses can make sense for established Japanese stars who can step into the majors and contribute immediately, but not for 21 year old kids with no professional experience. Otherwise, every player must still meet minimum service time requirements in order to hit free agency.
The four year deal covers his first four years of service time in the bigs. So instead of the minimum salary he will be paid a fourth of the ten million for that year. This will cover all of his pre-arbitration years and two of his arbi years. I think i am right in saying that after the ten million four year deal is up the Jays will still have him for his last two arbitration years since he will not have accumulated the amount of time needed to file for free agency.
Arbitration and free agency eligibility are measured based on time spent on the 25-man roster, not time under a major league contract. He can’t accumulate service time if he’s not playing in the majors. Like every other player, in order to file for arbitration, he must have 3 years of major league service time (or be Super-2). For free agency, he must have 6 full seasons of service time in the majors. Any player who is optioned down to the minor leagues does not collect service time while there, even though they hold a major league contract. Assuming this is a major league contract, the Jays could option him to the minors in each of the next three seasons, and then have 1 year under the current contract, 2 non-arbitration year, and 3 arbitration years.
Though you can bet the Jays are hoping he’s in the majors within a year or two.