MLB has declared Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada a free agent, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com tweets. The US Office of Foreign Assets Control still must unblock Moncada before he is free to sign, however, so it may be awhile before he settles on a team.
The 19-year-old Moncada is widely viewed as an outstanding talent who could get a bonus in the $30MM-40MM range, a huge figure given that, unlike some Cuban players, he is subject to MLB rules governing international bonus pools. Given the taxes for overages on international bonus spending, Moncada would actually cost his new team tens of millions more than his bonus amount.
Moncada held a showcase in Guatemala last week. He left Cuba through legal means last summer.
*In Bane voice* Let the games begin!
Unreal, I came here for this exact purpose. Great minds think alike.
They certainly do sir
Yankees, $50MM bonus, why? Just cause people will complain.
Which would cost them $100M.
If the Yankees can pay to get younger then I am sure they will incur whatever penalty they have. Even if it that is paying double.
Wouldn’t it actually just double up the penalty in excess of their bonus pool? I wasn’t aware it taxed everything they’ve spent, I thought it was just the amount over the pool.
The Yankees pool is $2.19 million, but I believe they went way over their bonus pool last year so they are limited to $300k.
There is a 100% tax on everything spent over the bonus pool, and since they are already over budget, $50M would also cost them $50M in tax, so $100M total.
I believe that $50 million is way over every team’s alloted budget, so any team that signs him will be subject to the 100% tax rate.
Yeah, I only threw that in there because if a team is, say, $1M under their budget, they would only pay $49M tax. It would have been a minor quibble, but this is the internet, so it wouldn’t have surprised me to see someone point it out.
Get him Cashman
I definitely think it’s worth the risk. Even if he doesn’t work out, they’re already throttled for the next signing period, so they should just go for it. Besides, with any luck they can make back the tax money off of Refsnyder hype jersey sales 😛
I hope Refsnyder is so good that the Yankee Universe will rejoice that Cano isn’t around to block him.
I hope he’s a league average second basemen for his entire career. Anything more than that is an outstanding bonus.
Refsnyder has Jeter type make-up, he needs to improve his fielding.
Lol no he doesn’t. He projects as a league average player
Forgive my ignorance, but doesn’t this count as an IFA signing? That would mean the Yankees (and maybe a couple of other teams penalized) can only offer $300,000 tops for the next 2 years.
When the next period starts so like June is when those penalties take effect. However, the government works slowly and is due to shut down soon so it will take even longer that way.
Amazingly since we’ve been hearing about it for so long, the signing period the Yankees went over on still hasn’t ended. These signing periods are a year long, after all. The Yankees just had many agreements in place prior to the signing period opening, so we’d heard about July 2nd, 2014 for awhile.
I gotcha. Man I think it’s a move they should make, even if the tax penalty will be higher.
Get this man, Sandy!
Come on Red Sox, get this guy! Sign Headley, then see how this guy develops! Could be our next great 3rd basemen…
I find his situation somewhat suspicious. Cuba has never let other players go freely and let them come back as they please. Why him?
Because he is Yoan Moncada?
Because shenanigans!!
Reports are Yankees are all over Moncada and are the heavy favorites to sign him when he becomes officially available in about 60 days
There is a lot teams all over him but Yankees got the most spending muscle to get it done. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up with Yankees.
Actually only a few will be for a simple reason – Only 4 teams are over the international spending alottment and already blocked from signing players after june 15th of next year. The other 26 arent so they will not want to block themselves by signing him which is what would happen. So the 4 teams who will be in play for him are the Yankees, Boston, Tampa, and the angels and you can count tampa out. They wont spend the 30 to 40 mill plus the dollar per dollar tax to sign him.
That may handicap a certain amount of teams. But I dont think you can say that’s true for every team under that platform. Some teams wait on spending money on the chance a player like him comes around. So while I’m sure those 4 teams are in it dont count out anyone that’s not over their slot.
Yeah I just asked that above. Aren’t those teams handicapped and are limited to offering him only $300k? (Which obviously won’t get it done)
I think that’s only if he doesnt sign by July next year
He will sign before July – he wont want to lose a year of development time at 19 – this isnt a 16 year old signing. If he waits he loses a very important year
but he still needs government clearance so that could take until next July
Yes which takes 60 to 90 days – so thats mid january to mid feb
The Cubs are handicapped for this period until june 15th…Moncada wont wait that long to sign because he would lose a full year of minor league development time if he did so. The Yankees, Angels, Redsox, and tampa are already in the penalty for this time period which and will be in the 300k penalty starting June 15th. Thats why they wont care about the penalty because they are already in it and blocked this summer
I don’t think there will be any teams that care about the penalty for him as long as they can afford him. From what I’ve read on him he would be 1 overall in the 2015 draft if he was in it. Then top 10 overall in prospect ranking, possibly even top 5. Not bad for a 19 year old.
Actually almost every team will – not only do that have to pay the dollar for dollar penalty – they are blocked in the international signing period come june.
They are blocked the next TWO years.
Its not up to him. Its up to the US govt. As long as he has a Cuban passport, he cant enter the US at all. He has to first denounce his Cuban citizenship and establish legal residency in Guatemala or whatever country he decides on. That hasnt been done yet, so the process with the US hasnt even started.
Now that he’s a FA during this cycle he can be signed by anyone other than the Rangers and Cubs. If he was declared a FA after june 15th, the Yankees, Rays and Sox would be disqualified.
He has been declared a free agent – it will take 60 days for his clearance which will be mid to late january. He wont wait till the next signing period because he wont sit out a year at 19 which is what he would have to do. He would only do that if he didnt get a substanstial offer which he obviously will.
If the Cubs or Rangers offer enough more than other teams, you bet Moncada could wait. It’s the offseason anyway. He’s not going to be ready to sign with another team until early 2015. If Chicago is willing to go to 45 MM, do you think he wouldn’t consider waiting until July 2nd and just jump into the Cubs’ system a few months belatedly? I think he would consider it.
I don’t think that’s how it quite works. He can still sign after July 2nd and count towards a team’s 2015 bonus pool regardless of when he’s declared a free agent. The only reason that normally matters is because typical IFAs have to wait until the signing period after their 16th birthday to sign, I believe. Amateurs aren’t allowed to sign until they’re 16. Moncada’s already 19. Once he’s cleared, I think he can sign whenever. I believe he can still wait and get signed by Chicago or Texas next July.
If Moncada is truly worth this bonus, then many teams won’t care about blocking themselves in 2015 and 2016 or will just offer a more ridiculous bonus for Moncada to wait until July 2nd to sign.
Get this guy, Rick!
This means the Yankees can attempt to sign him right? Since it’s before June?
Still needs to be unblocked. It says it right on the post…
Yes and it almost always takes 60 to 90 days to be unblocked
We’ve never had a situation though where the Cuban government allows him to play. Usually they defect, but this is a very odd situation and they might not allow it.
They cant allow it by law until he renounces his Cuban citizenship and establishes residency in another country. He hasnt even started that process yet.
Yes, but it depends on when OFAC clears him and when he decides to sign. I don’t think it’s likely, but he could theoretically wait until mid June to sign and have more teams to choose from, but then he’d lose NY, Bos, LA, and those are three big markets he probably doesn’t want to miss.
He can’t sign between June 15 and July 2. He could get a handshake agreement with the Cubs/Rangers, but he would want the agreement. Losing Ny/Bos/LA is a big loss in bargaining.
Right, I just meant wait until the next signing period really, but thanks for clearing that up.
Other teams might also be more willing to blow past their bonus pools when there is other amateur talent to sign at the start of the next signing period, which is a significant plus in the column of waiting. 26 teams can blow past their bonus pools in July. Right now, 28 can, except four already have, and the rest of the IFA market is dried up for the other 24 teams.
Can’t pass up on this kind of talent. Boston should sign him.
Another IF ?!?
We can grab more IF…we have an abundance of OF
Hence why we are trying to grab sandoval
When a player with his potential talent comes along you don’ not sign him because you already have enough players at those positions. Plus he is only 19, he will spend some time first in the minors and any potential roadblocks will work themselves out if he is truly as good as they say he is.
If it works, go for it. Recent huge international free agency successes: Yoenis Cespedes, Yu Darvish, Yasiel Puig, Masahiro Tanaka, Norichika Aoki, Jose Abreu, Aroldis Chapman, Hyun-jin Ryu, Alexei Ramirez, with Yasmani Tomas and Rusney Castillo waiting in the wings and guys like Wei-Yin Chen, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Hideki Matsui and Jose Contreras also successes. That’s not even including Ichiro Suzuki, the only surefire IFA Hall of Famer as of now, or lesser successes like Kenji Johjima, Hideki Okajima, and Koji Uehara. Let’s not also forget how many current superstars were signed as youths out foreign countries: Miguel Cabrera as a 16-year-old, Adrian Beltre as a 16-year-old, Jose Reyes as a 16-year-old, Robinson Cano as a 19-year-old, Hanley Ramirez as a 17-year-old, and Felix Hernandez as a 16-year-old. International free agents and amateur international free agents are possibly the two most efficient ways to secure big-time talent. There’s a long line of big-market successes, and only a few failures, like Kaz Matsui, Dice-K to an extent, Kei Igawa, and Hideki Irabu.
They don’t really have a 3B, so I don’t see why they would stop signing infielders…
Don’t see how he will become eligible if he still has ties to the Cuban government.
I’ve heard he’s married to a Guatemalan citizen which is why he’s in Guatemala. If that’s true, I believe Cuba would have granted him permission to live in Guatemala, so he can establish residency there legally, without defecting. That would make this a smooth process.
Baseball needs a rule change with this 100% tax on international bonuses. If a team wants to give this guy $40M (which is absurd), it’ll cost $80M (which brings the number of suitors down to a handful). …. There must be some other way.
Yanks will get this guy for 50 million!
Definitely with the consensus… I think the yankees grab him for 50 million.
Interestingly, the same reason these restrictions were put in place was to help smaller market teams who couldn’t compete with the IFA draft pool signings. MLB was hoping the 100% tax and two years ban on bonus pools would be enough of a deterrent to not go over the spending limit. I guess when a unique enough talent comes around teams aren’t afraid to go well over regardless of the consequences. It’ll be interesting to see if this heads towards an International draft in the next CBA.
so 100 million.
If Moncada did leave Cuba legally, in other words travelling on his Cuban passport, he has to renounce his Cuban citizenship and establish residency in Guatemala before he can be cleared by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control.
I think people on this board are a little confused. Moncada isnt coming to the United States from Cuba. He set up residency in quatemala a couple of months ago. Every single player who leaves Cuba must set up residency in a different country to come here – Yasmany Tomas set up in the Dominican republic per example – That’s how it works – the only difference in this case is CUBA literally gave Moncada permission to leave which has never been done before – Normally players remain hidden even in the countries they flee to in fear they may get turned back in and Cuban authorities will come pick them up and bring them back. They set up residency for the required period time before being allowed to apply for a work visa in the united states – Moncada wont become a citizen here right away – he will get a work Visa here which he has to renew every year until he is in the united states long enough to become a citizen…Moncada has an easier pathway to the United States for 2 reasons – One Cuba isnt trying to block and find him and bring him back and two unlike other players who had to flee he was able to gather up his belongings and important documents like his birth certificate to make his transition easier and quicker..
I believe he will either sign with the Yankees, or that other financial powerhouse…the Miami Marlins!
LOL sports i just saw confusion on this board – i wanted to clarify so people understand how cuban players get to the united states legally.
Thought the Yanks, Red Sox, and Cubs are over their allotment. Or very little left in the pool.
I think it’s just Texas and the Cubs, but I could be wrong.
Maybe, but I could see this being a roadblock. The US has blocked people from coming here for much less than having an open relationship with one of its biggest enemies.
Not at all. You do realize the US has a full embargo on Cuban products right?
That’s not true at all. There’s a mountain of mystery surrounding this situation. It could take much longer than 90 days. I do expect him to be cleared by early-mid January, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s longer.
He has to denounce his Cuban citizenship and establish legal residency in another country before he can be cleared. If he still has a Cuban passport and is free to travel to Cuba, then he cant be cleared to play. He cant get the necessary visa to enter the US.