MONDAY: The Reds have officially announced the minor league deal, as per the club’s Twitter page.
SATURDAY: The Reds have agreed to terms with Cuban shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez on a $7MM deal, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez writes. Rodriguez is a strong defensive shortstop with good speed, as Sanchez notes. He was the 2014-15 Rookie of the Year in Cuba’s Serie Nacional.
Rodriguez ranked sixth on MLB.com’s list of the top international prospects available this signing period. He has excellent speed and range. He doesn’t yet hit well, although MLB.com notes there is some hope his bat will develop.
Despite Rodriguez’s pro experience, he is subject to rules regarding international bonus pools, so his $7MM bonus represents a significant financial outlay for the Reds, who have a bonus pool of $5,163,400 and currently project to be penalized as the result of the signing, although they could trade for more international bonus slots to avoid any serious punitive measure. The Reds have long been connected to Rodriguez, with some reports indicating they had a deal with him all the way back in January, in the previous signing period.
From the scouting reports I’ve seen, this is a huge burden for a guy with question marks in his game.
If a small market club is going to spend their entire bonus pool and then some on one guy, they better be darn sure about him
It might be an overpay, but a huge burden? He’s signing for roughly the same as a top round draft pick. Do 100% of those pan out? No. Hardly a burden for a MLB team.
With the taxes and penalties that are associated with the signing, yes, it really handcuffs the Reds moving forward
Reminds me of the Dbacks international forays early last year. All your eggs into a flawed basket.
Didn’t the Reds acquire a bunch of international signing slots? Does that total include those?
No, the Reds picked up 2 “slots’ for the previous period that ended on June 15th because they were in jeopardy of exceeding their limits.
The current Reds organization loves non-hitters…… man is it boring watching a bunch of guys striking out. I get the importance of good pitching keeping you competitive in games, but when guys can’t even get on base then there is a problem.
All stories about prospects should mention ages, guys. Thanks.
Our current Reds organization is problematic, without question. Having acquired some decent talent through trades and some decent draft picks, there’s hope just around the corner. The thing with acquiring talent, no matter what the ceiling is, will ALWAYS be a crapshoot. Some just have a better chance of making it and turning into a player that will contribute at a high level. That is as rare as it gets. Consider that there are only about 750 MLB players per season, that’s a tiny tiny percentage of players that get through. Even smaller are the players that are considered ‘stars’. With Cozart hitting 30 and heading out the door soon, the Reds are wisely stacking talent at the most important position on the field. It’s hard to accurately gauge signings and trades until after said player(s) have finished their career with a team. I remember just last year how upset I was over the trade with the Giants. Adam Duvall alone has been a huge acquisition.
I should add that they will most likely grab a slot or two in the upcoming Bruce trade. Don’t be surprised to see Duvall moved as well. Winter is on the way folks….he’s a beast.
*Winker
True. Kinda piggy-backing off that thought, the Reds seem to have targeted high floor-low ceiling type players in all the recent trades and acquisitions. There’s not as much risk that any of the players will be complete busts, but there’s also no one who has stand out star caliber potential (save maybe Reed).
I think as fans it’s understandable to be a bit greedy and be upset over not having that one prize acquisition to gush over
Well, the Braves signed 6 players and the Padres 10. They went way over their budget. The Reds won’t signed anyone else but why sign just 2. The Reds probably will trade for more bonus slots with Cozart and Bruce. Why did they signed him for 7 million? Nobody else has signed for more than 5 million. My opinion.!!!!
Lol you enjoy him reds fans while I’ll sit back n watch maitan. Become the next chipper and Miggy
This was so unnecessary
The Reds signing is curious because Rodriquez is far from a sure thing but got the most money in the draft. The Reds have multiple needs. Signing just one player is a huge.
Risk
–Charlie Wilmoth, since the Reds have made the signing official they can’t get back under the limits via trade. It’s written into the CBA that any trades for additional slots has to be made prior to the club going over their pool.
I.E., the Reds will receive the penalty wrath next year – even though they will likely finish with a bottom 5 record.