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Omar Estevez

Dodgers Notes: Roberts, Estevez, Int’l Spending

By Mark Polishuk | November 22, 2015 at 10:24pm CDT

It’s been a busy days for Dodgers news, with no item bigger than the report that the club is on the verge of hiring Dave Roberts as its next manager.  Here’s the latest from Los Angeles…

  • Roberts was the right choice over director of player development Gabe Kapler, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal opines.  Kapler might’ve had to combat “that players would perceive him as a puppet of the front office due to his close relationship with Andrew Friedman,” while Roberts comes from more of a traditional coaching background and has more dugout experience.  Kapler may end up being a very good manager in the future, Rosenthal writes, but Roberts was the better option if the Dodgers were going to pick a first-time skipper.
  • When the Dodgers reached the final stage of their manager search, several Dodger veterans informed upper management that Roberts was their choice, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports (Twitter link).
  • Cuban second baseman Omar Estevez agreed to a $6MM bonus with the Dodgers earlier today, and Baseball America’s Ben Badler passes on a scouting report on the relatively unknown 17-year-old.  Estevez is 5’11, 185 pounds and a right-handed hitter who seems to be lacking in both plus tools and athleticism, according to both Badler and a scout.  What Estevez does have, however, is maturity beyond his years at the plate.  “Estevez was kind of under the radar tools-wise, but he can hit,” said the scout.  “It’s playable defense and he’s not the most agile guy to be in the middle of the diamond, but he has a polished bat. It’s not an athletic body, it’s not what you get excited about, but the way he recognizes pitches, his approach—you don’t see a lot of kids his age doing that.”
  • Estevez and Yusniel Diaz are just the latest players to sign with Los Angeles during this international signing period, as the Dodgers have far exceeded their bonus pool to stock up on young talent.  Badler (via Twitter) says that this spending spree is one reason why several other teams have shied away from similarly exceeding their bonus pools during the 2015-16 signing period, as they’re simply worried about getting into bidding wars with the well-heeled Dodgers.  Exceeding your bonus pool by more than 15% results in a penalty of not being able to sign international players for more than $300K during the next two signing periods, so it makes sense that teams won’t splurge unless they’re sure they can land the particular player or players they want.  The Giants, Cubs and Royals are the only other teams to incur the two-year penalty during this signing period, while the Blue Jays only face a one-year ban for 2016-17 as they stayed under the 15% threshold.
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2015-16 International Signings Los Angeles Dodgers Dave Roberts Omar Estevez

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Dodgers, Cuban OF Yusniel Diaz Agree To $15.5MM Deal

By Zachary Links | November 22, 2015 at 4:17pm CDT

The Dodgers have agreed to sign Cuban outfielder Yusniel Diaz to a $15.5MM deal, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.  Furthermore, the Dodgers and Omar Estevez have agreed to a pact that will pay the infielder $6MM. When considering the 100 percent luxury tax the Dodgers will have to pay on each player due to the fact that they’ve already shattered their league-allotted international bonus pool, Los Angeles will be paying a combined $43MM or so to add the pair of prospects to its ranks.

Even though he’s only 18, Diaz has been known in Cuban baseball circles for years thanks to his offensive prowess while playing center field in Cuba, Ben Badler of Baseball America (subscription required and recommended) wrote earlier this year.  In fact, as a 14-year-old in Cuba’s 16-and-under league, Diaz garnered the attention of scouts when he slashed .367/.519/.517 across 80 plate appearances.  In his writeup, Badler praised Diaz for his athleticism, speed, and his production in Serie Nacional, where he faced competition at his own age level as well as veteran talents.  Despite having seen time in the corner outfield in the past, Diaz’s best position is center field and that’s where Badler sees him playing at the major league level.

Diaz likely would have been chosen as Serie Nacional’s Rookie of the Year in 2015 but that award went to another player after he defected from Cuba in April.  In August, Major League Baseball issued a memo to all teams announcing that Diaz was free to sign.  Badler ID’d the Dodgers as one of the logical destinations for Diaz at the time since they were one of the clubs that were already over their 2015-16 bonus pools and facing spending restrictions starting on July 2 next year.  The Dodgers will be handcuffed from spending more than $300K on any international player during the next two periods, so they essentially decided to go out with a bang before entering their penalty period.

Estevez, meanwhile, “showed above-average power in games and solid raw power in batting practice,” Sanchez writes.  While he doesn’t have the strongest arm out there, he does have good instincts for the second base position.  The Dodgers’ international haul for the 2015-16 period has been rather expensive between Diaz, Estevez, Cuban right-handed pitcher Yadiel Alvarez ($16MM), outfielder Starling Heredia ($2.6MM), infielder Ronny Brito ($2MM), outfielders Christopher Arias ($500K) and Carlos Rincon ($350K), and shortstop Oneal Cruz ($950K).  That grouping along cost more than $87MM when factoring in luxury tax expenditures, although by Sanchez’s count, the Dodgers have signed 28 international prospects since the signing period began on July 2.

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Los Angeles Dodgers Transactions Omar Estevez Yusniel Diaz

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