Cuban free agent Yoan Moncada is officially free to sign with a major league team following a rule change that was announced on Tuesday.
Breaking down teams interested in Yoan Moncada
Some teams have a better chance than others at landing the latest prized international free agent. The bidding should be competitive nonetheless.
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Moncada, 19, is highly regarded enough to where he would be "in the mix" for the top pick in the 2015 MLB Draft if he were eligible, according to Baseball America's Ben Badler. Moncada would also likely rank in the top-10 overall on Badler's prospect list, so it's safe to say that the teenage switch-hitter will be sufficiently sought after, beginning ... well, right about now.
The usual suspects from New York, Boston and Los Angeles will almost certainly be in on Moncada. But who else has been linked to the potential superstar? Here’s a full list:
Due to the signing bonus Moncada will command, there will be a penalty levied upon just about any team that ends up with him. That’s nothing for the Yankees and their deep pockets to worry about, though. The Yankees have already blown past their limit during the 2014-15 signing period anyway, dropping roughly $30 million in signing bonuses to date. So the penalty of not being able to sign international amateurs over $300,000 in the next two signing periods is a penalty already coming New York’s way, and adding Moncada wouldn’t change that; he would only cost money.
New York is in need of both offense at the major league level and impact prospects within their 20th-ranked minor league system. Moncada would be a huge step in the right direction in terms of addressing both of those needs.
Like the Yankees, it’s hard to imagine the Dodgers being too heavily affected by a penalty. However, the team could shy away from signing Moncada as a result of their dedication to restoring their top-heavy farm system, according to MLB’s Ken Gurnick. Exceeding the allowed international signing bonus figure of $700,000 would prevent the Dodgers from participating in that market for two years.
It will be an interesting decision for the Dodgers to make. But, for now, they appear to be the frontrunners for Moncada, per ESPN’s Buster Olney.
Boston landed fellow Cuban star Rusney Castillo last year and expects to be part of the bidding war for Moncada, according to MLB's Jesse Sanchez. The Red Sox have been one of the most aggressive teams in baseball in the free-agent and trade markets each of the last two times they missed the postseason, and landing Moncada would be the perfect cap to another statement-making offseason.
Under the direction of A.J. Preller, the Padres are one of the only teams that can say they’ve rivaled the aggressiveness of the Red Sox this offseason. They’ve been involved in just about every other player in the spotlight since the end of last season, so why not Moncada? Well, despite their busy offseason, the Padres don’t have the money that the other teams on this list possess. But they’ve been on him from the start, and Preller and his staff certainly aren’t risk averse. That has to help, right?
Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski confirmed the team's interest in Moncada on Tuesday, per Mlive's James Schmehl. The Tigers came away impressed from both the private workout they held for him last week in Lakeland, Fla., as well as at his showcase event in November in Guatemala. The Tigers have money to spend, especially after the loss of Max Scherzer and impending free agency of David Price, but they might not be able to rival the Yankees and Dodgers in that category.
Others
Moncada has participated in workouts hosted by the Brewers, Rays, Giants and Rangers, in addition to the teams listed above, per Sanchez. Milwaukee and Tampa Bay simply might not be able to afford Moncada, but the Giants and Rangers have both shown the willingness to spend and appear to have the current or future payroll flexibility necessary to make such a move.
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