DODGERS The CUBANS Thread

Just sign him
win championships
Not that hard

 

Yeah but I already take Nitrates for chest pain

 

I imagine that contract is somewhere around seven years first of all, and I'd imagine arbitration rules/ service time before he becomes a FA rules also would apply since he is under 23.

 

Assessing The Dodgers’ Risk And Reward Of Signing Yoan Moncada
by Jared Massey | Dodgers Nation — February 08, 2015

The latest and greatest Cuban export is 19-year-old Yoan Moncada. Nearly everyone who follows baseball has heard of him by now. Recently, Ken Gurnick gave his thoughts on the Los Angeles Dodgers’ pursuit of the phenom, painting a relatively pessimistic picture of the Dodgers’ chances of landing the slugger due to the penalty tax and other issues that arise.

Let’s take a look at the other side of the coin.

Money

Gurnick correctly points out that the signing of Moncada would cost the Dodgers a great deal of money, $60-80 million by his estimates, once overage fees are factored in. He also points out the fact that the Dodgers have more money than Scrooge McDuck, so finances aren’t likely to hold the club back.

Penalties

Additionally, Gurnick mentions the Dodgers would be “sidelined from any significant international signings for two years.”

The Dodgers would actually be penalized during the next signing period, which begins July 2, 2015. During the current signing period, which began on July 2, 2014, the Dodgers have already spent the majority of their allotted bonus pool, with at least $1.3 million of their allotted $1.9 million doled out, according to Eric Stephen of True Blue LA.

This means they are free to continue to spend as they please through the current signing period. Were the Dodgers to sign Moncada, they would actually have more incentive to spend, since they’d no longer have to worry about going over their pool.

The other point Gurnick makes, about not signing players in the next signing period, certainly holds weight. However, the club must determine whether they want Moncada or gamble on the field.

Is there going to be a player of Moncada’s caliber available during the next signing period? From all accounts, the answer is no. Getting a player at age 19 with Yasiel Puig-upside is a rarity and there doesn’t appear to be another one available anytime soon. Even if there was, there’s no guarantee the Dodgers would get him.

Rebuilding the Farm

Gurnick says that “accepting a signing ban is no way to rebuild a sustainable farm system,” which is fair, though one could argue that adding a potential star to the system has more impact than gambling on a gaggle of 16 year olds.

In their last two signing periods, the Dodgers have given out their biggest bonuses to Lucas Tirado and Romer Cuadrado, neither of whom are anywhere close to the Majors nor considered top prospects.

Not only would Moncada immediately qualify as one of the Dodgers’ top-five prospects, he’d likely be considered a Top-50 prospect in all of baseball. While depth is nice to have in a farm system, star power can’t be rivaled.

The Dodgers would still be allowed to sign international players, just for a limited amount of money ($250,000). Sure, they won’t compete for the top 16 year olds, but they haven’t done that in over a decade.

And while Gurnick may not be open to this approach, the Dodgers seem to be open to it. Farhan Zaidi has come out in favor of signing Moncada, while Jesse Sanchez reported that the club may have actually outbid the Diamondbacks for Yoan Lopez (but Lopez chose Arizona due to a quicker path to the big leagues) and remember, the Dodgers had some of their top brass at a recent showcase starring another Cuban, Hector Olivera.

So, what do you think? Should the Dodgers bet the farm on Moncada or take a more even-handed approach to their international signings? Feel free to let me know on Twitter @JaredJMassey.

 

I like this piece because it separates Gurnick's silliness from what Zaidi actually spoke to on the matter.

 

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/02/padres-planning-aggressive-pursuit-of-yoan-moncada.html
If there’s one thing this offseason has taught it, it’s that as soon as the Padres complete one big move, their sights apparently shift to another significant target. In this instance, on the heels of their agreement on a four-year deal with James Shields, the Padres are shifting their focus to Yoan Moncada. Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reports that the Padres are having a private workout with Moncada today and plan to bid aggressively on the 19-year-old Cuban phenom (Twitter link).

Moncada is the most coveted international amateur in recent history, as the switch-hitting, five-tool infielder is rumored to be in line for a bonus of anywhere from $30-40MM. Under the latest collective bargaining agreement, international prospects under the age of 23 and with less than five years of professional experience are subject to international bonus pools. Each team is assigned a bonus pool by MLB (based on their record from the previous season) and can spend up to that amount without penalty. However, the maximum penalties, which trigger at a 15 percent overage, include a 100 percent tax on every dollar spent over the pool limit as well as the loss of the ability to sign an international amateur for more than $300K in any of the two subsequent signing periods. Because of the overage taxes, a $30-40MM bonus would really mean a $60-80MM commitment.

Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets that he’s heard the Padres aren’t necessarily scared of having a $300K max signing bonus for the next two years if it means adding Moncada to their ranks. To this point, the Dodgers, Yankees and Red Sox have been believed to be the favorites for Moncada. However, the Padres have shown an increased willingness to spend under new ownership and under the watch of new GM A.J. Preller, who specializes in the acquisition and evaluation of international talent. This would mark the second private workout the Padres have held for Moncada, as MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchezreported last week that the Padres had already seen him once. Other clubs to have held private workouts for Moncada include the Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox, Brewers, Braves, Rays, Giants and Tigers.

 

That should be enough incentive, sign him Friedman.

 

the Wall Street/investment guy that Friedman is, i'd be shocked if Moncada's talent alone isn't enough incentive to sign him.

 

In my opinion the Padres are done and just kicking the tires on the guy. They won't spend 40 million on a unproven albeit talented player.

 

They had all this money, obviously, and waited to do anything really about it until this off season? Who knew?
Of course it helps if your division rivals are supplementing your spendable salaries bucks, like we are to some degree (which could turn out to be the biggest bite in the ass in BB history...well, modern history-there's still the Babe and the "No No Nannette" sale), but wasn't the thought on them that they were what they were because they couldn't compete with the big market teams and their profits?
Did they discover a deposit of some valuable natural resource under Petco Park? Maybe the US Navy is giving them money?

 

What is taking so long!!!!! :applause:

 

RE: The Gurnick report saying the Dodgers might be hesitant to spend on him because of no flexibility in later international periods. Dodgers were the supposed "runner up" for Yoan Lopez AND it was reported that Lopez turned down a higher offer than the Dbacks 8.27 million dollar bonus. Logically one could assume the Dodgers offered more than the 8.27 million bonus. And if they did and got him, that would also fuck us over from signing an international free agent the next two years. Dodgers apparently didn't seem to worried about that limit then, why would they now?

 

Hurry up and sign him.

 

Yoan Moncada To Field Offers Over Next Two Weeks
By Steve Adams [February 10, 2015 at 10:35pm CST]
Cuban phenom Yoan Moncada will field offers over the coming two weeks and hopes to make a decision shortly thereafter, agent David Hastings told Dylan Hernandez of the L.A. Times today. “I’m hoping, certainly, that by the end of next week, we’ll have a much clearer picture of where he will sign,” said Hastings.

Hastings said he’d like to get Moncada into a club’s Spring Training camp as soon as possible.

 

I know our FO doesn't tip their hands but it doesn't bode well for us if Moncada is still working out for teams. The Dodgers if we were in charge would have already made him an offer he couldn't refuse. I don't think we are going to sign him sadly.

 

Well, they've done a bad job of not tipping their hand here since Zaidi's comments were aired out.

But even if you have the most money it doesn't mean you have to be silly with it. This isn't Brewster's Millions. Play the game