Finally putting an end to the uncertainty, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reported this afternoon that the Cubs have officially signed Cuban outfielder Eddy Julio Martinez. According to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, the 20-year-old is expected to receive a bonus of $3 million.
Martinez was originally reported to have signed with the Giants for $2.5 million earlier this month. However, the deal was pending a physical and his representatives claim that he never signed a term sheet. Sanchez reports that the deal with the Cubs came together after Martinez’s father sought a bigger bonus.
What caused the confusion with the situation is that Martinez had multiple people negotiating on his behalf. He was represented in the United States by Beverly Hills Sports Council, who agreed to the deal with the Giants. However, he was represented in the Dominican Republic by trainers Aldo Marrero and Amauris Nina, who reached the deal with the Cubs. MLB had been looking into the matter to see if his agreement with the Giants was binding, but they ultimately ruled in favor of the Cubs.
Sanchez writes that Martinez “has a quick and compact power stroke” with base-stealing potential and that he should stick in center field in pro ball. The Cubs already have exceeded their 2015-16 international bonus pool, so they’ll pay a 100-percent overage tax to bring him into the fold.