While things have been fairly quiet on the trade front this weekend, the Yankees deepened their international prospect stores after signing outfielder Raimfer Salinas and catcher Antonio Cabello on Friday. Terms of the deals have yet to be officially announced by the club.
Salinas, 16, currently profiles as the sixth-best international prospect on MLBPipeline.com. He’s been recognized for his well-rounded approach at the plate and on the field, but his primary appeal lies with his bat, and he appears to be the best offensive player among the Yankees’ top-10 international talents this year.
Cabello, 17, ranks no. 8 among international prospects with strong arm and run tools and solid defense behind the plate. Per his scouting report at MLBPipeline.com, he’s spent the bulk of his training at catcher but shows the athleticism to convert to second base or center field if need be.
With Salinas and Cabello, the Yankees now have five of the top-20 international prospects from 2017. That pool includes center fielder Everson Pereira (no. 4; signed for $1.5 million in July) and shortstops Ronny Rojas (no. 11; signed for $1 million in September) and Roberto Chirinos (no. 16; signed for $900,000 in July).
