We have been hearing about Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada for months, but it sounds like the situation is finally getting close to a resolution:
David Hastings, agent for Yoan Moncada, said it's "realistic" Moncada could sign in the next week; Hastings has no formal offers yet.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) February 14, 2015
Moncada, 19, was officially declared a free agent by MLB last week. One MLB executive told FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal earlier this week that he expects Moncada to ultimately land a bonus in the $40-50 million range. Whoever signs Moncada will have to pay a 100 percent tax for exceeding their allotted international bonus pool, so the total outlay to sign him could be in the range of $80-100 million.
Teams like the Dodgers, Red Sox, and Yankees are considered the favorites to land the switch-hitter, but he has also had private workouts with the likes of the Padres, Tigers, Giants, Rangers, Rays, and Brewers. Barring something unexpected, we can eliminate the Rangers and Cubs from the mix, as they exceeded their respective international bonus pools for the 2012-2013 signing period, and can’t offer Moncada more than $250,000 until the next signing period begins later this summer.
