The New York Yankees were considered “heavy favorites” just last week to sign free agent Cuban prospect Yoan Moncada, but now the situation looks murkier. Moncada worked out for the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday, and it is not the only National League West club to take a look at him this week.
Source: Moncada worked out today for #Dodgers in Clearwater, FL. A number of the team’s top executives were in attendance.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) February 12, 2015
Moncada, 19, is highly sought-after thanks to scouting reports that have blessed him with the five-tool label. Kiley McDaniel of Fangraphs was especially effusive in his praise of the young shortstop.
“Moncada is 19 and packs a lot of tools into his 6'1", 210-pound frame,” McDaniel wrote.
“He’s a plus-plus runner with above-average raw power from both sides of the plate and the tools/skills to stick in the infield, possibly at shortstop. Moncada is the quick-twitch type with big bat speed that clubs covet, and his track record of hitting at big tournaments and in Cuba’s professional leagues is excellent considering his age.”
Because Moncada is already eligible to sign wherever he wants, every club has a crack at him. He’s expected to sign a contract worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $40 million, but that’s just where the costs of bringing him aboard begin.
Teams that exceed their international spending budget are taxed 100 percent on the overage, so the total figure to bring him in might skyrocket to about $80 million. In addition to the newly splashy Padres and the big-budget Dodgers, the Boston Red Sox have been mentioned as a team with interest.
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