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Yoan Moncada, the teenage Cuban sensation, is now imminently close to being officially associated with Major League Baseball after reportedly agreeing to terms with the Boston Red Sox.  

Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com first broke the news Monday, the details of which Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports supported. Sanchez wrote:

Sean McAdam of CSNNE.com reported that the deal’s completion and confirmation are a few days away and that Moncada will likely start in Single-A.

Moncada is expected to report to Red Sox camp on Monday, per Pete Abraham of The Boston Globe.

MLB officially declared Moncada a free agent on November 15. At 19 years old, Moncada has more youth on his side than recent Cuban imports such as Yoenis Cespedes (26 when he signed), Jose Abreu (26) and Yasiel Puig (21). He’s also slightly younger than Jorge Soler was when he signed with the Chicago Cubs (20). 

In other words, Moncada will likely need time to develop and should have a longer track record, if he reaches his full potential, than Cespedes or Abreu. 

Moncada was subject to the international bonus pool because he’s under the age of 23 with fewer than five years of experience in a professional league, as Passan noted in November. That’s why the money might not seem like it matches Moncada’s special talents. 

Sanchez went on to further explain the reported deal:

Because he is not yet 23 years old and did not play in a Cuban professional league for at least five seasons, Moncada is subject to MLB’s international signing guidelines, under which each team is allotted a $700,000 and an additional bonus pool based on the team’s record the previous year to be used during the international signing period. The current period started July 2 and ends on June 15.

According to those guidelines, clubs are penalized during the upcoming 2015-16 signing period if they exceed their bonus pools by certain amounts. The Red Sox had already exceeded their bonus pool before this signing and been given the maximum penalty. It’s a severe measure that includes a 100-percent tax on their pool overages and prohibits them from signing any pool-eligible player for more than $300,000 during the next two signing periods. Including the penalty for exceeding their bonus pool, Moncada’s deal will cost the Red Sox approximately $60 million (bonus plus penalty).

The Red Sox have until July 15 to pay the overage tax and up to three years to pay out Moncada’s bonus.

Scouts have raved about Moncada for months. In August 2014, Ben Badler of Baseball America wrote that if the teenager were eligible for the 2015 draft, he would be in the mix for the No. 1 pick:

How good is Moncada? He has more upside than Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo, who just reached a $72.5 million deal with the Red Sox. He’s better than Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas, who’s in the Dominican Republic but is still likely several months away from free agency. If Moncada were eligible for the 2015 draft, he would be in the mix to be the No. 1 overall pick. 

Several teams, including the New York Yankees, the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres, were in the race to land Moncada. Joel Sherman of the New York Post shared details of the Yankees’ offer, which lost out to the Red Sox’s.

“Yankees offered $25M with willingness to go to $27M which is same offered Jorge Soler who went to #Cubs for $30M,” Sherman noted. He went on to compare Moncada’s reported deal to Alex Rodriguez’s remaining contract: “So with tax, #Redsox will pay $63M to Moncada or about what #Yankees owe A-Rod ($61M) for the next 3 yrs.” 

For the record, Yasmany Tomas signed a six-year, $68.5 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks at the winter meetings. For Moncada to already be in that company at his age speaks volumes about his raw talent. Whether he is able to live up to those expectations remains to be seen, but he should have the necessary time and support system to develop.

Due to his hype, opponents will test Moncada on his journey to The Show, but there’s no reason to think the American stage will be too big for the young man. 

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The Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t above shopping for potential bargains, as evidenced by their reported signing of right-handed pitcher Brandon Beachy. 

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the Dodgers signed Beachy to a one-year deal with a team option for 2016. 

Eric Stephen of True Blue LA provided contract details:

Rumors of Beachy signing have been floating around for weeks. Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 in Minnesota reported on January 24 the right-hander had decided on a team but was still ironing out some details. 

Dodgers general manager Farhan Zahidi told reporters the expected timeline for the pitcher’s recovery:

Beachy has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, most recently having Tommy John surgery for the second time last March. He’s only made more than 15 starts in a season once in four years though his results have been strong when healthy.  

From 2010-13 with Atlanta, Beachy had a 3.23 ERA with 275 strikeouts and 217 hits allowed in 267.2 innings. 

Signing with the Dodgers takes pressure off Beachy as he continues to rehab his elbow. The team isn’t lacking for talent in the rotation with Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy in place. 

If Beachy comes back healthy later in 2015, he adds more depth to one of the National League‘s best rotations. He could also be a bullpen option for manager Don Mattingly if they don’t want to throw him into the fire right away. 

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Zack Greinke’s 2015 season isn’t off to a great start, as the Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander reportedly received a preventive shot to help his pitching elbow.  

According to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, the Dodgers announced that Greinke will be shut down after getting a “lubricating injection.”

This is an important year for Greinke. He’s 31 years old and has an opt-out clause in his contract after this season, which he could leverage to get more average annual money from the Dodgers or another team in the offseason. 

The Dodgers are smart to play things safe with Greinke, as he’s got the kind of stuff and proven results that can help take this franchise where it hopes to go in October. 

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The Boston Red Sox and manager John Farrell have had a fruitful relationship in their two years together. As a result, the two sides have reportedly decided to extend their marriage for at least two more seasons. 

Per Ian Browne of MLB.com, the Red Sox announced a two-year contract extension with Farrell through 2017 that includes a team option for 2018:

The Red Sox have put their faith in manager John Farrell, extending his contract through the 2017 season with an option for ’18, the club announced on Saturday morning. …

Before signing the extension, Farrell’s contract was set to expire following this season, though it included a club option for ’16.

Even though the 2014 season was a disaster for the Red Sox, finishing 71-91 one year after winning the World Series, Farrell’s history with the franchise has made him a natural fit since he took over two years ago. 

Farrell was a pitching coach in Boston from 2007-10 before taking the managerial job in Toronto for two years. There may be some cynics out there asking what he has done to warrant this kind of security. After all, per WEEI’s Dennis & Callahan Show, he’s had only one great year record-wise:

There is more to managing than just what happens on the field, though. Farrell provided a sense of calm during last year’s struggles, saying in a June interview with Jason Mastrodonato of MassLive.com that it’s important to remain rational through tough times.

“To me, when things are not turning out as we like, there has to be some sense of stability, some sense of calm,” Farrell said. “And if we’re all over the map, that can only compound it. I’m a firm believer in that.”

Those comments had to stick in the minds of Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington and owner John Henry, especially considering how quickly they saw the ship sink in 2012, when Bobby Valentine was manager. 

Farrell’s extension gives the Red Sox players a sense of confidence, knowing their manager isn’t going anywhere, and the team is poised to bounce back after a busy offseason that saw the addition of talents like Pablo Sandoval, Hanley Ramirez and Rick Porcello. 

It’s tough to find success in the American League East because all five teams are bunched so close together. The Red Sox are much better than their record last year indicated and are kicking off this spring ready to prove it. 

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Alex Rodriguez apologized once again on Tuesday, as the New York Yankees controversial star issued a formal apology to the fans for everything about the Biogenesis situation.     

In his letter, which was obtained by SportsCenter and released on Twitter, A-Rod expresses remorse and regret for what happened, via Andrew Marchand of ESPN.com:

I take full responsibility for the mistakes that led to my suspension for the 2014 season. I regret that my actions made the situation worse than it needed to be. To Major League Baseball, the Yankees, the Steinbrenner family, the Players Association and you, the fans, I can only say I’m sorry.

I accept the fact that many of you will not believe my apology or anything that I say at this point. I understand why and that’s on me. It was gracious of the Yankees to offer me the use of Yankee Stadium for this apology but I decided the next time I am in Yankee Stadium, I should be in pinstripes doing my job.

Big League Stew also shared an image of the full hand-written letter:

A report from Teri Thompson, Bill Madden and Nathaniel Vinton of the New York Daily News stated that Rodriguez was going to use Yankee Stadium as a way to make a public apology, but he opted for the letter instead.

The Yankees haven’t helped Rodriguez at all in this situation, which Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports wrote has been a mistake:

So, at the time the Yankees re-signed A-Rod, they had to know that there was at least a chance he had used PEDs. And unless the marketing agreement specifically gave them an out if Rodriguez was suspended for PED use (doubtful), the team likely will fight an uphill battle in its quest to void the deal. It’s the old story: Buyer beware.

Rodriguez says in the letter that a lot of fans aren’t going to believe anything he says anymore, but this is all he can do to try to quiet the firestorm before spring training begins for the Yankees on Friday. 

It’s also not the first time Rodriguez has apologized for his role in a scandal, apologizing in 2009 for use of banned substances:

At 39 years old and having played just 44 games since 2013, Rodriguez’s days of being a consistently productive player are in the rear-view mirror. The Yankees certainly need him to produce if they want to contend in 2015. 

On the off chance he is an offensive force this season, Yankees fans may quickly turn from panning him to supporting him.  

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The suitors are slowly lining up to sign 19-year-old Cuban sensation Yoan Moncada, but there’s also a dilemma teams are facing that isn’t being talked about. As great as the teenager looks in workouts and could end up being as a big leaguer, there’s a limit to what teams can offer him without incurring financial penalties. 

In May 2012, Ben Badler of Baseball America broke down the international spending rules that were agreed to in the Major League Baseball collective bargaining agreement. There’s a lot of language in the piece, but here’s the key piece that applies to Moncada:

The international signing pool includes any player not subject to the draft, which includes anyone from outside the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico—with a couple of exemptions. … So a Dominican player released out of Triple-A who signs as a minor league free agent won’t have his contract count against his new team’s international pool.

The other exemption involves players coming to MLB from foreign professional leagues. Players who are at least at least 23 and have played five years in a recognized professional league, such as Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball, will be exempt. 

Because Moncada is 19 years old, he’s subject to the international spending rules. In April 2014, Badler wrote about the international bonus pool and slot values that are assigned in reverse order of finish, like the draft, so Houston had the most money. 

Here’s where things get tricky, as teams have been exceeding their bonus pool limit since the rule was implemented. Kiley McDaniel of FanGraphs explained why teams were willing to go above and beyond the call of duty:

The reason they did that was because the punishment wasn’t big enough; if you signed two years worth of players in one year, it basically costs the same but you get half of your players a year earlier.

MLB noticed this and upped the penalty before the 2014 period opened, with the same 100% tax, but now with a two-year ban on signings over $300,000.

McDaniel also wrote that teams still weren’t deterred, citing the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees as specific examples of teams that continued to go over their allotted money to add talent. 

By all accounts, Moncada is a unique talent who will put the strings on the ludicrous spending restrictions that Major League Baseball has tried to instill on teams. 

According to Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com, Moncada had scouts practically drooling during a November workout in Guatemala:

Cuban phenom Yoan Moncada worked out in Guatemala on Wednesday in front of an estimated 60-70 scouts, and all reports point to the teenaged infielder being as good as advertised.

The 19-year-old Moncada was put through his paces, running a 60-yard dash, taking batting practice and infield at three positions, showing the kind of five-tool potential that has led scouts to compare him to fellow Cubans Jorge Soler and Yasiel Puig.

On the 20-80 scouting scale, Mayo listed Moncada as having plus (60) hitting, power and arm strength with plus-plus (70) speed. The worst tool on the list is fielding, which is average (50), so worst is a relative term in this case. 

Mayo also quoted an anonymous scouting director as saying Moncada is “worth going way over your international spending pool.” 

Going back to McDaniel’s article, while he doesn’t have a definitive answer of what the actual cost will be, he did speculate about how high Moncada’s deal could get:

Here’s the question: with essentially a dollar-for-dollar tax on the bonus for this player, how much would you pay him in an upfront bonus, in what would surely be a fierce bidding war?

I feel like $50 million (with a roughly $45 million tax on top of that) is the most you could justify while $30 million seems reasonable enough that multiple teams may be willing to pay that much. 

For perspective, since Jorge Soler and Yasiel Puig were mentioned by Mayo as comps for Moncada, Soler signed with the Cubs for $30 million over nine years, and Puig got $42 million over seven years from the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

It seems reasonable, then, to expect Moncada will get a deal somewhere in that vicinity. You know what? It’s just further evidence that MLB’s insistence on trying to keep player bonuses down is a pointless venture. 

The only reason for a league to implement spending restrictions on talent is to protect the owners from themselves, which is odd because the sport is coming off a year with a record $9 billion in revenue, according to Maury Brown of Forbes.

Since revenues are at an all-time high, teams should be spending more money to acquire talent with the hopes of winning a championship instead of being penalized because the owners convinced themselves that someone has to keep their wallets at bay. 

It’s possible Moncada won’t turn into the star his raw talent suggests, as prospects flame out all the time. Yet given his age and potential, he’s one of the few players legitimately worth the financial penalty that will come by giving him a deal commensurate with his ability.

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Whether or not the fractured relationship between the New York Yankees front office and Alex Rodriguez can be completely repaired, general manager Brian Cashman is going to give it a shot. 

Per Andrew Marchand of ESPN New York, citing a quote given to ESPN Deportes‘ Marly Rivera, Cashman said a meeting with Rodriguez before spring training to clear the air “cannot hurt.”

A-Rod hasn’t been around the Yankees since the end of the 2013 season. He had planned to attend spring training last year after an arbitrator upheld a 162-game suspension but dropped a lawsuit fighting the ban and stayed away from the team. 

In January, Bill Madden, Teri Thompson and Michael O’Keefe of The New York Daily News reported the Yankees rejected Rodriguez’s offer for a meeting:

The disgraced superstar offered to meet face-to-face with team executives to apologize for his role in the Biogenesis scandal and clear the air before players report to Tampa next month, the Daily News has learned, but the Yankee brass declined the invitation, telling Rodriguez, ‘We’ll see you in spring training.’

Two days after that report, Madden and Thompson released a separate report in which the Yankees were exploring options to avoid paying Rodriguez bonuses in his contract for if he ties Willie Mays, Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron on the career home run list:

“The Yankees, however, now view the marketing bonuses as worthless and invalid, according to sources, the result of Rodriguez’s suspension for violating the game’s collectively bargained drug policy and his scorched-earth attack on baseball and the Yankees,” the report says.

The marriage between Rodriguez and the Yankees has been contentious, at best, for years. Things bubbled over after he was implicated in, and eventually suspended for, the Biogenesis scandal during the 2013 season. A-Rod did return late in the season and hit well in limited action. 

Despite trying to wash their hands of Rodriguez, the Yankees are stuck with the third baseman until he decides to retire or when his contract expires after 2017. They could try to release him, though that would still put them on the hook for his salary. 

It’s in the best interest of both parties to sit down, air out all of their grievances and focus on baseball. There will enough of a circus around A-Rod from the media as soon as he steps onto a field in spring training, so the Yankees don’t need to add more distractions. 

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Tigers slugger Victor Martinez will undergo surgery for a torn meniscus, which could see the star hitter miss the start of the regular season. 

Continue for updates.

Martinez Out at Least 4-6 Weeks

Friday, Feb. 6

Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press talked to the surgeon performing surgery on Victor Martinez, who said that the slugger would miss a minimum of four to six weeks but could miss up to 16 weeks depending on the extent of the damage.  

Martinez to Undergo Surgery on Meniscus 

Thursday, Feb. 5 

Detroit Tigers star Victor Martinez’s status for spring training and the regular season is uncertain, as the slugger will have to undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.

According to a statement the Tigers released on Twitter, Martinez will have surgery February 10 after injuring the knee during an offseason workout:

This is the second time in three years that Martinez has suffered an injury to his left knee in the offseason. In January 2012, he tore his ACL and missed the entire season. 

Martinez, who finished second in American League MVP voting last year, is coming off the best season of his career. He set career highs in home runs (32), average (.335), on-base percentage (.409) and slugging percentage (.565). 

Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski talked about Martinez’s injury and what the club plans to do to replace him, according to Gabe Lacques of USA Today:

The Tigers rewarded Martinez’s efforts with a four-year contract extension worth $68 million in November. If Martinez can’t go on Opening Day, the Tigers lack a ready-made replacement for him at designated hitter. While first baseman Miguel Cabrera is a logical choice, the team was already thin on bench power. Either way, the Tigers would be adding a light-hitting bat to the lineup.

Given what he did last year, not to mention how Max Scherzer’s departure has weakened Detroit’s pitching staff, losing an All-Star hitter would put a huge dent in the team’s hopes of making the playoffs in 2015—even if Martinez isn’t able to replicate last year’s form.  

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Former All-Star outfielder Andruw Jones is reportedly looking to make a return to Major League Baseball. 

According to Jones’ agent Scott Boras, speaking to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN, the 10-time Gold Glover wants to be given a shot after spending the last two years in Japan:

“He wants to play in the big leagues again,” Boras said. “He’s still got his power. If you can hit 25 home runs in Japan, you’re doing something.”

Nick Cafardo of The Boston Globe first reported that Jones was looking to make an MLB comeback, writing that Boras “claims there are at least two teams interested” in using his client in platoon situations or as a designated hitter. 

Jones last played in the big leagues with the New York Yankees in 2012, hitting .197/.294/.408 in 94 games. Since 2013, Jones has played with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of Japan’s Pacific League, hitting 50 home runs with a .392 on-base percentage in 281 games. 

As Jordan Gorosh of Baseball Prospectus astutely pointed out on Twitter, Jones’ numbers in Japan are basically what Jack Cust did in the big leagues:

The way Jones’ first run in MLB ended doesn’t provide hope that he will turn into a quality hitter, though being able to show the kind of power he did in Japan is impressive because the parks are usually bigger. He’s going to be 38 years old in April and hasn’t faced big league pitching in two years. 

If Jones can get in shape and show something in a potential workout for teams, he will get a shot since it won’t cost much to sign him and teams are always looking for right-handed power. It’d be nice to put a good bow on his career instead of the way it seemed to end two years ago. 

Stats via Baseball-Reference.com

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Former Major League Baseball player Dave Bergman, who was a member of the 1984 World Series Champion Detroit Tigers, passed away at the age of 61 on Feb. 2.  

The Tigers released a statement on Bergman’s death that came after a bout with cancer, courtesy of Jason Beck of MLB.com:

It is with heavy hearts we extend our condolences to the family of Dave Bergman. Dave was as spirited a person as he was a player. He will forever hold a special place in Tigers history for the versatile roles he played, and his significant contributions as a member of the 1984 world champion Tigers. We will miss seeing ‘Bergie’ at the ballpark and in the community.

Actor Jeff Daniels also tweeted out a message to his friend after learning of Bergman’s passing:

Bergman had one of the most fascinating MLB careers. He played at least parts of 17 years in the big leagues, starting with the New York Yankees in 1975, but only played 100 games twice from 1975-1983.

The Tigers acquired Bergman prior to the 1984 season, which was his breakout year with a .273/.351/.417 slash line in 120 games. He would spend the final nine years of his career with Detroit, doing anything the team needed him to by spending time at first base and the outfield. 

Bergman was never the key player on a team, but his skill set was such that he always had a job. He ended his career with a solid .348 on-base percentage and struck out 347 times in 2,679 at-bats, per Baseball-Reference.com. 

In today’s era where utility players are more valuable than ever, Bergman helped pave the way for them with his ability to play multiple positions and do enough things offensively to stick in the big leagues for nearly two full decades. 

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