Heavily-coveted Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada was cleared Saturday by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control to ply his trade in the United States, paving the way for interested teams like the New York Yankees to bid for him.
Here's DJ Short of NBC's Hardball Talk with the report:
Moncada is expected to land a deal in the range of $30-40 million and has drawn interest from the likes of the Red Sox, Yankees, Dodgers, and others. The 19-year-old is considered an amateur, so he’s subject to MLB’s international bonus pools. Teams are penalized for going exceeding their specific bonus pool amounts, so the total outlay for signing Moncada could be in the $60-80 million range. Whoever signs him would also not be allowed to sign a pool-eligible player for more than $300,000 during the next two signing periods. However, Moncada is talented enough for several teams to be willing to take the hit.
Regardless of the risk, Moncada's major upside will likely be enough for GM Brian Cashman to go all-in on him once the courtship process begins in earnest.
Stay tuned.
Follow our New York Yankees team page for the latest New York Yankees rumors!
Back to the New York Yankees Newsfeed