by Ty Alleman
Okay, maybe that title is a bit over the top, but what the hell, I’m the one writing the post. Anyways, if you have been paying any attention to the Cubs at all this offseason, then you have probably noticed the flurry of activity going on this winter. Now of course they haven’t made the “sexy” moves of years past, bypassing big name free agents like Feilder, Pujols, and Beltran for more modest acquisitions of David Dejesus, Paul Maholm, and Ian Stewart. But on top of those moves, Epstein and Hoyer have quietly made some moves to restock the Cubs farm system.
This year is key for the Cubs to make these types of moves because starting next year, all major league teams will be restricted on how much they can spend on amateur and international talent due to the new CBA. With that restriction looming, the Cubs have been aggressive perusing international talent, specifically Cuban ball players. And while you might have heard that the Cubs are targeting the big names Yoenis Cespedes and Jorge Soler, the Cubs have gone ahead and signed three other Cuban ball players. So I figured I would go ahead and give you a bit of a player breakdown of these three signings, plus on Soler and Cespedes.
What a Cuban (-American) looking for work may look like…
Yasiel Balaguert (signed for $400,000)
Balaguert is a 19 year old center fielder. He’s described as having a “thick body”, average defensive skills, and a quick bat with good extension. Balaguert is pretty raw in terms of development at this point and will have to hone his ability to hit to all fields. Scouts project him to become a left fielder as he continues to develop.
Carlos Martinez (signed for $250,000)
Martienz is a 20 year old relief pitcher. He comes in at a solidly built 6’4” 215 lbs. His fastball comes in consistently at the low 90’s, and he also throws a curve and change-up, both of which need some polishing in the minors.
Gerardo Concepcion (signed for $7 million)
Concepcion was considered one of the “big three” free agents coming out of Cuba this off-season. The 18-year-old starting pitcher was the Rookie of the Year for the highest level Cuban pro league (which is about the equivalent to high A ball in the states). Concepcion will have to spend a few years in the minors working on his craft, but scouts project him to be a consistent third or fourth starter in the big leagues. Concepcion signing bumps him to the Cubs sixth highest prospect in their farm system.
Jorge Soler (unsigned free agent)
Soler is truly a “five tool” prospect. The 19-year-old prospect is described by scouts as having a Hanley Ramirez type body, average glove, plus arm, and superb bat speed. Soler projects to have 30-30 potential, but will take a few years of minor league play before he sees time with the big club. He’s projected to sign somewhere around $20 million.
This Cuban (-American) was a 40-40 guy once.
Yoenis Cespedes (unsigned free agent)
Cespedes is arguably the top remaining free agent left amongst this year’s free agent class. The 26-year-old center fielder figures to make an immediate impact on a major league roster. He has also been described as a “five tool” player and projects to be a 20-20 player. Cespedes is still a free agent as of this post, but he’s estimated so sign for somewhere in the neighborhood of $60+ million dollars. That’s an awful big chunk of change but Cespedes fits the Theo Epstein mold of building a team, so it should be worth the investment.
If the Cubs can sign these last two players, they would easily bump their farm system talent into the top 10 in MLB baseball. And, with the acquisition of Soler and Cespedes, the Cubs will have a sustainably good team for the long term furture.
Today’s random video – guess I’ll stick with the Jose Canseco theme…
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Wow, looks like the Cubs are adding Soler. It seems like they’re paying a lot of money if the reports of $27.5 million contract are true. This guy better get to the bigs sooner than later…
source: http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-spt-0214-cubs-chicago–20120214,0,5338208.story
Sounds like the news is conflicting, but I still think he ends up a Cub. The more I hear about him the more I’m getting a Sammy Sosa vibe in terms of player development (just less steroids and loud salsa music).
I’m not sure how I feel about salsa music, but get this youngster some HGH!