NEWSLETTER
The Cubs are still in talent acquisition mode, and likely will remain in that mode in some capacity even when they have hoisted back to back to back to back to back World Series flags at Wrigley. The two biggest sources of young talent, trades and the draft, are very well covered by a wide array of media outlets.
The third source, the international free agent signing period, is much less discussed. There are immense challenges in writing about the international scene, not the least of which are byzantine rules, ridiculously early deals, the scarcity of information on many of the players, and, at least for this season, a higher level of political turmoil in Venezuela. There are very few people on the planet who have a firm grasp of the international free agent scene.
And one of them is Ben Badler at Baseball America. This year is proving to particularly difficult to assess, and in his latest article Badler goes into some of the reasons for that being the case.
The article is a great read that I highly recommend you take some time to digest, and it opens up some surprising glimpses into a process that has gotten rather strange in some ways. There are prospects reaching informal agreements with teams a year or more before they are due to sign, after which they effectively disappear from the landscape. There are players, very good ones, who simply have not been seen by many of the teams. There are teams that have all but pulled out of Venezuela altogether. Reading though that article, the international free agent signing period starts to sound like the Wild West of baseball talent acquisition.
With this being the murkiest IFA pool in some time, the Cubs may have been particularly smart to load up on talent last year and take the penalties this year. They may also be one of the teams who have already reached a number of pre-signing-day deals and already have a pile of talent committed. Or it could be that the Cubs will look to spread their money around and try to pick up players who have been overlooked by other teams. Or both. Or they could trade some pool money. Or something else. Right now we just don’t know what the plan is or how these events will play out.
The signing period begins July 2, and I think we can expect to hear some confusing and contradictory reports as we run up to that date. That confusion can create opportunity, however. To my eye this looks like a year in which the teams who have the best organizations on the ground in the Caribbean could enjoy the most success. The Cubs are believed to have a strong organization; this could be the year in which they prove it.
Scores From Yesterday
Iowa – Eleven hits were not enough, as the Cubs lost 2-1.
Tennessee – The Smokies had the day off.
Daytona – The Cubs had more hits, but were shut out anyway by a final of 3-0.
Kane County – Kane County dropped Game One of the doubleheader 11-1, and then grabbed the win in a pitching duel 1-0 in nine innings for Game Two.
Performances of Note
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