NEWSLETTER
To be quite clear up front, it remains the expectation that 19-year-old Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada will sign sooner rather than later, and for a huge bonus with one of the Yankees, Dodgers, or Red Sox. Even today, there’s a report that the Dodgers are willing to spend upwards of $40 million on Moncada’s bonus (which would mean an $80 million total commitment, between the bonus and the IFA pool overage tax).
But, if you’re looking for a couple slivers of hope in addition to the recent BA report that the Cubs aren’t yet quite “out” on Moncada, here are a couple:
One complicating factor on Yoan Moncada signing: Some of the teams in on him are also on Hector Olivera, who is not a free agent yet.
— Ben Badler (@BenBadler) February 18, 2015
Cubs positioning themselves as a fallback option for Yoan Moncada. They enter picture if he feels upcoming offers too low and talks stall.
— Phil Rogers (@philgrogers) February 19, 2015
As you know, the Cubs have continued scouting Moncada, even after he was cleared to sign, despite the fact that the Cubs cannot sign him unless he’s willing to wait until July 2. Until talks get very serious with other teams, though, the Cubs might as well hang around, as Rogers suggests.
I still doubt that happens, given how itchy Moncada and his advisor seem to be to get a deal done soon, but we’ll keep following this thing for as long as it takes.
