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Yankees Rumors: Yoan Moncada Close to Signing-Yanks Should Be All-In

By Michael Cambria

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The most coveted Cuban baseball star Yoan Moncada, is one step closer to becoming a free-agent and signing with a major league ball club. According to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, David Hastings, who is Yoan Moncada‘s agent, received word late Friday night from the United States Treasury Department Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) that his client is officially unblocked from the recently amended guidelines for Cuban ball players seeking free-agency, therefore granting him a general license to play in the United States.

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If the New York Yankees are serious about getting younger and better at the same time without committing to a major rebuild, Brian Cashman and Co. should be all-in on this kid.

Moncada is a 19-year old infielder who recently defected from Cuba and legally established residency in Guatemala. He has set up numerous showcases to display his talents to interested Major League Baseball teams over the last month and has left major league scouts raving about him.

Some scouts have already began comparing the young infielder to Jorge Soler and Yasiel Puig, which is pretty high praise for a player as young as Moncada. The 6-foot-2, 205-lb switch-hitter made his professional debut for the Cienfuegos Oilers of the Cuban National Series as a 17-year old and hit .277 over the course of two seasons. He played alongside Chicago White Sox slugger Jose Abreu and Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Eribel Arruebarrena.

Because Moncada is under the age of 23, and has not played in a Cuban Professional League for a minimum of five seasons, he will fall under the international spending restriction. Being that he’s set to sign within the next few days, this is where the Yankees will benefit from his signing. The Yankees have already gone all-in, in regards to the international free-agent market last season with the signings of Dermis Garcia, Nelson Gomez, Juan De Leon and Co., which will limit them to a cap ceiling of just $300,000 over the next two seasons. However, this year the Yankees seem to be putting all their chips on the table to build up a rather weak farm system that hasn’t produced much Major League talent in recent years. This season, the Yankees can offer Yoan Moncada whatever they want, so long as they pay a dollar-for-dollar tax on the guaranteed portion of that contract. While this doesn’t mean the Yankees will give him a $100 million deal, it can still amount to a decent bit of change, potentially higher than the $30 million deal we saw Jorge Soler sign with the Chicago Cubs a few years back.

Adding Moncada to the Yankees farm system would be beneficial to the organization. Granted, he would still be a couple of years away from making his major league debut, when an impact player of Moncada’s ability becomes available, the Yankees need to do whatever is necessary to bring him to the Bronx. If what the scouts are saying about Moncada is actually true, he can be the next ‘home-grown’ talent to play for the New York Yankees since the man we all called ‘The Captain.’

The Yankees have let some pretty young and impactful talents like Jose Abreu, Jorge Soler, Yasiel Puig, Yoenis Cespedes and Aroldis Chapman (just to name a few) go elsewhere when the only risk was opening their checkbook. Of course with Moncada, the only risk is again money, but given his young age, talent level and infield versatility, it’s no secret that he would instantly rank among the team’s best prospects.

Given his professional playing experience in Cuba, and in international tournaments, it wouldn’t surprise me to see Moncada elevate through the minor leagues rapidly and give the Yankees some hope that he can solidify a full-time job with the big club by age 22 or 23 – another reason why I think the Yankees need to be aggressive in pursuing him.

Will Moncada be a guaranteed superstar? No. Nothing is guaranteed in baseball. But the Yankees can’t afford to let an infielder of his potential slip through their finger tips.

If the Yankees are serious about improving their farm system, and the future outlook of their club, it should begin with Yoan Moncada.

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