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Yankees News: Free Agent Target Yoan Moncada Cleared To Sign

By Jason Evans

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After months and months and months of waiting, we finally have the answer we’ve been looking for. Yoan Moncada, the Cuban phenom, who I wrote about earlier today, has finally been cleared by MLB today and can sign immeiately. Not only can Moncada sign, but also Andy Ibanez. Hector Olivera has yet to be cleared by MLB but should shortly.

Here is the change accoriding to Yahoo’s Jeff Passan, who was the first to break the story:

"Players who present sworn affidavits to Major League Baseball stating they are residents of another country, have no intention of returning to Cuba and are not Cuban government officials can sign with major league teams immediately, sources said. MLB distributed a memo to teams Tuesday afternoon outlining the changes.Previously, the league required a specific unblocking license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control. Recent changes in the government’s policy regarding Cuba prompted OFAC to no longer issue specific licenses in cases where the person fulfilled the criteria for a general unblocking license – such as permanent residency in a third country."

Moncada and Ibanez would count toward a team’s international spending limit while Olivera, when cleared, would be eligible for a big league deal.

Moncada may not sign quickly. According to Passan, Moncada has more workouts planned, including second visits with teams he’s already worked out for.

Moncada could cost $80 million when you include the bonus and the tax on the bonus the team is going to have to pay. The Yankees are going to have some serious competition for his services. We’ll see if they will outbid teams like the Red Sox and Dodgers and get a coveted prospect.

They could be in on Ibanez and Olivera too. The free agent market just heated up again in February.

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