Yankees acquire vital international signing bonus pool money

It should be no surprise to anyone why during the 2018 trade deadline the Yankees pursued international signing bonus pool money. Some of their best players today were international prospects only a few years ago.

Since the beginning of unrestricted free agency in 1969, the New York Yankees have built a reputation for being the team that throws money at flashy unsigned stars.

Former owner George Steinbrenner believed that Yankee fans deserved to see his team win a World Series every year.

Well, GM Brian Cashman, who served under The Boss, has adopted a new strategy to build a competitive roster. One of his favorite tools to utilize is international signing bonus pool money, which helps him acquire international prospects.

Cashman’s latest star acquisition was Osiel Rodriguez, a Cuban 16-year-old pitching prospect who already throws 96-mph.

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Because of their stacked bullpen, Cashman has used relievers Chasen Shreve, Giovanny Gallegos, and Adam Warren as trade chips to acquire even more international signing bonus money. With this extra cash, expect the Yankee GM to continue acquiring highly-touted international prospects.

Notable Yankees who signed as international free agents

When Brian Cashman targets international prospects, they tend to make excellent investments. Here’s a list of notable international prospects the Yankees have signed over the last few decades:

• Bernie Williams signed out of Puerto Rico in 1985
• Mariano Rivera signed out of Panama in 1990
• Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez signed out of Cuba in 1998
• Alfonso Soriano, who is from the Dominican Republic, signed with the Yankees after retiring from Nippon Professional Baseball in 1998
• Hideki Matsui signed out of Japan in 2003
• Masahiro Tanaka signed out of Japan in 2014
• Gary Sanchez signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2009
• Luis Severino signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2011

Williams and Rivera were vital members of the Yankees’ core for nearly two decades. El Duque helped the Yanks win multiple championships. Soriano made a significant impact during his short time with the Yankees and was the key tradable asset to bringing in Alex Rodriguez after the 2003 season.

Then there’s Hideki Matsui who was the World Series MVP in 2009 — and Masahiro Tanaka who showed signs of postseason dominance last year. Tanaka, along with Severino and Sanchez have not been around for long, but maybe they will all remain huge pieces for the Yanks’ roster over the next decade.

Yankees remain busy in international free agency

According to professional scouts, the Yanks have been killing it in the international free agent market in 2018. They have signed 20 players, including Luis Severino’s younger brother, Rafael Soriano, and four of Baseball America’s Top 50 international prospects.

Perhaps one or two — or maybe a handful of these players will end up as stars for the Yankees someday. If one thing is for sure, it’s crucial for the Yanks to keep acquiring these young prospects in order to maintain a deep farm system.

Imagine the Yankees roster was a brick wall and Brian Cashman the mason. If the bricks are the major league players with hefty contracts, then solid international prospects and first-year player signees create the mortar that stabilizes the roster into a competitive team over time.

It takes time for the mortar to harden, but when it does it also becomes a solid part of the wall. Just like it takes time for prospects to develop when they do, they also become contributing members of the active major league roster.