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Post by kinsm on Oct 2, 2014 12:06:33 GMT -5
--BA
Yasmany Tomas is free to sign with a major league team, as Major League Baseball has declared him a free agent, according to a tweet from his agent, Jay Alou.
The 23-year-old Cuban outfielder will be exempt from the international bonus pools, since he has played five seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional. Tomas has residency in Haiti and a specific license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the United States Department of the Treasury that MLB requires Cuban players to have, so free agency was the last major step Tomas had been waiting for to be able to sign.
His initial contract could potentially exceed 100,000,000$
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Post by kinsm on Oct 21, 2014 0:22:23 GMT -5
Baseball America October 20, 2014 by Ben Badler
Jose Fernandez is the subject of great interest in international baseball circles, but the whereabouts of the Cuban second baseman remain unconfirmed.
Fernandez and catcher Lazaro Herrera, who are cousins and teammates on the Matanzas Crocodiles in Serie Nacional, have not played since Oct. 10. Matanzas manager Victor Mesa, who also manages the Cuban national team, had previously said he didn’t know why they were missing.
Higinio Velez, the president of the Cuban baseball federation, announced Sunday that Fernandez and Herrera have been released from the Matanzas team due to disciplinary reasons. Velez said he could not say whether they left the country or where the players are currently. While multiple well-connected sources said they believe Fernandez and Herrera did leave Cuba, those stories were inconsistent, and Baseball America could not independently confirm Fernandez’s current location.
However, Velez did confirm that second baseman Hector Olivera left the country, which Baseball America reported last month. Olivera ranked as the No. 6 player still in Cuba before he exited the island.
As a 26-year-old with seven seasons of experience in Serie Nacional, Fernandez will be exempt from the international bonus pools if he has indeed left the country, and the interest from major league teams should be high. Fernandez, who ranked as the No. 3 prospect still in Cuba in August, is a major league-ready infielder with a short, quick swing from the left side, excellent bat control and stellar plate discipline.
During the 2013-14 season playing for Matanzas in Serie Nacional, the 5-foot-10, 185-pound Fernandez hit .326/.482/.456 with 65 walks and 10 strikeouts in 314 plate appearances, ranking second in the league in OBP. This season, which started in September, Fernandez was off to a .315/.415/.426 start with only one strikeout in 65 plate appearances.
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Post by psuhistory on Nov 10, 2014 20:13:03 GMT -5
This relates to the 2011 Leonys Martin case, but the illegality of Cuban ballplayers in MLB means this type of human trafficking won't end anytime soon, despite the easing of restrictions on contracts in other foreign leagues...
Smuggler Sentenced to Over 14 Years Associated Press, November 10 2014
MIAMI -- A judge has imposed a prison sentence of more than 14 years on the convicted ringleader of a smuggling organization that brought more than 1,000 Cubans into the U.S., including several baseball players.
Eliezer Lazo pleaded guilty in August to extortion charges involving the migrants, including Texas Rangers outfielder Leonys Martin. Other ballplayers are identified only by initials.
U.S. District Judge Joan Lenard on Monday rejected Lazo's request for a lighter sentence.
The organization brought Cubans by boat to Mexico. They then crossed the U.S. border in Texas for $10,000 per person, more for ballplayers. Court documents show the smugglers paid fees to the Zetas drug cartel to operate in their territory in Mexico.
Lazo is already serving a five-year sentence for money laundering in an unrelated Medicare fraud case.
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Post by kinsm on Nov 17, 2014 19:57:35 GMT -5
The Mariners announced that they have signed Cuban left-hander Misael Siverio to a minor league deal. Siverio, who is a client of the Legacy Agency, passed a physical two weeks ago, according to the Mariners, but the deal wasn’t finalized until today.
Siverio, 25, posted a 3.24 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 over his career in Cuba’s Serie Nacional – a span of 153 games (75 starts). He pitched in Mexico this past winter, posting a 2.45 ERA and a 36-to-10 K/BB ratio in 29 1/3 innings.
Siverio received a $275K bonus and has a split contract that will pay him $508K in the Majors or $120K in the minors.
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Post by kinsm on Dec 4, 2014 20:04:58 GMT -5
---Steve Adams
Top international prospect Yoan Moncada has arrived in the United States and is staying in Florida, Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel reported on Tuesday this week (Twitter link). The Cuban phenom has yet to be cleared by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control, however, meaning he’s not yet eligible to sign (Major League Baseball has cleared him already, so he has half the clearance he needs).
As has been previously reported, the circumstances of Moncada’s defection from Cuba are mystifying, to say the least. The 19-year-old Moncada was allowed to leave the country legally and proceeded to establish residence in Guatemala. He’s being represented by a CPA from St. Petersburg that has never repped a professional athlete of any kind.
In an interview with Jorge Arangure of Vice Sports, Moncada’s agent, David Hastings, discussed his client. Hastings explains that Moncada was able to live in Guatemala with relative anonymity for months, but once reports indicated that he was now in that country, a showcase had to be hosted as soon as possible and armed security guards hired for protection. “Since that time,” said Hastings, “we’ve basically have had him sequestered, voluntarily, since it’s not the best place for anyone that’s potentially worth that much money to walk around.” The goal, Hastings continued, was for Moncada’s Guatemalan residency to remain under the radar while his client applied for a U.S. work visa, after which a showcase would be held in the U.S. without safety concerns.
Moncada drew 70-100 scouts at his showcase in Guatemala, with every club being represented and some sending as many as six people to watch. Hastings goes into more detail on the previously reported incident in which two Scott Boras employees were escorted away from the showcase by armed guards. He tells Arangure that he doesn’t feel he needs assistance from a more experienced sports agent in representing Moncada (though one NL exec told Arangure he thinks Moncada’s handlers are “naive”).
It’s still unknown when Moncada will be cleared to sign, and the date of that clearance does carry weight; if he’s cleared before June 15, he’ll be a free agent in the 2014-15 signing period, making the Cubs and Rangers ineligible to sign him (each incurred maximum penalties in the 2013-14 signing period). If he’s not declared until after that date, he’ll be a 2015-16 free agent, meaning the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays won’t be able to sign him due to penalties from the current signing period.
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Post by kinsm on Dec 4, 2014 20:10:51 GMT -5
---Ben Badler
Andy Ibanez, a 21-year-old second baseman, has left Cuba in pursuit of a Major League contract, Baseball America’s Ben Badler reports. The 5’10”, 183-pound, right-handed hitting Ibanez is believed to have left Cuba sometime before September 21, which was the start of the Serie Nacional season and is currently in the Dominican Republic.
Baseball America recently ranked Ibanez eighth on their list of the best prospects still in Cuba, with Badler writing that Ibanez “doesn’t have any premium tools or star upside, but his value lies in being steady in all phases while playing in the middle of the diamond.” He posted a .267/.377/.435 line over 280 PA last season and won a Gold Glove in his 2011-12 rookie year. Badler figures that Ibanez would start his Major League career at high-A or Double-A ball.
Since Ibanez has only three seasons of experience in Serie Nacional, he’ll be subject to the 2014-15 international bonus pools. If Ibanez can get cleared to sign before the 2014-15 signing period ends on June 15, Badler thinks this could give the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays an advantage in signing him since those clubs have already exceeded their pool limits (and thus they don’t have to worry about spending more on new signings). Those overages will prevent the three teams from signing any bonus pool-eligible players for the next two years, however, so the AL East trio will be out of the running for Ibanez if he isn’t a free agent by that June 15 date.
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Post by kinsm on Jan 22, 2015 8:28:44 GMT -5
www.baseballamerica.com/international/guillermo-heredia-leaves-cuba/Guillermo Heredia Leaves CubaJanuary 21, 2015 by Ben Badler Guillermo Heredia, the center fielder on Cuba’s 2013 World Baseball Classic team known for his defense, has left the island to pursue a contract with a major league team, Baseball America has learned. Heredia, 23, will be exempt from the international bonus pools, though the process to become eligible to sign will take a while. In August, Baseball America ranked Heredia the No. 11 prospect still in Cuba, and while his ranking would have dropped in an updated list, that has more to do with the emergence of young players on the island than anything Heredia has done. In fact, Heredia has barely played at all this season in Cuba. He played on Opening Day for his Matanzas team and singled in his first plate appearance in the top of the second inning, but when Matanzas took the field for the third inning, Heredia was no longer in the game. That was the only plate appearance Heredia had this season, and while reports out of the international baseball community were conflicting as to why Heredia was no longer playing, Cuban national baseball commissioner Heriberto Suarez confirmed earlier this month that Heredia had been suspended for four years. Heredia had previously played five full seasons in Cuba, so there isn’t any question about him being exempt from the bonus pools. Scouts have followed Heredia for years since he was teammates with Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler on the Cuban junior national team at 18U World Championships in 2009. As a 21-year-old in the 2011-12 season, Heredia broke through by hitting .343/.439/.527 in 443 plate appearances and winning a Gold Glove award. Once Yoenis Cespedes had left the country and Red Sox outfielder Rusney Castillo was still there but suspended, Heredia emerged as the national team center fielder, with scouts evaluating him in person at the 2013 WBC. After that season, though, his offensive performance dipped, as he batted .265/.381/.384 in 68 games in 2012-13, then last season (2013-14) he hit .255/.377/.349 in 61 games. With the emergence of dynamic teenage center fielder Victor Mesa (the son of Matanzas and Cuban national team manager Victor Mesa), Heredia split time between right field and center in 2013-14, and he faced a crowded outfield situation on his own Cuban team. When he does sign with a major league club, Heredia should return full-time to center field, where he’s a plus defender. He runs well, gets quick jumps off the bat and has good range to go with a strong arm. The question mark scouts have is on his bat. Heredia had been a switch-hitter, but last season he stopped hitting from the left side, making him the rare lefthanded thrower who hits only righthanded. Baseball America subscribers can read an in-depth scouting report on Heredia. Heredia turns 24 at the end of this month, and depending on how he progresses leading up to his eventual signing, he could go straight to the major leagues, or at the very least should be ready for a Triple-A assignment to start his career.
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Post by psuhistory on Jan 22, 2015 9:13:47 GMT -5
No clear explanation of the four-year suspension from SN; odd that he disappeared a couple of innings after a game had started. This was Badler's comment last week...
BA, 1/19/2015 According to a report in the Cuban media by Yailin Orta Rivera, national baseball commissioner Heriberto Suarez confirmed on the Mesa Redonda TV program that Heredia has been suspended for four years. Heredia had played for Matanzas in Serie Nacional this season, although only briefly. Word out of Cuba had previously been conflicting as to why Heredia wasn’t playing, with one Cuban news report citing a back injury and other sources saying he had requested his release from the league, like former Cienfuegos infielders Yoan Moncada and Pavel Quesada did prior to leaving the country.
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Post by kinsm on Jan 22, 2015 9:45:19 GMT -5
No clear explanation of the four-year suspension from SN; odd that he disappeared a couple of innings after a game had started. This was Badler's comment last week... BA, 1/19/2015 According to a report in the Cuban media by Yailin Orta Rivera, national baseball commissioner Heriberto Suarez confirmed on the Mesa Redonda TV program that Heredia has been suspended for four years. Heredia had played for Matanzas in Serie Nacional this season, although only briefly. Word out of Cuba had previously been conflicting as to why Heredia wasn’t playing, with one Cuban news report citing a back injury and other sources saying he had requested his release from the league, like former Cienfuegos infielders Yoan Moncada and Pavel Quesada did prior to leaving the country. Defection attempt speculation
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Post by psuhistory on Jan 22, 2015 12:20:03 GMT -5
No clear explanation of the four-year suspension from SN; odd that he disappeared a couple of innings after a game had started. This was Badler's comment last week... BA, 1/19/2015 According to a report in the Cuban media by Yailin Orta Rivera, national baseball commissioner Heriberto Suarez confirmed on the Mesa Redonda TV program that Heredia has been suspended for four years. Heredia had played for Matanzas in Serie Nacional this season, although only briefly. Word out of Cuba had previously been conflicting as to why Heredia wasn’t playing, with one Cuban news report citing a back injury and other sources saying he had requested his release from the league, like former Cienfuegos infielders Yoan Moncada and Pavel Quesada did prior to leaving the country. Defection attempt speculation Yeah, the odd thing is his withdrawal during the middle of a game. (I like Badler's articles, he avoids the political slant of some of the reporting on Cuban baseball, in particular.) In this case, both the political motive and the injury report could have some factual basis...
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Post by psuhistory on Jan 28, 2015 18:49:44 GMT -5
Just the details of the contract. He may not be much of an improvement over Constanza: a younger model bench outfielder with little power...
Dian Toscano, Braves Agree to Deal Associated Press, 1/28/2015
ATLANTA -- Cuban outfielder Dian Toscano and the Atlanta Braves have agreed to a four-year, $6 million contract.
The 25-year-old, a left-handed hitter, batted .356 during the 2012-13 season for Villa Clara in Cuba.
His deal, announced Wednesday, includes a $1.2 million signing bonus payable 72 hours after he reports to major league spring training and salaries of $800,000 this year, $1 million in 2016, $1.3 million in 2017 and $1.5 million in 2018.
Atlanta has a $1.7 million option for 2019 with a $200,000 buyout.
The Braves are rebuilding their outfield after trading Jason Heyward, Justin Upton and Evan Gattis.
Nick Markakis was signed to replace Heyward in right field. Other newcomers include Zoilo Almonte, Eury Perez and Jonny Gomes. B.J. Upton returns in center field.
To make room for Toscano on the 40-man roster, outfielder Jose Constanza was designated for assignment.
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Post by kinsm on Jan 28, 2015 20:18:25 GMT -5
www.baseballamerica.com/international/mlb-changes-tone-cuban-policy/MLB Changes Tone On Cuban PolicyJanuary 28, 2015 by Ben Badler It seems yesterday’s report in Baseball America explaining that what’s preventing Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada from signing is Major League Baseball—and not the United States government—has caused quite a stir in the commissioner’s office and around the baseball community. As we wrote yesterday, the reason that Moncada and other Cuban players have not signed is because of MLB’s policy for Cuban nationals. Despite statements from the league suggesting otherwise, that has been the case for years, and is not due to any changes in U.S. policy toward Cuba. Due to the embargo, Cuban players must be considered “unblocked” by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) before they can sign. From OFAC’s perspective—and this was true prior to revisions of the OFAC regulations—any Cuban player who has proof of permanent residence in a foreign country outside of Cuba qualifies for the “general license” (which is not a written document) and is therefore considered to be unblocked. They don’t need to submit anything to OFAC. Moncada is a permanent resident of Guatemala, and therefore, per OFAC regulations, should be deemed unblocked which makes him eligible to sign a pro contract in the eyes of the U.S. government. The only holdup in the process is that MLB has its own policy that prevents Cuban players from signing until they obtain a “specific license” from OFAC. The specific license is a written document that players apply for after obtaining their residency, and in some cases has added six months to the timetable for Cuban players to sign. On Sunday, MLB issued this statement to Baseball America when asked why the league requires the specific license instead of the general license: “MLB is confident with the current plan we have in place regarding signing foreign born players and will abide by the guidelines of the OFAC requirements.” But after our report, MLB issued new statements, with an MLB official telling Yahoo Sports, “If OFAC confirms that the process for unblocking Cuban players is no longer to apply for a specific license,” the official said, “MLB will conform to the law.” There are multiple problems with that. For one, the general license is not new. Yasiel Puig signed with the Dodgers in 2012 using the general license. In fact, it’s possible that his case was the impetus for MLB to require the specific license, although MLB has not said that. But the unblocking process for Cuban players does not require a specific license. That is also not new. Jeff Braunger, the program manager at OFAC, confirmed that to BA in August 2013. “OFAC’s regulations contain a general license authorizing persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction to engage in most transactions with an individual national of Cuba who has taken up permanent residence outside of Cuba,” Braunger said at the time. “If the conditions of the general license are met, no further authorization from OFAC is required for an MLB team to sign the individual.” So there should be no ambiguity there. Nothing about that has changed. An OFAC official also confirmed last week that a Cuban player who meets the criteria of the general license and has permanent residence in a third country is unblocked. MLB sent a memo to clubs yesterday stating that their policies regarding Cuban players remain the same. Baseball America sent a request to MLB for comment this morning. The league responded with a statement it sent to Yahoo yesterday, which read: “MLB is aware that the Cuban Assets Control Regulations published by the U.S. Treasury on January 16, 2015 may affect the unblocking process for Cuban Players. MLB has important questions regarding how the new regulations apply to the unique circumstances of Cuban Players based on our significant experience in this area, and our discussions with OFAC in prior years. MLB is committed to following the laws of the United States, and will not change its policy requiring that Cuban Players receive a specific OFAC unblocking license until it confirms with all relevant branches of our government, including OFAC, that any new approach is consistent with the law. We hope to receive clarity on this issue as quickly as possible.” If MLB does change its stance on specific licenses, several more Cuban players in addition to Moncada should become eligible to sign immediately. Cuban second basemen Hector Olivera and Andy Ibanez have both established residence in foreign countries and are awaiting their specific unblocking licenses before MLB will allow them to sign.
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Post by Yossarian on Jan 28, 2015 20:48:03 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jan 28, 2015 21:41:51 GMT -5
Speaking of Cubans, Dayan Viciedo DFA'd today by the White Sox
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Post by psuhistory on Jan 28, 2015 22:03:39 GMT -5
Speaking of Cubans, Dayan Viciedo DFA'd today by the White Sox After signing a $4.4m contract too, expensive pickup...
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