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Signing Yoan Moncada Could Make Offseason A Huge Win for New York Yankees

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By @chriswgamble

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Getty Images

There have been plenty of Cuban players making themselves available to Major League Baseball over the last few years. The New York Yankees, however, have only shown faint interest in most. That is until 19-year-old Yoan Moncada became available. Well, sort of available as he still awaits clearance from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, an arm of the United States government.

Moncada will need to be cleared by OFAC before June 15th which is the last day of the current international signing period, a period that saw the Yankees exceed their allotment which means that during the next period they won’t be able to hand out more than $300,000 to any player. That won’t be near enough to obtain Moncada who figures to be one of the best prospects in all of baseball once he joins a team.

It is clear the Yankees are interested in him. They had him at a private workout though that is something every MLB team should do. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox also figure to bid for his services and one can’t ignore the Chicago Cubs either. If there is one free agent the Yankees should spend money on this offseason it is Moncada. At 19, Moncada already possesses a skill set that would rank him among the top prospects in the game. Throw in the fact that he can play shortstop, second base or third base and you get a must-have for the Yankees.

The Yankees don’t often receive a chance to obtain a talent like this and they absolutely must take advantage of it, if they are allowed to by the government. GM Brian Cashman has a chance to instantly upgrade his farm system and possibly bring them into the top 10 in all of baseball with this signing. In Moncada, the Yankees would most likely have their second baseman of the future with apologies to Rob Refsnyder.

The switch-hitter could be Major League ready in a season or two. That might be an aggressive timetable but Moncada has that kind of talent and is well advanced for his age.

Right now, early estimates are that Moncada will command a $30-40 million bonus. If Yankees were to be the signing team they would have to pay a 100 percent tax on his contract so a $40 million bonus would actually cost the Yankees $80 million. That estimate could be conservative when it is all said and done. Look at what outfielders and first basemen from Cuba have made in terms of signing bonuses and contracts and one could easily see a $60-70 million deal being necessary. That is a large chunk of change even for the Yankees.

Large chunk of change or not, this is one player the Yankees need to spend on. It isn’t everyday they get a shot at a world class talent who is only 19-years-old. If able, the Yankees need to sign Moncada who would instantly turn this offseason into a huge win.

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