The Oakland Athletics have dipped their toes into the international free agent market by signing top Cuban outfielder among others
The international free agent signing period begins today. This is the time where teams can sign players out of places like the Dominican Republic who aren’t a part of the common draft, or didn’t have enough service time in a league like in Cuba.
The Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres are expected to wildly exceed the bonus pool limit during this time, but so to are the Oakland Athletics; a team you don’t really think of when it comes to accumulating talent in the international market.
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Billy Beane knows that he needs to upgrade the system as the A’s never fully rebuild, but reload.
According to Baseball America, the A’s are going to land a major piece as they are expected to sign 17 year old Cuban outfielder Lazaro Armenteros and three other top 40 prospects.
Lazarito is just 17 years of age and put up eye popping numbers in previous tournaments. At the U15 World Cup, he he posted a .462/.611/.962 in 36 plate appearances. In Cuba’s U15 league, he hit .416 in 136 plate appearances.
Since the A’s are going past the limit, they will have to pay the a 100% tax and not be able to exceed $300k for the next two signing periods. Of course, with the CBA up after this season, that penalty could end up changing, making this strategy all the more prudent for the A’s.
You wouldn’t think of a team like the A’s doing this kind of thing, but they need to stock their farm system and I like the aggressive approach.
The A’s are also expected to sign Dominican shortstops Marcos Brito and Yerdel Vargas along with outfielder Kevin Richards. Combining them with Armenteros along with their strong draft class this season, should give A’s fans hope for the future.