2014 July 2nd (and Beyond) International Free Agency Thread

[-MetA4-]

Since we're quickly approaching July 2nd, and since MLB's Jesse Sanchez just released his Top 30 prospect list for MLB.com, I figured it was about the right time to start the official thread.


Jays' 2014 Bonus Pool: $2,852,900

MLB.com Top 30 Prospect List w/ Scouting Reports
Baseball America Top 30 Prospect List


Players strongly considered to be connected to the Blue Jays:

RHP Juan Meza, Venezuela (#10 BA, #11 MLB.com) - Bonus expected to be ~$1.5 million

"Meza is skinny and long-limbed but only 6'0/170, so you can't see that much more coming from him. That said, he's got a lot to like, including a smooth delivery and an advanced three-pitch mix. Meza broke a few bats with his heavy 87-90 mph sinker and liberally went to a 79-81 mph changeup that was above average to plus. His slurvy 3/4 breaking ball was a clear third option but was solid-average at times and gives him a chance to profile in the rotation" - Kiley McDaniel

SS Kevin Vicuna, Venezuela (#30 BA, Unranked MLB.com) - Unknown bonus

"Some scouts think Vicuna and fellow Venezuelan shortstop Miguel Angel Sierra are similar players, and while there are teams that prefer Vicuna, he isn’t expected to command the $1 million price tag of Sierra. Vicuna draws accolades for his defense, as he’s one of the best defensive shortstops on the international market. He’s only 5-foot-11, 145 pounds, but he has quick-twitch athleticism and excellent actions at shortstop, getting good jumps off the bat and playing the position smoothly. A 16-year-old switch-hitter, Vicuna has little present strength, which he will need to develop for his bat to catch up to his glove. Vicuna trains with Carlos Guillen, who also has righthander Juan Meza. Both players have been tied to the Blue Jays." - Baseball America (Ben Badler)

[-MetA4-]

The big storyline in this year's IFA season is the Yankee's apparent strategy of blowing past their allocated Bonus Pool and incurring penalties. They are rumored to be spending ~$10-15+ million and are tied to about a third of MLB's Top 30 list including 3 of the Top 5.

[Moxie]

We need to get Miguel Flames!!!

[Ong_dynasty]

What happens when you go over the pool?
We are normally quite aggressive with the ifa right? Doesn't seem to be this year

[Sifu]

What is the talent level of the top thirty IFAs equivalent to compared to the draft? First round talent?

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[-MetA4-]

What is the talent level of the top thirty IFAs equivalent to compared to the draft? First round talent?

No. Since you are dealing with 16 year old kids, you are looking at products that are ~2 years younger than your typical current "risky" HS draftee. There is a lot more projection involved with IFA kids, as most of these kids dont even have much real game experience to draw from. Typically I'd say that the few obvious elite kids at the top are 1st-2nd round "talents", although its hard to state that they would actually go in the 1st round had they theoretically been draft eligible at age 16. After the "elite" kids you have kids with tools but who are blank slates. Every few years you'll see a really elite kid like Michael Ynoa or Miguel Sano who definitely would have been drafted in the first round even as a 16 year old had they been draft eligible.

[Schad]

What happens when you go over the pool?
We are normally quite aggressive with the ifa right? Doesn't seem to be this year

Depends how far you go over the pool, but you can be blocked from signing any player to a bonus above $250k in IFA the following year.

The Yankees seem to be looking at exploring the tried-and-true Out of the Park Baseball approach to that: sign all the IFAs one year, paying a fortune to do so, sign no one the next, repeat.

[-MetA4-]

The Yankees seem to be looking at exploring the tried-and-true Out of the Park Baseball approach to that: sign all the IFAs one year, paying a fortune to do so, sign no one the next, repeat.

I think they also foresee the inevitable IFA Draft coming up and want to exploit the system prior to that, because everyone knows that the Yankees are highly unlikely to draft very highly due to their willingness to field a winning MLB team.

They aren't the only ones that appear to be going over allotment this year. The Red Sox and another team or two that I cant remember appear to be going down the same path.

[Schad]

The Yankees seem to be looking at exploring the tried-and-true Out of the Park Baseball approach to that: sign all the IFAs one year, paying a fortune to do so, sign no one the next, repeat.

I think they also foresee the inevitable IFA Draft coming up and want to exploit the system prior to that, because everyone knows that the Yankees are highly unlikely to draft very highly due to their willingness to field a winning MLB team.

They aren't the only ones that appear to be going over allotment this year. The Red Sox and another team or two that I cant remember appear to be going down the same path.

Agreed on the IFA draft as motivation, though with deep enough pockets I believe the boom/bust thing to be the correct strategy in any instance. Especially if, like the Yankees, your bonus pool is typically smaller than most teams. Also means that, in the down year, you can trade portions of your bonus pool, which is useful if you're the Yankees and are always on the trade market.

The Cubs also blew through the ceiling last year, though arguably not by enough...heh, if you're going to be subjected to a $250k/player cap the next year, you might as well try to sign everything with a pulse.

[-MetA4-]

Baseball America's free Top 30 list. Juan Meza still comes in at #10 (also listed as 6'3 190, much bigger than 6'0 listing at MLB) and Kevin Vicuna comes in at #30.

[Graham's Cracker]

Jays officially signed Meza & Vicuna according to Badler

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[-MetA4-]

Venezuelan reporter saying $1.6 million for Meza.

[-MetA4-]

Google Translate:

A source close to Kevin Vicuña SS ensures that the amount of your bond with Toronto was $ 750,000. More than initially reported

[Kaizen]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/internat ... s-tracker/

[Ong_dynasty]

That' leaves us with around $500k.
That should be another decent prospect or 2?
If we don't use it, can we "save" it for next year?

[Kaizen]

I wish we would acquire some slots from teams like the Cubs but I am not sure what you have to give up. Have the Yankees officially signed a ton of players?

[Kaizen]

Yankees have signed #6, #7 and #24 already. That sucks.

[-MetA4-]

Yankees have signed #6, #7 and #24 already. That sucks.

They're getting about 10 of the "Top 30".

[Graham's Cracker]

Yankees have signed #6, #7 and #24 already. That sucks.

They're getting about 10 of the "Top 30".

So far 19 of the BA top 30 have signed and 11 of those are to AL East teams. Dayum!

[-MetA4-]

"The Blue Jays have signed 16-year-old Dominican shortstop Jesus Navarro for $200,000. Navarro is a righthanded hitter who has performed well in games with a line-drive stroke and occasional doubles power from a smaller frame at around 5-foot-10, 150 pounds. Navarro’s tools will benefit from additional strength but he stands out already for his high baseball IQ. His younger brother, Christopher Navarro, is a shortstop prospect for 2015. Navarro, who played in the International Prospect League, trained with “Aguila” and Nelson Montes de Oca."