International Free Agency Day 1 Recap

We've been hearing for months about how the Yankees were going to "spend like crazy" and "make a big splash" in international free agency this year.  We heard 3 weeks ago that they already had multi-million dollar deals in place with 3 of the top players available.  The international free agency period officially opened yesterday and the Yankees definitely walked the walk after talking the talk.  Here's the breakdown of all the major signings they made:

• Diego Castillo, 16-year-old shortstop, Venezuela- $750,000
• Dermis Garcia, 16-year-old shortstop, DR- $3.2 million
• Nelson Gomez, 16-year-old third baseman, DR- $2.25 million
• Wilkerman Garcia, 16-year-old shortstop, Venezuela- $1.35 million
• Juan De Leon, 16-year-old outfielder, DR- $2 million
• Miguel Flames, 16-year-old catcher, Venezuela- $1 million
• Hyo-Jun Park, 18-year-old shortstop, S. Korea- $1.1 million
• Jonathan Amundaray, 16-year-old outfielder, Venezuela- $1.5 million
• Antonio Arias, 16-year-old outfielder, DR- $800,000

That's 9 of Baseball America's top 28 rated prospects, 4 of the top 10 (both Garcias, Gomez, De Leon), and with all the other smaller dollar signings about $14.5 million in bonuses given out by the Yankees. Add in the $12.3 mil in penalties for going well over their slotted amount and we're looking at $26.8 mil total spent in the first day, and that's not including Christopher Torres and his expected $2.5 mil bonus.  Quite the splash indeed.  Hopefully it pays off in a few years.

Report: Yanks Already Have Agreements In Place With 3 Top International Free Agents

The Yankees' draft strategy was very transparent this year.  They were focused on loading up on college players with high probabilities of at least reaching their production floors who would be easy and cheap to sign.  That focus was with the goal in mind of spending big on the international free agent market, something we've heard about for months.

Well that plan may already be starting to take shape.  According to Andy Martino of The Daily News, the Yankees have agreements in place with 3 big-name international free agents.  Martino's unnamed source stated that the agreements are with shortstop Dermis Garcia for $3.6 million, shortstop Christopher Torres for $2.6 million, and third baseman Nelson Gomez for $2.8 million.  All 3 players are 16-year-olds and from the DR.  Garcia and Gomez have plus raw power according to most scouting reports, and Torres has the tools to stick at short long-term.

If these values are accurate, that's $9 million on 3 players right there.  The original estimate of the Yankees' spending spree was in the $12-15 million range, so we'll see how many more players' names pop up over the next few weeks.  The international signing period doesn't officially start until July 2nd.

Report: Yanks Among 5 "Finalists" Interested In Cuban OF Daniel Carbonell

We know the Yankees are planning a massive international spending spree when the signing period opens on July 2nd.  According to new reports, they may be able to add a big name international player before then without having him count against the international spending cap.

Via Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees are among 5 MLB teams who are currently considered "finalists" to sign Carbonell.  The only other team named is the Mariners.  For those who don't know, Carbonell is a 23-year-old switch-hitting outfielder who recently defected from Cuba.  In his last pro season there, he hit .278/.388/.405 in 127 PA.  His ceiling as a Major Leaguer is unknown, but from what I've read I don't think he profiles as a big time power hitter like Yoenis Cespedes or Jose Abreu or as quite the all-around hitter that Yasiel Puig has quickly become.

Still, an injection of Major League-ready talent or something close to that would be helpful to the team.  The crop of high-level outfield prospects hasn't done much this season and a more experienced hitter that's Carbonell's age is much more useful to the Yanks than a bunch of 16 and 17-year-olds.  If they have enough good scouting information on him and are truly as interested as Rosenthal is reporting, I'd be all for signing him.

Report: Yanks Scouted Cuban SS Aledmys Diaz Yesterday

Yankees were among teams scouting Cuban free agent shortstop Aledmys Diaz at his showcase today, sources say. @FOXSports1
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) February 13, 2014

 2015 will be the first year in 20 that the Yankees will have a new starting shortstop, and per this report from Jon Morosi they could have Cuban free agent to be Aledmys Diaz in their sights for the job.  Diaz held a workout for teams yesterday in preparation for his free agent eligibility next week and the Yankees were one of several teams in attendance.

I don't know a whole lot about Diaz other than the basics.  He's 23 years, listed at 6'1"/185, and a right-handed hitter.  In his most recent Cuban league season, he hit .315/.404/.500 with 12 HR and 11 stolen bases and I guess that's enough to qualify him as a bat-first prospect.  Defensively he's a question mark, but one scouting report I read gives him plus arm strength.  We already know the Yankees are planning to go nuts on the international free agent market this year.  Perhaps Diaz will be the first of those dominoes to fall.

Yankees Sign 17-Year-Old Australian Pitcher Brandon Stenhouse

(Stenhouse and his dad.  Courtesy of News Limited)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

Already over their 2013-2014 international spending limit, the Yankees pushed themselves further over by reportedly signing Australian pitcher Brandon Stenhouse to a 6-figure contract yesterday.  Stenhouse, 17, is a right-hander who drew the eye of scouts after pitching in the Under 18 National Championships.  There's not much out there on him scouting report-wise, but the report from Australia references fastball velocity in the low 90s and the pictures make him look like he's got a decent frame.

The exact figures of the deal are unknown, but the Yankees' plan for Stenhouse is not.  He's going to report to the team's Tampa complex for a 2-week Extended ST "orientation" in April and then go back to Australia to complete school.  Once that's done, he'll return to the US to start his professional baseball career full-time.

Tanaka Comes Stateside

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

It has been reported Tanaka will meet with Cubs and ChiSox in coming days. An official for an NL team told me Tanaka is in Chicago now.
— David Waldstein (@DavidWaldstein) January 9, 2014

 After a delayed back-and-forth between MLB and NPB to get the new posting rules put in place and a few weeks of waffling by the Rakuten Golden Eagles before they finally decided to post him, Masahiro Tanaka has finally come to the United States to start the meat and potatoes of his free agent courtship and contract negotiations.  According to David Waldstein's tweet above, he's in Chicago right now and is expected to meet with both the Cubs and White Sox before presumably jetting off to other stops around the country to meet with other potential suitors.

Yanks Planning To Go H.A.M. On The International Market

The original story is from earlier in the week but if you missed it, Kiley McDaniel of Scouts.com had a very detailed post on the Yankees' plans to spend like crazy on the international free agent market this summer and go way over the new international spending pool limits set by MLB.  The actual player spending figures are expected to be between $12-15 million, with another value close to that coming in the tax that the Yankees will have to pay for so grossly exceeding the limit.

As has been the case with some of the other new financial restrictions set by MLB, this is another example of the Yankees using their financial strength to their advantage while they still have the chance.  The international draft is coming soon, at which point they'll be on a level playing field with the rest of baseball when it comes to trying to bring in the top international talent.  They have the most money to spend on international free agents, the same as they do on the MLB market and in the now drastically altered Japanese posting system. If they're going to have that competitive advantage taken away as well it behooves them to take the small tax hit now and add the best international talent they can get.

The Yankees probably wouldn't be making this move if they weren't so unhappy with the quality of their farm system, and it's worth keeping in mind that most of the players they'll spend heavy on will be in the mid-to-late teens.  Still, talent is talent and you can never have too much of it.  If the Yanks follow through on this plan and throw more money at improving their farm system, they're bound to strike gold on a player or 2 and that's better than not spending and not getting those players.

Report: Tanaka Will Be Posted

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

It's a Christmas miracle!  After a few months of waiting, a negotiation of new posting rules between MLB and NPB that took longer than expected, and a report last week to the contrary, the Yankees and the rest of MLB got some good news yesterday when the Rakuten Golden Eagles announced that they will in fact post Masahiro Tanaka this offseason.  I'm so late to the game that I don't even know who had the story first, but most reports said the posting could happen quickly, possibly as soon as today.

This is big news for the Yankees and the report they were hoping to get after the new posting details came out.  Their biggest current need is another top flight starter and they were hoping that Tanaka would be that.  They've shown no willingness to entertain the rest of the top MLB free agents as backup plan options, and Tanaka represents everything their rotation needs.

Whenever he is posted, I fully expect them to go in guns blazing with a big contract offer and the full $20 million posting bid.  Because of the new posting rules, Tanaka's contract will be worth more in terms of AAV, enough that it will probably push the Yankees over the luxury tax threshold.  But they can't worry about that when it comes to a pitcher with Tanaka's ceiling and I don't expect that they will.  If they're going to break through that ceiling, this is the player to do it for.

Whenever Tanaka is posted, the Yanks will have 30 days to work out a deal for him.  There will definitely be other teams in the mix, but I have to think New York is the early favorite to sign him.

Report: Rakuten Won't Post Tanaka

(Maybe next year, guy.  Courtesy of the AP/Kyodo News)

(Originally published at IIATMS/TYA)

It seemed like things were starting to move in a positive direction on the Masahiro Tanaka front.  The new posting system between MLB and NPB was agreed upon and officially announced, and earlier this week Tanaka told his team that he wanted to pitch in MLB in 2014.  Despite their waffling on the decision to post him and their clear desire not to, it was reasonable to expect that the Rakuten Golden Eagles would eventually give in and honor Tanaka's wishes, not wanting to set a bad precedent for future players who would want to make the jump to the top level of competition.

MLB And NPB Officially Announce New Posting Rules

The details have slowly been coming out on the new posting system over the past few weeks, but Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball made it official today with the announcement that an agreement has been reached and the new posting system will go into effect today and for the next 3 years.  The major details of the new posting system are:

• $20 million maximum bid limit, paid only if a team submitting it agrees to a deal with the player being posted.
• Negotiating rights for any MLB team who pays the maximum $20 million posting fee.
• 30-day window after the player is posted for all MLB teams to agree to submit the posting fee set by the NPB team and negotiate a new contract with the posted player.
• Fee payment for the winning MLB team to come in installments set by the NPB team.  NPB team has the right to set the posting fee for any player at any level they want up to the $20 million cap.

There's good and bad in this system for the Yankees, which doesn't detract from the fact that it was a complete screwjob to the Yankees by the have-nots in MLB.  It also won't mean much for them this offseason if the Rakuten Golden Eagles decide not to post Masahiro Tanaka.  He's their only real target for the rotation in this year's free agent class, and I highly doubt the team would be happy using a Phelps or a Warren in the rotation in place of Tanaka.  His club has all the power right now, and the last I read they were leaning towards not posting him and trying to convince him to stay for 1 more year.  If that happens, this new system won't mean much to the Yankees until the 2014 offseason.

A Quick Word On The Latest NPB Posting Developments

(Or gets struck back against ... )

I don't want to make a huge deal out of this, because the Yankees are still winning the offseason right now by a wide margin and still have to be considered a favorite to sign Masahiro Tanaka whenever he's posted.  But the new changes being made to the NPB posting system are possibly the most blatant anti-Yankee screwjob I've ever seen in my time as an educated baseball fan and as a diehard Yankee fan I simply can't let it go by without saying something.

NPB Posting Changes Delayed, Tanaka's Status In Jeopardy

Didn't see this one coming.  After reports earlier today that the final changes to the new NPB player posting system had been agreed to by both sides and could be put into place as early as next Monday, Major League Baseball decided to put the brakes on things this afternoon and now plan to change their side of the proposal.  MLB Chief Operating Officer, and A-Rod's best friend, Rob Manfred had this to say:

“We warned them, told them, if this sat too long, there could be shifting winds out there. And suffice it to say, there have been shifting winds."

What those winds are nobody knows, but David Waldstein just tweeted that it could have something to do with smaller market MLB teams wanting posting fees to count against the luxury tax.  This would obviously be a huge blow to the Yankees, who were hoping to go hard after Masahiro Tanaka whenever he was posted while staying below the luxury tax threshold.  With things back up in the air and no clear direction on what comes next, the new posting agreement might not get put into place this offseason and Tanaka might not be made available for 2014.

Tanaka Watch 2013 Begins

(Courtesy of the AP)

Today's the final day for teams to make their qualifying offers to their pending free agents.  The Yankees appear pretty set on what they're going to do, and by this time tomorrow all free agents will officially be free to negotiate and sign with any team they want.  All, that is, except for the player who could be the Yankees' and multiple other teams' top target this offseason, Japaense pitcher Masahiro Tanaka.

There's still no timetable for when Tanaka will even posted, as the new posting rules between MLB and NPB have not been finalized and put in place.  The hope was that those changes would be put into effect by last Friday in time for the start of MLB free agency, and because they are not, technically Tanaka is still off-limits to MLB teams.  There is no new target date announced for the implementation of the rule changes, but that didn't stop Tanaka from giving his suitors something to think about over the weekend.

Changes To The NPB Posting System Should Benefit The Yankees

Over the weekend, Joel Sherman posted a story on the latest developments in the effort to change the current posting system for players wishing to jump from the Nippon Professional Baseball league to Major League Baseball.  For years the posting rules have given no power to the player, only the MLB team who wins the right to negotiate with the player by submitting the highest posting bid to his NPB team.  Per the new proposed changes to that system, 1 team will still maintain exclusive negotiating rights if they win the bidding process, but the player will also have the option of choosing to negotiate with one of the other top 2 or 3 bidding teams.

Obviously this change would benefit the Yankees greatly in their pursuit of Masahiro Tanaka this offseason.  All reports indicate that they will be making a serious push for him and it seems reasonable to expect that they'll turn in one of, if not the highest posting bid.  Under these modified rules, which are expected to be in place by this Friday in time for the start of MLB free agency, the Yankees would still stand a solid chance of being able to work out a deal for Tanaka even if they don't win the post fee bidding.

So What's The Deal With This Suk-Min Yoon Guy?

(Courtesy of Getty Images)

Masahiro Tanaka continues to be the most sought after international free agent pitcher, and justifiably so, but the Yankees aren't limiting their international pitching options to just him.  While dishing a harsh slice of truth on the state of the Yankees' reputation in the free agent world last week, Scott Boras also did some promotional work for a new client of his, 27-year-old right-handed pitcher Suk-Min Yoon from South Korea.

If you've never heard of Yoon, don't fret.  You're not alone.  He's been well under the MLB radar for most baseball fans and writers despite being one of the best pitchers in the Korean Baseball Organization for years.  His team, the Kia Tigers, did not allow him to go through the MLB posting process after the 2011 and 2012 seasons, and so this offseason he's working to finally become available as a traditional free agent.  He's obviously an unknown commodity in the MLB landscape, and he does have some legitimate concerns attached to him.  But for the right price, he could be a low-risk/high-reward asset for the Yankees to add to next season's pitching competition.