Report: Cuban prospect Yoan Moncada works out for Yankees, Red Sox, others
The Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers and New York Yankees are among the latest teams to reportedly work out Cuban shortstop Yoan Moncada.
Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com also identified the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants as clubs that have held private workout sessions in Florida with the 19-year-old infielder. The Yankees are believed to be one of the front-runners to sign Moncada, sources tell Baseball America's Ben Badler.
The highly touted prospect is considered among the top talents to emerge from Cuba, though his arrival in the big leagues is still pending approval. Moncada won't be allowed to sign with a MLB team until he's cleared by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Further complicating the process to secure Moncada are the Collective Bargaining Agreement's international signing guidelines.
From MLB.com:
Because he is under 23 and did not play in a Cuban professional league for at least five seasons, Moncada is subject to the international signing guidelines. In accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team is allotted a $700,000 base and a bonus pool based on the team’s record in 2013 for the international signing period, which started on July 2.
The Yankees, Rays, Red Sox along with the (Arizona) D-backs and (Los Angeles) Angels have all spent more than 15 percent of their allotted bonus pools and are in the maximum penalty range for the 2014-15 signing period. The penalty includes a 100 percent tax on their pool overage and prohibits them from signing any pool-eligible player for more than $300,000 during the next two signing periods.
Several other clubs are showing interest in Moncada, including the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs, Sanchez reports.