UPDATE: Here's the latest from Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com:
"Martinez agreed to terms on a signing bonus worth $2.5 million on Oct. 3 with the Giants and later changed his mind. The deal, which the Giants did not confirm, was pending a physical and based on a series of texts and emails. Sources told MLB.com that Martinez's father was seeking a bonus closer to $3 million.
"According to sources, Martinez signed the term sheet for the Cubs on Oct. 8 and filed it for approval by the Commissioner's Office one day later. The Giants submitted paperwork claiming a deal with Martinez the day after they came to terms. However, representatives for Martinez claim the player did not sign a term sheet for the Giants or the sworn statement that says a Cuban player is in compliance with Section 515.05 of Cuban Assets Control Regulations in order to sign with a Major League team."
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Cuban outfielder Eddy Julio Martinez, who is ranked No. 4 on MLB.com's international prospects list, first reportedly agreed to a deal with the San Francisco Giants about two weeks ago. Then a few days later it was reported he spurned the Giants to sign with the Chicago Cubs.
Now the latest rumors suggest the MLB is getting involved to determine who has the rights to Martinez.
"MLB officials are hoping to sort out which team owns his services. Word is, they are hoping to resolve the complicated matter this week (or if not, soon after that)," writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.
"It all started when Martinez or a representative of his reached an agreement reported to be for $2.5 million with the Giants. But that was just the beginning. While the Giants apparently were under the impression their agreement was binding, Martinez or another representative some time after that made a deal with the Cubs, reportedly for $3 million.
"At the heart of the matter is whether the deal with the Giants is a binding deal that should count."
Heyman noted that Martinez "appears to have multiple people laying claim to the role of his agent," which is perhaps the root of the problem. If this is the case, it's possible he had multiple "agents" negotiating multiple deals, and when the Cubs presented their $3 million offer he jumped to sign with them because it was $500,000 more than the initial deal with the Giants.
When the international signing period began rumors were circulating about Martinez landing an $8 million-$10 million signing bonus, but that figure has obviously significantly declined. As a result, it's likely Martinez and his representatives are scouring the market for the best possible offer, which seems to be what has happened over the past couple of weeks.
According to Martinez's player profile on Baseball-Reference.com, the youngster batted .229/.333/.324 with 9 runs scored, 1 home run and 19 RBIs in 40 games with Las Tunas back in 2013 as an 18-year-old.
Stay tuned for updates on the league's progress regarding this matter.
