Aside from giving third baseman Chase Headley a four-year, $52 million contract, general manager Brian Cashman and the New York Yankees have cut back on spending this offseason. Will they change their mind with Yoan Moncada?
Last month it was reported the Yankees and Boston Red Sox were the "favorites" to sign the 19-year-old Cuban prospect. However, due to his prolonged process of becoming cleared by Major League Baseball, a number of other teams, such as the San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, Tampa Bay Rays and Oakland Athletics.
A number of big market clubs - Dodgers, Giants, Rangers, Cubs, Tigers, Phillies and Cardinals - are also said to be involved in the pursuit of Moncada, which makes New York's situation a bit more difficult. The Yankees insisted they wouldn't be spending big this offseason, and now that it's speculated Moncada's signing bonus could reach $50 million, this means the Yankees would have to pay $100 million since they've exceeded their international bonus pools for the 2014-2015 signing period and are subject to 100% tax.
The only good news for the Yankees at this point is that the Red Sox "don't seem as enthusiastic about a pursuit of Moncada," according to Ken Davidoff of the New York Post, and the Los Angeles Dodgers have had "serious reservations" about signing the expensive prospect. Boston has made a number of big investments this offseason and the Dodgers are working on reducing their payroll with a more cost-effective front office.
At this point, no team is clearly ahead of the other, but it's speculated the Detroit Tigers could make a big push for Moncada and be a significant threat to the Yankees. Detroit missed out on Rusney Castillo in August and then sought to pursue Yasmany Tomas, but only had moderate interest in him. Although they have a number of middle infield prospects in their top 10, ESPN Insider Keith Law ranked their farm system last in the league, which means they need a talent like Moncada to help improve their future.
And let's not forget about the San Francisco Giants...
"The Giants, meanwhile, failed to bring back Sandoval and also swung and missed in an effort to land free-agent starting pitcher Jon Lester, who chose the Cubs," adds Davidoff. "As the defending World Series champions, having won three of the last five titles, San Francisco wants to keep rolling and has the financial flexibility to bid competitively for Moncada."
However, Moncada has private workouts scheduled for next week, so it's unknown when he'll make a decision.
