The Boston Red Sox have agreed to terms on a major league deal with Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias, sources have confirmed to Baseball Prospectus. The deal is allegedly a four-year pact that includes a $3.0 million upfront bonus and $8.25 million in guarantees. Iglesias, 19, was declared a free agent by Major League Baseball on June 12 after a lengthy process that began when he defected with teammate Noel Arguelles during a tournament in Edmonton last July. While the terms of the deal are finalized, nothing will be official until Iglesias’ international paperwork is processed.
Last month, I broke down Iglesias and Arguelles from a scouting perspective after they had been declared free agents. Iglesias was described by one international scouting director as, “Ryan Theriot with better hands,” while other have tossed out Orlando Cabrera comparisons. Iglesias is 5′10, 180 lbs. and is noted for his defense more than his offense. One scout said his fielding ability graded out as an 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale, along with a plus arm, plus speed and instincts that enhance his natural tools. At the plate, Iglesias bats from the right side and while his overall offensive package leaves a bit to be desired, scouts agree he will hit for average. Iglesias’ below-average power will limit him to contributing via defense, speed, and contact, but he has those in spades; the package of tools should be enough to profile as a big league starter at shortstop. His advanced ability at a young age, long track record, polished skills and premium position had many big league clubs interested.
Arguelles, also 19, is a left-handed pitcher and is generally considered a better prospect than Iglesias. Arguelles was also declared a free agent on June 12 and is currently negotiating with multiple major league teams, though a deal isn’t expected for at least a few more weeks. A source who saw Arguelles pitch recently said he is in good shape and was very impressive, hitting 95 mph with outstanding movement, solid command and a strong breaking ball. Recent Cuban defector, left-handed pitcher Aroldis Chapman, is a far superior talent to both Iglesias and Arguelles, and while he recently chose an agent, Chapman is months away from clearing the necessary hurdles to becoming a free agent.
Iglesias and Arguelles have had their share of controversy in their year-long quest to sign with a big league club. They switched agents last month, firing Jaime Torres (who has represented Cuban defectors Dayan Viciedo, Alexei Ramirez, Yuniesky Betancourt and Jose Contreras) and hiring prominent agency SFX. There have also been whispers about the true ages of both players, given their mature frames, elite talent and the ongoing age and identity falsification problems in Latin American baseball. That being said, a long track record of performing well and, more importantly, playing with approved documentation in international tournaments has clubs more comfortable with these players’ identities and talent than many Cuban defectors before them.
The approximate terms of this deal had been rumored since last week and some insiders were shocked by the amount, particularly when comparing Iglesias’ payday to that of comparable talents in the amateur draft. Other club officials pegged the approximate contract numbers months ago, citing the different pay scale Cuban defectors have established due to the different level of experience and polish the players possess. It’s still up for debate whether investing in Cuban defectors is a good idea as there are clear example for and against. I’ll cover this topic in depth in an upcoming series breaking down the economics of the Latin amateur baseball market. Below is a table of recent contracts handed to high-profile Cuban free agents.
* age at signing
** will be officially processed later this year
** total value includes incentives; $4.75 million guaranteed
*** total value includes incentives; $4.5 million guaranteed
**** six starts at four levels of the minors, with multiple starts only at AAA
Why should any insiders be shocked about the price given to Cuban defectors relative to the amateur draft? Don't these insiders understand that the sole reason the amateur draft exists is to depress wages for amateur baseball talent?
It would be much more noteworthy if they were shocked about the deals being given to Cuban defectors relative to, say, other Latin American free agents. Those differences would imply something about the value of experience in international tournaments, etc. These differences just indicate how much prospects would be paid if they actually had free negotiation rights like everyone else in the labor force.
The shock was more on an opportunity cost basis. They felt they could spend $8.25 million more wisely, which I guess 29 other teams felt, or else they would've offered more. I think everyone in baseball understands the different pay scale for Cuban defectors, domestic draftees, and July 2nd prospects. It's intuitive when you consider the rules in place.
The small sample size of notable Cuban free agents and mixed results causes some to say it's a bad idea and the separate pay scale is too high. Obviously with the draft and July 2nd, feelings are more agreed-upon with a bigger sample size and every team having a chance.
Sure, but the Red Sox didn't invest $8.25 million now, which is what the comparison might be. The more accurate question would be whether his $3 million bonus now would've been more valuable spent in the draft and the other $5.25 distributed across salary in the next 4 years.
It's an interesting question whether or not the Red Sox had available any players looking to bust slot that they thought were worth it, but couldn't afford to take because of this planned deal. I suppose "worth it" is all relative, but I don't see the Red Sox passing up prospects looking to bust slot because they're out of money. In past years, they've busted slot extremely frequently...it's possible that they looked at the talent available to them in the draft this year and said "meh...none of these guys are THAT exciting" and decided to reallocate in Cuba.
How does the Iglesias signing rank relative to what someone of his perceived talent level would get coming out of the Dominican?
Doesn't matter, Iglesias doesn't exist in the Dominican. July 2nd guys are 16, toolsy workout types with little to no game skills. Iglesias is 19 with years of experience essentially in pro ball and against top level competition. There is no comparison, hence the differing pay scale.
So downside is Adam Everett, upside is, what, Omar Vizquel? 8 million seems like a pretty good investment for that kind of player, even if he just ends up as a utility guy, it's not like that's an insane amount of cash to pay for 4 years of a utility guy.
wasn't Wily Mo Pena supposed to learn to hit in the MLB? Just kidding, but with the skill set described in the article he'd sure sound like a candidate to work it out in the higher levels like Portland with an outside chance of Pawtucket.
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Why should any insiders be shocked about the price given to Cuban defectors relative to the amateur draft? Don't these insiders understand that the sole reason the amateur draft exists is to depress wages for amateur baseball talent?
It would be much more noteworthy if they were shocked about the deals being given to Cuban defectors relative to, say, other Latin American free agents. Those differences would imply something about the value of experience in international tournaments, etc. These differences just indicate how much prospects would be paid if they actually had free negotiation rights like everyone else in the labor force.
The shock was more on an opportunity cost basis. They felt they could spend $8.25 million more wisely, which I guess 29 other teams felt, or else they would've offered more. I think everyone in baseball understands the different pay scale for Cuban defectors, domestic draftees, and July 2nd prospects. It's intuitive when you consider the rules in place.
The small sample size of notable Cuban free agents and mixed results causes some to say it's a bad idea and the separate pay scale is too high. Obviously with the draft and July 2nd, feelings are more agreed-upon with a bigger sample size and every team having a chance.
Sure, but the Red Sox didn't invest $8.25 million now, which is what the comparison might be. The more accurate question would be whether his $3 million bonus now would've been more valuable spent in the draft and the other $5.25 distributed across salary in the next 4 years.
It's an interesting question whether or not the Red Sox had available any players looking to bust slot that they thought were worth it, but couldn't afford to take because of this planned deal. I suppose "worth it" is all relative, but I don't see the Red Sox passing up prospects looking to bust slot because they're out of money. In past years, they've busted slot extremely frequently...it's possible that they looked at the talent available to them in the draft this year and said "meh...none of these guys are THAT exciting" and decided to reallocate in Cuba.
How does the Iglesias signing rank relative to what someone of his perceived talent level would get coming out of the Dominican?
Doesn't matter, Iglesias doesn't exist in the Dominican. July 2nd guys are 16, toolsy workout types with little to no game skills. Iglesias is 19 with years of experience essentially in pro ball and against top level competition. There is no comparison, hence the differing pay scale.