Yet another benefit of Latin American ballplayers being exempt from the Rule IV Draft: It's open bidding season! No worries about some team drafting the guy you want ahead of you. No pesky "slotting" recommendations. Just straight cash, homie.
Multiple international scouts have told Baseball America in the past week that Inoa will shatter all bonus records for the international signing period by signing a contract worth at least $4 million, with numbers in the $4.2 to $4.5 million range being floated.
"He's a once-in-a-decade type pitcher," said one international scout.
Scouts say the Yankees have also been heavily pursuing Inoa, who hails from Puerto Plata, but with one week until Inoa can officially sign, the Athletics appear to be the favorite for his services. Athletics general manager Billy Beane and other top talent evaluators from the organization had been in the Dominican Republic to watch Inoa earlier in the year, and Beane was reportedly back in the Dominican again in recent weeks.
How the Yanks could get out-bid by a relatively measley $1 million (give or take) is beyond me. This is the one area that the Yanks should absolutely exert their financial muscle. The cost of not winning the "auction" far outweighs the incremental costs. The way the Yanks write off bad decisions, what's another $4-5 million if the kid absolutely flops? And if he develops like the scouts dream he can, you've got control of him for years and will save multiples of that signing fee.
Inoa's fastball sits in the low-90s and has touched 94, which he complements with a curveball that generates generally positive reviews from scouts and a changeup. Aside from his present velocity, what stands out about Inoa is his size—at 6-foot-7, 205 pounds he projects to throw even harder—and his athleticism, which enables to repeat his fluid delivery.
Why not ante up and make a run at this kid?
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2 comments:
I wondered this earlier as well. If he's a once a decade pitcher, then why not give him the $4 million. Especially because the Braves didn't have a first-round pick, they should get in on this to have Teheran and Inoa. I completely agree. I have no idea why more teams aren't in on the kid. It's not like anyone is really strapped for cash.
It seems that the various clubs have mixed reports on Inoa, with many of the teams disagreeing on his ceiling. The Mariners, who are generally considered to have one of the best international scouting teams in MLB, are out on Inoa not because he blows the budget, rather they feel he is simply not worth the cash in an over-hyped sort of way. Perhaps the Yanks feel the same way?
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