Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada agreed to a deal with the Boston Red Sox on Monday. No details on how long the deal is were disclosed.
The deal is pending a physical, which Moncada will have this week. The Red Sox financial commitment in the deal is $63 million. Moncada will get a $31.5 million signing bonus and $31.5 million will go to Major League Baseball as an overage tax for using more than their allotment of international bonus money, according to ESPN. Moncada will report on March 2 with the Red Sox other minor leaguers.
There were a lot of teams that were interested in Moncada. The New York Yankees, Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers , Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Detroit Tigers, Atlanta Braves, Milwaukee Brewers, Los Angeles Angels, and Tampa Rays all scouted Moncada or invited him for private workouts. In addition to the Red Sox, the Yankees, Padres, and Dodgers were the other finalists for Moncada. The Red Sox had been one of the favorites to sign Moncada.
Moncada played in Serie Nacional in Cuba. He left Cuba with the permission of the Cuban government last year. He hit .273 with a .771 OPS in the 2013-14 season and hit .283 with a .762OPS in his career in Serie Nacional, according to the Boston Globe. He was declared a free agent by MLB earlier this month.
Moncada isn’t the only Cuban player to sign with the Red Sox recently. The Red Sox have also signed Cuban outfielder Carlos Mesa. Mesa played in the Pittsburgh Pirates system for three years, but never made it past A ball and was released. Last year Mesa played in the independent CanAm League in New Jersey.
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