According to multiple reports, the Chicago White Sox have reached an agreement with 19-year-old Cuban right hander Norge Vera. Vera defected after pitching for Cuba’s national team last June. He’s had multiple showcases and will reportedly sign with the White Sox for $1.5 million when the new international period opens on July 2nd.
Vera is highly regarded and was considered to be the top pitcher in the international class for 2019. The righty has a projectable frame and stands 6’4″. His fastball sits in the Low-90’s and has touched 97 mph. Vera throws a slider and changeup as well and possesses #3 starter upside. He’s considered to be comparable to that of a 2nd round draft pick and the bonus amount he will be paid falls into that range as well. Vera’s father is Norge Luis Vera, a former star from the Cuban national team who won multiple olympic medals during his time on the mound.
ADDITIONAL SIGNINGS
In addition to adding Norge Vera, sources have confirmed to FutureSox that the White Sox are in agreement with 6 additional prospects in advance of the July 2nd signing period as well. The signings are as follows:
- 3B Victor Quezada, Dominican Republic ($525K)
- C Manuel Guariman, Venezuela ($475K)
- Dario Barrero, Venezuela ($350K)
- Adrian Gil, RHP Venezuela ($250K)
- Gabriel Rodriguez, Venezuela $100K
- Antonio Jimenez, Dominican Republic $90K
These are seemingly minor signings on the periphery but Marco Paddy and his staff have done a tremendous job of adding talent for low dollar amounts recently. There’s not much present information on any of these signings but Paddy’s eye for talent has landed some gems of late. Ben Badler of Baseball America did get some video of Victor Quezada as a 15-year-old. The 3 players listed on the bottom are expected to receive bonuses of less than $300K each. There’s some video on Youtube of catcher Manuel Guariman as well.
POOL SPACE
In 2019, the Chicago White Sox were afforded a bonus pool of nearly $5.4 million. International Bonus Pool space is divided up in three categories (large market, medium market, small market) and the Sox reside with the other large market clubs. This total was a minor increase from 2018 when they were awarded a pool of $4.9 million. Bonus pool numbers for the upcoming 2020-2021 signing period are not available yet but with previous trends, it’s safe to say that the White Sox will have in the neighborhood of $5.8 million to spend on July 2nd.
During the current international signing period, the White Sox spent just over $4 million including the signings of 22-year-old Cuban shortstop Yolbert Sanchez and 17-year-old Dominican infielder Elijah Tatis Jr. That left over $1 million unaccounted for and the White Sox dumped some of their international bonus pool space in order to get buyouts paid for reliever Nate Jones and catcher Welington Castillo. The organization forfeited the right to spend an additional $1 million in the deal centered around Jones and another $250K in the Castillo trade.
It was a very puzzling way to use a finite resource and the decisions still appear to be short-sighted. Norge Vera is available to sign a contract during the current period and the outlay of $1.5 million would have been doable if the franchise had stayed flexible rather than dumping their theoretical currency to appease ownership. Vera will now sign in the next period on July 2nd but his presence could technically hamper the White Sox in their pursuit of an even bigger target.
THE CUBAN OHTANI?
Back in January, Francys Romero from Las Mayores reported that Oscar Colas had in fact defected and was looking to sign with a major league club. FutureSox recently confirmed that the Chicago White Sox are one of the teams with interest in the Cuban star.
Kiley McDaniel of ESPN confirmed the report in his latest article stating that “multiple international sources” have suggested that the White Sox have interest in Colas as well. Oscar Luis Colas is 21-years-old and is one of the best Cuban players on the international market. The 6’1″ 190 pounder plays the outfield in addition to pitching. He’s not the caliber of prospect as a Shohei Ohtani was but his two-way ability has earned him the nickname “Cuban Ohtani” from some.
It’s unknown whether the White Sox would be interested in Colas as a pitcher or hitter and some scouts believe that he could do both in the big leagues. As a pitcher, his fastball sits in the 92-94 mph range and he hits 95. He most recently was on loan to the Japanese League and played for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks. While in that league, Colas slashed .302/.350/.516 and hit 11 home runs from the left side. Colas must establish residency in a country outisde of the United States and will likely hold a showcase for interested teams prior to July.
CUBAN MARKET
The Chicago White Sox have always been active in the Cuban market. The organization is generally risk averse in the 16-year-old marketplace and the $1.5 million given to Micker Adolfo in 2013 is still the franchise’s largest outlay for that specific demographic. Players like Norge Vera and Oscar Colas are right in their wheelhouse though and these are the types of moves that the front office generally capitalizes on.
Marco Paddy and his crew likely have around $2.5 million in the pool for 2020 to use after these signings become official. The rumored interest in Colas is a good sign and being the first team mentioned publicly is generally favorable. The White Sox may have to trade for some more pool space (they can acquire up to 60% of their pool) to land their prize this time around.
We’ll have you covered on everything in regards to the White Sox and their dealings on the international market leading up to July 2nd here at FutureSox.
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Thank you James, i really look forward to your articles, keep up the great work.