The upcoming international signing period begins on Jan. 15, 2021. This period provides an opportunity for the White Sox to add some more talent to a farm system that has graduated players to the big leagues recently. The period was originally scheduled to begin on July 2, 2020, but was pushed back six months due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of the players who will officially join organizations in a few weeks were ready to do so this past summer and some agreed upon these deals years ago.
During the 2019-2020 period, the White Sox spent $2.5 million on then 22-year-old Cuban infielder Yolbert Sanchez. He’s currently a top 30 prospect in the system and is slated to play stateside ball in 2021. Sanchez is a plus-plus defender at shortstop and hit .297/.386/.441 in the Dominican Summer League to close out 2019. In addition to Sanchez, Marco Paddy and his staff locked up 18-year-old infielder Elijah Tatis for $400,000 and third baseman Wilfred Veras for $200,000. Cristian Mena was the top pitcher signed for a bonus north of $250,000 and Baseball America prospect analyst Ben Badler praised his starter traits.
The White Sox traded $1.25 million in international bonus pool space to the Texas Rangers in separate deals and the concept of those maneuvers have been well detailed to this point. Despite those transgressions, the White Sox spent just under $4 million on 17 total prospects in the period that ended this past October.
How it works
The White Sox are considered to be a large market club due to market size despite operating like a middle market club throughout the years. During the next period, they’ll be be afforded the opportunity to spend $5,348,100 on the international market similarly to the other clubs in their tier. Major League Baseball has allowed clubs to trade international bonus pool space in the past, but they aren’t allowing clubs to do so during the upcoming period.
Small market clubs that received Competitive Balance Round B selections in the 2020 amateur draft will be able to spend $6,431,000 this January. The six small revenue clubs who received Competitive Balance Round A picks can spend $5,899,600 and large market clubs will spend $5,348,100.
This is the first year under this system where the bonus pools won’t increase from the previous year. The Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Angels forfeited money from their allocation to ink free agent deals with Anthony Rendon and Zack Wheeler last offseason. Those clubs can now spend $4,732,700 this time around. The Yankees forfeited $1 million from their pool to add Gerrit Cole to the top of their rotation. They’ll have $4,232,700 to spend. The still penalized Atlanta Braves will only have $1,572,000 to spend in total. Bonuses of $10,000 or less are exempt from pools as are players at least 25 years old that have played six seasons in a professional league.
2020-2021 International Bonus Pools
$6,431,000
Milwaukee Brewers
Cincinnati Reds
Miami Marlins
Tampa Bay Rays
Detroit Tigers
Minnesota Twins
$5,899,600
St. Louis Cardinals
Arizona Diamondbacks
Cleveland Indians
Baltimore Orioles
San Diego Padres
Pittsburgh Pirates
Colorado Rockies
Kansas City Royals
$5,348,100
Houston Astros
Oakland Athletics
Toronto Blue Jays
Chicago Cubs
Los Angeles Dodgers
San Francisco Giants
Seattle Mariners
New York Mets
Washington Nationals
Texas Rangers
Boston Red Sox
Chicago White Sox
$4,732,700
Los Angeles Angels
Philadelphia Phillies
$4,232,700
New York Yankees
$1,572,000
Atlanta Braves
This year’s class
Ben Badler of Baseball America, Jesse Sanchez at MLB Pipeline and Kiley McDaniel at ESPN are the best in the industry in regards to reporting on the international market place. Badler has loads of information on the top prospects in the class and Sanchez published his top 30 prospects list at Pipeline as well. Eric Longenhagen is the lead prospect writer at Fangraphs and he’s published his international board too.
Over at MLB Pipeline, the top two prospects in the class are Cuban defectors. The 23-year-old Yoelqui Cespedes is signing with the White Sox. Outfielder Oscar Colas, 22, is currently undecided at this stage while being eligible to sign a contract. The biggest bonus in the class will go to 22-year-old Cuban outfielder Pedro Leon, who will receive $4 million from the Houston Astros. Yiddi Cappe is another Cuban prospect in line to receive a significant bonus. The 18-year-old shortstop is signing with the Miami Marlins for $3.5 million.
The World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers are always a factor internationally and the rich are about to get richer. They are expected to sign two of the best players in the upcoming class. Venezuelan shortstop Wilman Diaz, 17, projects for plus grades in the future for hit and power while expecting to remain at shortstop. Venezuelan Jesus Galiz, the best catcher in the upcoming class, is headed to the Dodgers as well.
Armando Cruz is a Dominican shortstop with plus defensive tools who will receive $4 million from the Washington Nationals. The Chicago Cubs are also landing one of the top players in the class with Dominican shortstop Cristian Hernandez. He’s set to receive $3.5 million. He’s a good athlete and plus runner that could have big power and plus tools across the board. Venezuelan shortstop Carlos Colmenarez has drawn comparisons to a young Asdrubal Cabrera and he’s headed to the Tampa Bay Rays. Dominican Shalin Polanco is one of the top outfielders in the class and he is expected to join the Pittsburgh Pirates for about $2.5 million.
AL Central outlook
The rest of the division is expected to be active in January. The Detroit Tigers’ top signing will be Dominican shortstop Cristian Santana for a bonus of around $3 million. In addition to Santana, Detroit will add Venezuelan shortstop Abel Bastides and some others as well. The Cleveland Indians are expected to spread their money around and sign multiple players for around $1 million each. The Kansas City Royals will add a full class of players headlined by Dominican shortstop Daniel Vasquez for around $2 million. The Minnesota Twins continue to add shortstops and Venezuelan Danny De Andrade is one of the best players in the class.
Chicago White Sox outlook
Yoelqui Cespedes
Badler reported recently that the White Sox were in agreement with Cuban outfielder Yoelqui Cespedes on a deal that should pay the player around $2 million. Cespedes is the No. 1 player in the international signing class according to MLB Pipeline and No. 12 over at Baseball America. The outfielder is exactly the type of player that the organization typically lands during the international signing period.
The 23-year-old outfielder can play all three spots defensively. He’s added considerable bulk to his frame since defecting from the Can-Am League in New York last June. There isn’t a ton of recent information on Yoelqui because scouts and evaluators haven’t seen him against live pitching since his body has apparently transformed. When in Cuba, the outfielder played for Granma in the Serie Nacional and he hit .273/.352/.400 with six homers back in 2018.
Listed at 5-foot-9 and 205 pounds, Cespedes possesses a shorter but athletic frame. Due to workouts with his older half-brother Yoenis, considerable mass has been added since leaving Cuba. He’s always shown good bat speed and a strong throwing arm. He’s considered to be a plus runner, solid defender and live drive hitter, but the physical ascension could change some of that profile. MLB Pipeline reported that his new swing looks similar to his brother’s and should provide “more power and explosive bat speed.” The publication rates his arm and run grades as a 60 on the 20-80 scale with 55 power as well.
The last time scouts saw Cespedes in person, he was struggling during the Can-AM League where he went 3-18 with a bunch of strikeouts and looked completely out of sorts. The White Sox locked him up before seeing him against live pitching with the alterations that he’s made. Cespedes should play in Winston-Salem, the High-A affiliate of the White Sox, but he could wind up in the Dominican Summer League to further massage the bonus amount that he will receive for the club. He should join the team’s list of top prospects in the 6-10 range upon signing.
One CAN-AM League at-bat courtesy of Cuba Baseball: Phil In The Blanks
Some more from @CubaBeisbolPhil:
Norge Vera
The White Sox are also expected to sign the top pitcher in the 2021 international class, Norge Vera. Vera is a 20-year-old Cuban right hander who will receive a $1.5 million bonus. The 6-foot-4, 185-pounder is listed as the No. 15 player in the international signing class according to MLB Pipeline. The publication gives him a 60-grade for his fastball and 55-grades for the slider and changeup. The report notes that he has “emerging command” and evaluators believe that he has a chance to be a starter near the top of a rotation. Vera has a projectable body, steady arm action and a calm demeanor on the mound.
Vera is the son of Norge Luis Vera, who was a standout pitcher in the Serie Nacional and for Cuba’s National Team during the league’s pristine times. The younger Vera “garnered attention pitching in international tournaments” according to Baseball America. His frame is lean and projectable but he already possesses a fastball that touches 96 mph. The righty sat mostly 90-94 mph with his fastball at showcases and some scouts were mixed on his command and secondary offerings, but the hurler was making mechanical adjustments throughout. A hard slider is the primary second offering with a developing changeup as well.
Vera has spent some time at the White Sox facility in the Dominican Republic in anticipation of signing a contract this past July. The righty has been lauded for his outstanding makeup and high baseball IQ as well. Similarly to Cespedes, Vera defected from Cuba while in New Jersey as a member of the Can-Am League. Vera will slot into the back half of the top 10 prospects list at most publications and he should join a packed rotation at Low-A Kannapolis in 2021.
Some video courtesy of Fangraphs:
Filling out the White Sox class
Cespedes and Vera aren’t typical international signings. Most players who sign during the periods are around 16 years old. The White Sox have agreements with six additional players and those deals will become official on January 15 as well. The rest of the known signing class for the White Sox is:
- Victor Quezada, 3B, Dominican Republic, $525,000
- Manuel Guariman, C, Venezuela, $475,000
- Dario Barrero, OF, Venezuela, $350,000
- Adrian Gil, RHP, Venezuela, $250,000
- Gabriel Rodriguez, OF, Venezuela, $100,000
- Antonio Jimenez, OF, Dominican Republic, $90,000
Quezada is the most significant signing of this bunch. He’s a power-hitting third baseman who will likely start the 2021 season in the Dominican Summer League. Badler called Quezada a “physical infielder with big raw power.” He noted that he’s worked out at shortstop, but that he likely slides over to the hot corner almost immediately. Quezada hits from the right side and was trained by Ray Castillo, who represented Yolbert Sanchez in last year’s class.
Guariman is a Venezuelan catcher with some quality defensive skills. A bonus of $475,000 is fairly significant and the backstop provides some raw pop as well. Raw power is one of the traits the White Sox have looked for under the leadership of Marco Paddy. Gil is a 5-foot-10 Venezuelan righty that already touches the low 90s with his fastball. Marco Paddy has landed intriguing talents in the past for low dollar valuations and some of these players could be in a similar vein.
Some video of Quezada courtesy of Dream Team Baseball Academy:
Guariman swinging the bat:
And some from behind the plate:
The Oscar Colas situation
On the latest episode of the White Sox Talk Podcast at NBC Sports Chicago, Ben Badler joined Chuck Garfien and estimated that the White Sox were still the favorites to land Cuban prospect Oscar Colas. It’s a very strange situation. Colas is in the same category as other older Cuban prospects whose livelihood and earning capacity have been greatly affected by MLB’s foolish and short-sighted decision to delay the 2021 international signing period.
The 6-foot-1, 210-pound outfielder is eligible to sign a contract with a big league club and he’s expected to hold a workout with clubs in attendance in early January. The issue is that Colas is likely looking for a contract at least commensurate with what Cespedes will receive with the White Sox. Due to the time frame shift, agreed upon contracts and the inability for teams to trade pool space, Colas very likely won’t receive a contract offer in that range this January. The majority of clubs already have all of their 2021 pool space committed to prospects. Reneging on those deals to land someone like Colas could damage relationships between the individual clubs and representatives in the futures.
Colas is the No. 2 prospect in the international class according to MLB Pipeline. The 22-year-old has 60 grades for his power and throwing arm with 55 grades on his hit, field and run tools. The scouting report surmises that he is “one of the most intriguing and potentially impactful prospects” on the market. Colas has pitched and played some third base in the past, but he’s likely a corner outfielder in the future after transforming his body since defection.
He last played for the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks of the Nippon Professional Baseball League. The slugger hit .302 with a .515 slugging percentage and 11 home runs in Japan. In seven contests with the big club, Colas hit .278 with 1 homer before leaving and seeking a major league contract in the United States. He also hit .305 and posted a .487 slugging percentage with 9 home runs while playing in the Serie Nacional in Cuba.
Colas has been called the “Cuban Ohtani” on more than one occasion. That particular label does the kid a disservice in all honesty. He’s got a two-way history, but it’s unlikely that he’ll ever pitch in affiliated baseball. The left-handed power is the carrying tool and while he’s worked diligently to keep his body in shape, a future at first base or designated hitter is a definite possibility. The outfielder is represented by Charisse Dash and Alex Cotto of QC Sports, the same agency that represents White Sox star Yoan Moncada.
Colas was a former teammate of Luis Robert and Yolbert Sanchez and the Cuban pipeline could play a role in his decision. Waiting until January 2022 to sign seems like an unfortunate possibility for the player, but that is becoming increasingly more realistic. Colas could sign with a club for way below market value and join an organization this January. If there is more money for him in the next period, however, the White Sox have as good of a shot as anyone.
FutureSox will have you covered on January 15 when all of the action on signing day becomes official. We will continue to follow the Oscar Colas story as it unfolds in real time as well.
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