Club signs three Dominicans

[astrosfan76]

The Astros have signed a pair of teenagers out of the Dominican Republic, pitcher Carlos Vasquez and outfielder Edward Santana, and have reached an agreement with another young player, pitcher Tomas Lopez.

Vasquez, 16, is a 6-foot-2, 180-pound right-hander with an extra large frame and is someone Astros director of Latin American scouting Felix Francisco believes will be a power pitcher. He throws between 88 and 90 mph, but Francisco said the ball jumps out of his hand and he has a good breaking ball

Santana, 17, was the best position player left on the market, Francisco said. He can play center field, but the Astros like him for right field.

Lopez, 17, is a right-handed pitcher with nice arm action. He recently established himself in the Dominican Prospect League and began to draw interest from several teams, including the Astros.

Don't know how large of a bonus any of them received.  None of them sound like an Ovando-level prospect; Santana sounds like the best of the bunch, but they see him as more of a 15-20 HR guy down the road.  Could become nice players, though.

http://houston.astros.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120110&content_id=26300272&vkey=news_hou&c_id=hou

[jbm]

Did the new agreement put a cap on international bonuses?  Not per player, but per club.

[moriartp]

Did the new agreement put a cap on international bonuses?  Not per player, but per club.

$2.9mm per club.

[jbm]

Thanks.

So, stupid question, but doesn't that also put a ceiling on any individual bonus, or is there a way around it?  I assume there have been individuals getting more than 2.9 million bonuses in the past.

[moriartp]

Thanks.

So, stupid question, but doesn't that also put a ceiling on any individual bonus, or is there a way around it?  I assume there have been individuals getting more than 2.9 million bonuses in the past.

There have. I think a percentage of teams' international spending budget can be traded under the new CBA, which would allow teams to exceed the $2.9mm limit without paying penalties. But overall the new rules are basically designed to keep those high-dollar bonuses from getting any bigger.

[Reuben]

Wait, you're saying teams now cannot spend more than $2.9mil per year, total on all their international signings? That just seems incredibly low. Even if the Japanese signings like Darvish, etc. somehow don't count.

[moriartp]

Wait, you're saying teams now cannot spend more than $2.9mil per year, total on all their international signings? That just seems incredibly low.

Yes, MLB seems to think that allowing Dominican teenagers to sign for fair market value would be ruinous.

[Reuben]

Yes, MLB seems to think that allowing Dominican teenagers to sign for fair market value would be ruinous.

Maybe they figure the kids are only getting a few thou anyway and the rest is going to their corrupt "advisors" or whatever.

[astrosfan76]

Yes, MLB seems to think that allowing Dominican teenagers to sign for fair market value would be ruinous.

I don't necessarily disagree with having a cap on international bonuses; if you have a cap on domestic bonuses, you can't allow the market for international amateurs to continue inflating without limits.  But, I don't know if $2.9M is a high enough number.  Really, I wonder if this is intended to be a step toward an international draft. 

[S.P. Rodriguez]

.... I wonder if this is intended to be a step toward an international draft. 

Sure seems like it to me...

[jbm]

I'm not following.  Why does limiting the signing bonuses of international players lead one to think it is a precursor to an international draft?

Looking back at a summary of the CBA (cited below), it appears that shitty teams are given a bigger international bonus pool than good teams.  Presumably, that will also apply to the draft.  For example, the 1st pick will get way more than the 30th pick, requiring the Astros to use way more in the draft than the good clubs. 

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111122&content_id=26026776&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

Teams will also be taxed for exceeding signing-bonus pools for international free agents. The pools will be based upon winning percentages from the previous season, allowing the league's worst teams to spend the most money in the international arena.

[Travis]

The draft is another means to limit spending and "restore competitive balance," and people see the cap as the first step in moving to the draft. Post CBA, MLB formed an International Talent Committee to study the international draft, with the idea that it will be implemented in the coming years.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/7356002/panel-study-major-league-baseball-needs-international-player-draft

[S.P. Rodriguez]

I'm not following.  Why does limiting the signing bonuses of international players lead one to think it is a precursor to an international draft?

Looking back at a summary of the CBA (cited below), it appears that shitty teams are given a bigger international bonus pool than good teams.  Presumably, that will also apply to the draft.  For example, the 1st pick will get way more than the 30th pick, requiring the Astros to use way more in the draft than the good clubs. 

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20111122&content_id=26026776&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb

Because the top international players, available to the highest bidder, have been targeted by the richer clubs.  The mid-market and small market teams are only involved in the second-tier of international players.  Similarly, the cap was put in place for the amateur draft is meant to curb the past scenario where top talent is passed over due to signability (read: BONUS size) issues.  The end result is, big market teams continue what some view as an unfair advantage in the drafting of talent. 

[moriartp]

Because the top international players, available to the highest bidder, have been targeted by the richer clubs.  The mid-market and small market teams are only involved in the second-tier of international players.

For the most part, this hasn't been the case. A good number of small- and mid-market teams have been very active in signing high-priced international players.