Cuba’s Baldoquin says he has deal with Angels
The Angels have made a big splash on the international market, agreeing to an $8 million signing bonus with Cuban middle infielder Roberto Baldoquin, the player told MLB.com.
The deal is pending a physical. The club has not confirmed the agreement.
“This is a dream come true,” Baldoquin said in Spanish from the Dominican Republic. “I’ve made a lot of sacrifices to get to this point. I’m ready for the next part of my journey.”
Baldoquin’s bonus would be the highest given to an international amateur player during the current international signing period, surpassing the $3.1 million signing bonus awarded to teenage shortstop Gilbert Lara, ranked No. 4 on MLB.com’s Top 30 International Prospects, by the Brewers on July 10.
Baldoquin, 20, has already come a long way. He played three seasons for Las Tunas in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, the top league on the island, and he was also part of the country’s 16-and-under national team. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound infielder can also play third base and the outfield. He left Cuba in February and has been training in the Dominican Republic.
Because he is under 23 and has not played in a Cuban professional league for at least five seasons, Baldoquin is subject to the international signing guidelines.
In accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team is allotted a $700,000 base and a bonus pool based on the team’s record in 2013 for the international signing period, which started on July 2.
The Angels’ bonus pool total for this year’s signing period is $2,383,700. Because they are expected to exceed the pool by 15 percent or more with Baldoquin signing, the club will not be allowed to sign a player for more than $300,000 during the next two signing periods, and it will have to pay a 100-percent tax on the pool overage.
The addition of Baldoquin would represent the club’s first major signing of a Cuban prospect since Kendrys Morales in 2005. Baldoquin would still need some seasoning in the Minor Leagues, but second baseman Howie Kendrick and third baseman David Freese are headed into their final season before free agency and shortstop Erick Aybar is on the books for only two more seasons.
The Angels went into the offseason with less than $10 million to spend below the luxury tax threshold, but international signings don’t factor into that.
Jesse Sanchez is a national reporter for MLB.com.
(From MLB.com)
