Red Sox Sign Top Prospect: Hot Stove 2/23

News

Yoan Moncada‘s deal with the Red Sox smashes Yoan Lopez’s record for the highest contract ever given to an amateur. Lopez recieved $8.27 million, while Moncada will earn $31.5 million.

Rangers infielder Jurickson Profar, who missed the entire 2014 season with a shoulder injury, will likely miss all of 2015 with shoulder surgery. Still, the former top prospect in all of baseball will only be 23 for the start of the 2016 season.

Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen had foot surgery and will be out 8-12 weeks, putting his return date some time around the beginning of May.

Free Agent Signings

Red Sox signed Yoan Moncada (3 HR, 13 RBI, .273 AVG, 8 SB in Cuba, 2015 age: 20) to a $31.5 million deal, though they have to pay a 100% tax, effectively costing them a total of $63 million.

Dodgers signed Brandon Beachy (missed 2014, 14-11 career, 3.23 ERA, 2015 age: 28) to a one year, $2.75 million deal.

Royals signed Franklin Morales (6-9, 5.37 ERA, 1.62 WHIP, 2015 age: 29) to a minor league deal.

Dodgers signed Dustin McGowan (5-3, 4.17 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 1 SV, 2015 age: 33) to a minor league deal.

Mariners signed Joe Saunders (0-5, 6.70 ERA, 2.07 WHIP, 2015 age: 33-34) to a minor league deal.

Brewers signed Donnie Murphy (4 HR, 14 RBI, .196 AVG, 0 SB, 2015 age: 32) to a minor league deal.

Blue Jays signed Chris Dickerson (2 HR, 6 RBI, .224 AVG, 3 SB, 2015 age: 33) to a minor league deal.

After signing Rusney Castillo to an international record $72.5 million deal last year, the Red Sox agreed to an amateur record $31.5 million deal with Yoan Moncada. Because of taxes on any signings above $300,000, Boston will have to shell out a total of $63 million for the prized prospect: $31.5 million to Moncada, and $31.5 million to the MLB. The 19 year old infielder may well be worth the money. Scouts agree that had he been subject to the first year player draft, he could quite possibly have been a number one overall pick. A second baseman by trade, Moncada has the tools to play anywhere in the infield, and play well. With his bat, scouts see him developing into a power hitting infielder like Robinson Cano or Chase Utley. The 19 year old won’t appear in the majors in 2015, and likely will spend some time in the minors in 2016 as well. After that, the switch hitter will be 21 at his ETA, leaving him plenty of time to develop into one of the game’s stars. Over two years with the Elefantes de Cienfuegos in Cuba, Moncada hit .277 with four home runs and 21 stolen bases in 101 games, all before his 19th birthday.

Likely one of the last free agents of the offseason to get a major league deal, Brandon Beachy will get a chance to crack the Los Angeles rotation once he finishes rehabbing from 2014 Tommy John surgery. His return, which has been pegged for around May, will have him trying to unseat one of the sitting Dodgers starters. As of now, the rotation looks to include Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Brandon McCarthy, and one of Juan Nicasio, Erik Bedard, Brett Anderson, or Mike Bolsinger. Back in 2012, Beachy was one of baseball’s brightest young pitchers, and as of July, he was 5-5 with a major league leading 2.00 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP. However, Tommy John surgery knocked the 25 year old out until late in the 2013 season, then a second Tommy John surgery before the 2014 season, from which he is still recovering, caused him to miss all of last year. Still only 28, Beachy can still have a big impact on the Dodgers rotation if he returns to form. For his career, the Indiana Wesleyan alumnus is 14-11 with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP over 46 starts.

Trades

Orioles sent minor leaguer Steven Brault (11-8, 2.77 ERA, 0.98 WHIP at Class A and High Class A, 2015 age: 23) to the Pirates to complete the Travis Sniderdeal.

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Teams followed in this update: Washington Nationals, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Tampa Bay Rays, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers

If your team is not included, please leave a comment.
HR: home runs. RBI: runs batted in. AVG: batting average. SB: stolen bases. ERA: earned run average. WHIP: walks/hits per innings pitched. K’s: strikeouts. WPCT: winning percentage
Zack Silverman