Report: Rangers Keeping Tabs on Moncada
/Back in November, I took a look at Yoan Moncada, the 19-year old Cuban middle infielder that scouts have been raving about. At the time, he still hadn't been given government clearance to be able to sign with a team.
As of yet, though, Major League Baseball has yet to give Moncada the green light to sign. Despite the United States acknowledging Moncada's permanent residency in Guatemala, at some point after Yasiel Puig signed in 2012, MLB started requiring a written license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control, which can take six months or so, providing a significant hindrance for some players.
That coincides with today's report from Jesse Sanchez on Twitter:
Now, unless Moncada is unable to sign prior to June 15, Texas will almost certainly be "out" on him. As covered before, since Texas exceeded the international bonus pool in the 2013-2014 signing period, they're blocked from spending more than $250,000 on any one player during the 2014-2015 signing period.
Moncada figures to command considerably more than that, with many projected bonus figures coming in at around $30-40 million. Should he still be available at the beginning of the 2015-2016 signing period, then that would be where Texas keeping tabs on Moncada might pay off. For now, however, the Rangers are most likely just doing their due diligence to make sure they have all the information available in the event that Yoan Moncada is still unsigned heading into the middle of June.