The buzz in baseball this week is that Cuban free agent infielder Yoan Moncada has been granted unconditional free agency. Moncada is an intriguing name, because at 19 years old and with many tools, he represents an opportunity to add significant young talent without sacrificing talent in return. While the Phillies have been loosely linked to Moncada, the team indicated their interest on Thursday.
Amaro told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that the Phillies are aware of Moncada's abilities…and interested:
"We know him well," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said Thursday. "He's a very good prospect. He has a chance to be a very good player. He checks off a lot of the boxes, but we're not the only team that would be interested in Yoan Moncada. But that's all I can say."
The one consideration will be the penalty that a team will pay beyond the cost of signing Moncada. When a team exceeds its international slot dollars for free agent spending, there is a 100% penalty. So, as Zolecki notes, a $25 million contract is really a $50 million contract. Further, the team would be capped at $300,000 for any future signing bonus on a player that comes forth in the future.
The reality is, these opportunities are rare. It is very easy to salivate of an infield that features Maikel Franco at third base, J.P. Crawford at shortstop, and Yoan Moncada at second base. It is dreaming big, but who knows: maybe they could be the next core that brings the Phillies a championship. With the pieces the Phillies have such as center fielder Roman Quinn, the talent they could acquire in Hamels, Lee, and Papelbon trades, and the pitching already acquired in deals, a new era may not seem so far way.
