If the Yankees are serious about getting younger and better at the same time without committing to a major rebuild, it might not be a bad idea to go after Cuban free-agent-to-be Yoan Moncada.Moncada is a 19-year old infielder who recently defected from Cuba and legally established residency in Guatamala. He has set up a showcase to display his talents to interested Major League Baseball teams which will take place on Wednesday November 12, 2014 as he awaits being declared an official free-agent by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Major League scouts have already began comparing the young infielder to Jorge Soler and Yasiel Puig, which is a pretty high praise for a player as young as Moncada. The 6-foot-2, 205 lb switch hitter made his Professional Debut for the Cienfuegos Oilers of the Cuban National Series as a 17-year old and hit .277 over the course of parts of two seasons. He played alongside White Sox slugger Jose Abreau and Los Angeles Dodgers infielder Eribel Arruebarrena.
Because Moncada is under the age of 23 and has not played in a Cuban Professional League for a minimum of five seasons he will fall under the international spending restriction. Assuming this is the winter he's posted, this is where the Yankees will benefit from his signing. The Yankees have already gone all-in in regards to the international free-agent market last season with the signings of Dermis Garcia, Nelson Gomez, Juan De Leon and co. which will limit them to a cap ceiling of just $300,000 over the next two season. However, this year the Yankee seem to be putting all their chips on the table to build up a rather weak farm system that hasn't produced much Major League talent in recent years. This season, the Yankees can offer Yoan Moncada whatever they want so long as they pay a dollar-for-dollar tax on the guaranteed portion of that contract. While this doesn't mean the Yankees will give him a $100 million deal, it can still amount to a decent bit of change, potentially higher than the $30 million deal we saw Jorge Soler sign with the Chicago Cubs a few years back.
Adding Moncada to the Yankees farm system would be beneficial to the organization. Granted, he would still be a couple of years away from making his major league debut, when an impact player of Moncada's ability becomes available the Yankees need to do whatever is necessary to bring him to the Bronx, especially with their bleak future outlook. If what the scouts are saying is true about this kid, he can be the next 'home-grown' talent to defend the shortstop position for the New York Yankees since the man we all called 'The Captain.'
The Yankees have let some pretty significant young and impactful talent like Jose Abreau, Jorge Soler, Yasiel Puig, Yoenis Cespedes and Aroldis Champman (just to name a few) go elsewhere when the only risk was opening their bank-books. Of course with Moncada, the only risk is again money, but at his age, talent level, and infield versatility, it's no secret that he would instantly rank among the team's best prospects.
Given his professional playing experience in Cuba and in international tournaments, it wouldn't surprise me to see Moncada elevate through the minor leagues rapidly and give the Yankees some hope that he can solidify the full-time job at shortstop by age 22 or 23 - another reason why I think the Yankees need to be aggressive in pursuing him.
Will Moncada be a guaranteed super star? No. Nothing is guaranteed in baseball. But the Yankees can't afford to let an infielder of his potential slip through their fingers. As your avid arm-chair general manager, I would argue that the best idea for the Yankees is to sign Stephen Drew as a temporary shortstop while grooming Yoan Moncada in the farm. A player like Moncad can be a potential middle of the lineup power hitter with blazing speed. In my opinion, it makes more sense for the Yankees to open up the bank-books for Moncada instead of giving a multi-year, multi-million dollar Robinson Cano-esque contract to a Hanley Ramiriez, who is already 31-years-old and injury prone.
If the Yankees are serious about improving their farm system and the future outlook of their club, it should begin with Yoan Moncada.
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