After months in the making 19-year-old Cuban switch-hitter Yoan Moncada has settled on a team, signing with the Red Sox for what Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com says is $31.5 million.
Most projections had Moncada getting $30-$40 million and by committing that much money to a prospect the Red Sox a) pay a 100 percent tax for exceeding the international bonus pool, meaning it’s really a $63 million investment, and b) forfeit their ability to spend significant money on international prospects for the next couple seasons.
But if Moncada develops into the type of player many people think he’s capable of being, they won’t care one bit. Ben Badler of Baseball America writes that Moncada is now one of the top-10 prospects in all of baseball and ranks as the Red Sox’s top prospect, projecting him to become a power-hitting third baseman or second baseman.