Atlanta Braves to be Shut Out of Bidding for Cuban Lazaro
MLB Rules Lazaro Armenteros is Eligible for Current Signing Period
Back in late December, we told you about an intriguing teenager coming out of Cuba who scouts think might be an interesting power bat option in several more years. If all of Baseball’s stars would align properly, then the Braves might have a real shot at trying to land him – contract bonus price aside.
Instead, the stars have aligned for a small handful of teams that are about to land in the MLB ‘sin bin’ for over-buying on International players during the current signing ‘season’ (July 2, 2015-July 1, 2016). Sometimes it’s good to be bad, it seems.
Major League Baseball has ruled that Armenteros, who applied for signing too late for this year, has been ruled eligible nonetheless, and will be allowed to sign with a club beginning on February 10th (Ken Rosenthal was first to report this).
Same Penalty for Being Bad… or Really Bad
It is certainly likely, then, that the International Market penalty clauses will now be abused once again. Armenteros qualifies as a restricted signee due to his age and experience. Since we’re at the end of the signing season, all teams that had intent on spending their allotment of International bonus pool dollars have already done so. The Dodgers, Cubs, Royals and Giants have already over-spent their allocations, and are about to be sanctioned for two years – unable to spend more than $300K on any restricted international player.
However, there’s a huge loophole in the rule book… big enough to sail a Cuban refugee boat through… if you’re going to be bad a little bit, you may as well be bad a lot.
That is, if you go over your spending limit, you may as well keep spending. Sure, there’s a 100% tax on the overages, but if you aren’t going to be allowed to spend much of anything for 2 more years, then it doesn’t hurt that much to keep going.
Thus, the bigger-money clubs are in the cat-bird’s seat with respect to Armenteros. They have the funds, they have motivation, and furthermore, the clubs not now in the penalty will most likely not wish to put themselves there for the sake of a single player… even if he does turn out to be a big slugger.
So… the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, and Diamondbacks are already on the sidelines, being in Year 1 of their 2 season penalty. The Dodgers, Cubs, Royals, and Giants? Since Armenteros could command an 8 figure bonus, they are the ones to watch here… and that especially means the Dodgers and Giants unless Tom Ricketts were to approve a giant-sized check on behalf of the Cubs (spoiler: I seriously doubt it).
The Royals? Will not be a player (because of money). Anybody else? That entirely depends on somebody having been blown away so much by this kid’s tryout/showcase session last week that they’d throw all caution to the wind and bid like crazy – killing their international efforts for the next 2 years.
Curiously enough, this actually has happened… today. MLBTR (via ESPN’s Jesse Sanchez) just reported that the Cincinnati Reds has spent a whopping $6 million for another Cuban – shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez. It will cost them nearly another $6 million in penalties, too. So yes: there is a precedent for that scenario.
Atlanta’s Angle Axed
The Braves have already max’d out their International spending. If they spend virtually another dollar, then they will handcuff themselves for the next two years… and we’ve chronicled in detail the groundwork that they’ve already laid in anticipation of this next signing period. In short: Atlanta will not be bidding on Lazaro.
A footnote: just to address the inevitable question: there is one scenario in which the Braves could still be a player in this upcoming contract battle. But it’s not at all likely.
The Braves would have to approach Armenteros and his representatives and give him an offer that (a) they agree to; and (b) isn’t valid until July 2nd… then yes, they could sign him without messing up their July plans. Given everything else that’s involved, it would (a) require them to overpay (more than the likely overpay that’s coming anyway in this Giants/Dodgers bidding war); and (b) cost Atlanta a 100% overage fine on top of that.
It’s just not going to happen.
So chalk this one up in the “would have be nice, but…” category. July will be busy for the Braves, but MLB just made this bit of intrigue into (maybe) just a 2 horse race.