Giants (although interested) miss out on Moncada

This is starting to look / feel / sound like my adolescent dating history.

Thanks for playing ( or being played ) by another free-agent Gigantes. The franchise appears to need a breath mint or something. Getting treated like some Disco Danny at a debutantes ball. Hey, freaking three time World Champs here, babe!!!

Given the comps mentioned below, you can see how a team might spend $25-$30M on a chance that he may achieve the projection scouts have for him. What is the cost of developing one superstar? Those are lofty comparisons for this kid. Now he HAS to succeed to make the investment worth the while for the Red Sox. There is no wiggle room. I am surprised the Yankees didn't come with a stronger bid.

Too rich for the Giants blood, no doubt. It does illustrate the inequity that American kids, or really any kid subject to the draft is operating under. How much would Bryce Harper have received in an open bidding system? $100M? The new commish has made noises supporting the development of a world-wide draft. It is sorely needed just from a fairness standpoint.

Either all go through the same / similar system or nobody does.

from mlb.com
Everything you need to know about Cuban phenom and newest Red Sox prospect Yoan Moncada | MLB.com:

His MLB player comparisons: 

 Jerry Crasnick, ESPN: "'He's a younger Robinson Cano type with better speed and more positional versatility,' said a National League executive." 

Jim Callis, MLB.com: "The only player with more than three plus tools among MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects is Twins outfielder Byron Buxton, who has five and claims the No. 1 spot on the list." 

Nick Cafardo, The Boston Globe: "One National League talent evaluator pointed out, 'He could be the next Robinson Cano/Chase Utley, but more Cano. That's the kind of potential bat we're talking about.'" 

Jerry Crasnick, ESPN: "'I don't know how people can say [Moncada] is like Cano. How many hitters in the big leagues are like that? To compare him to Cano is unfair to Moncada and disrespectful to Cano.'" 

Our take: Cano, Buxton, Utley, Cano? Yeah, it's time to be excited.

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Yadier Alvarez Emerges While Other Cubans Move Closer to Deals | FanGraphs Baseball

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEMOA0cElXo


Dodgers reportedly are set to sign Olivera. There is some great analysis of the major Cuban prospects available and although the Giants are reportedly "interested" in all, the next question begged is "at what price?"

from FanGraphs Baseball:
Yadier Alvarez Emerges While Other Cubans Move Closer to Deals | FanGraphs Baseball:

I returned a few days ago from a three-day trip to the Dominican to see top July 2nd prospects (more on that in the coming weeks) and also a workout that had 18 Cuban players in it. Two of those 18 were big-time prospects, the well-known and hyped 29-year-old 2B Hector Olivera and the brand new name, 18-year-old righty Yadier Alvarez.  Here’s my notes and video on those two, along with some quick updates on the other two notable Cubans on the market, 2B/3B/CF Yoan Moncada and 2B Andy Ibanez. For reference, in my top 200 prospects list that is coming next week, these Cuban players aren’t included on the list, but Moncada would be 8th, Alvarez would be 57th and Ibanez would be in the 150-200 range, while Olivera is ineligible due to his age and experience.

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Moncada will be priced out of the G-mens budget, so we can all stop salivating right now.

Olivera projects as maybe a utility piece at best and a health risk at worst. Maybe he helps if Uribe gets real old, real fast.

Ibanez seems to be in the Giants wheelhouse from a prospect standpoint, so if any, he would be the Cuban prospect from this report that is most likely to wear a Giants hat.

Giants Hot-Stove Buzz and Speculation

Let me see if I have this straight, the Giants are:

• "in the picture on James Shields" @ 5 years / $110 million
• "interested in acquiring" Cole Hamels @ $23.5 for next four years + $20 option year 2019 when he'll be 35
• and "haven't talked to, don't plan to" talk to Matt Scherzer

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hamelco01.shtml

2015 31 Philadelphia Phillies $23,500,000

2016 32 Philadelphia Phillies $23,500,000

2017 33 Philadelphia Phillies $23,500,000

2018 34 Philadelphia Phillies $23,500,000

2019 35 Philadelphia Phillies *$20,000,000

$20M Team Option, $24M Vesting Option, $6M Buyout Vests if he 1) has 400 IP in 2017-18, including 200 IP in 2018, and 2) is not on the disabled list with a shoulder or elbow injury at the end of the 2018 season

Hamels would be the most attractive from a contract versus performance potential comparison with Shields coming in second only because Scherzer is just looking to break the bank. He has Scott Boras as his agent, so go figure. Hamels will likely cost a king's ransom of prospects and seems attracted to San Diego under the "going home" banner. Hamels is from the San Diego area originally and reportedly would not mind ending his career there. So the Padres may have a leg up there and they have both the pieces to make a deal and a GM who is in wheeler-dealer mode right now.

The current signs point to either "Shields or bust" for the Giants with bust looking like the best bet.

from Bleacher Report:
Cole Hamels Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz and Speculation Surrounding Star Pitcher | Bleacher Report:

Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels has been the subject of numerous trade rumors and reports, as teams look to bolster their rotations with the lefty's services. The Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers have all expressed interest in acquiring the ace. 

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from Bleacher Report:
 http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2250529-james-shields-rumors-latest-buzz-and-speculation-surrounding-star-pitcher

The final Shields numbers are expected to be close to the five years and $110 million remaining (if the option is picked up) on the Cole Hamels deal, according to one major league source who was privy to Shields’s demands. The Giants and Red Sox are in the picture, and the Yankees may be another suitor.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE:

Maybe Cuban phenom switch-hitting, SS-3B Yoan Moncado as a decent consolation prize? Giants odds are 13-1 according to this analysis, but the Yankees and Red Sox are in on this kid, among others.

from Bleacher Report:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2280818-ranking-signing-odds-for-cuban-phenom-yoan-moncadas-top-8-suitors/page/7

Moncada is 19 and packs a lot of tools into his 6'1/210 frame. He’s a plus-plus runner with above average raw power from both sides of the plate and the tools/skills to stick in the infield, possibly at shortstop. Moncada is the quick-twitch type with big bat speed that clubs covet, and his track record of hitting at big tournaments and in Cuba’s professional leagues is excellent considering his age. 

 Different sources had Moncada timed differently in the 60-yard dash, though he ran somewhere in the 6.56- to 6.6-second range. That gives him a 70 for his speed on the 20-to-80 scouting scale, or close to the top of the scale. Moncada reportedly looked better at third and second than he did at shortstop, with enough arm from any infield position. He swung the bat well from both sides of the plate, showing plus raw power both ways. The only negative was that Moncada didn't face live pitching, hitting only off of a BP pitcher. When asked to grade out his tools based on this workout, in combination with previous reports, one scout gave the following grades:

Hit - 60
Power - 60
Speed - 70
Arm - 60
Field - 50

Short-term Shields works, the back end of his contract is going to suck, not the same with Hamels or Scherzer, but they hurt you down the road in other ways. Moncado the risk is he flops, but that seems like a low-risk and the Giants have to win one of these Cuban lotteries, don't they?

Moncado would move the Giants hot-stove league grade from a B-/C+ level to a solid A-/B+ in a hurry. If you knew what Cain and/or Lincecum were going to give you in the next 2-3 year, life would be so much easier. But life is not like that.

Giants fans are looking for one more present under the tree waiting to see if upper management deems them to have been naughty or nice last year. Given the fan support and the results from what has to be a worn out cash register in the Giants back office, woe to management if there isn't at least one more gift to the masses.

Giants options should the Panda thing not work out...

This is what we get? A 19-year old prospect? I doubt this is going to get it done, but whatever.

It seems as if the Giants should be around 50/50 to still retain Pablo given the Sawks renewed wanderlust for John Lester and the dollars he will require to sign. Toronto just signed Russell Martin and seems to be bidding on every available mega-free agent out there. The White Sox could still surprise from the rear.

San Francisco is still the best spot for Pablo overall unless he feels a compelling need to squeeze the free-agency lemon dry. If he weighs 290 and hits .220 in Boston for any length of time, especially after he signs for near $20 million per, do you think they go easy on him? Think it through Panda and Company. Sometimes you sacrifice dollars for quality of life.

from Bleacher Report / Baseball America:
8 Favorites to Watch in Moncada Sweepstakes:

One of the biggest stories in baseball is what will happen with Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada.

Trying to peg the market for Moncada is tricky. He’s widely viewed throughout the game as a premium talent, he’s able to play nearly anywhere on the field except shortstop, and he doesn’t need to fit a team’s major league roster immediately because he’s a 19-year-old who’s going to start his career in the minors. High and low revenue teams could all make a case to sign him.

While Major League Baseball has declared Moncada a free agent, Moncada has not obtained the specific license from OFAC that Major League Baseball requires players to have before signing, and there’s no clear timetable for when that will come.

San Francisco Giants

The World Series champions will have one of the lowest bonus pools in baseball. They have signed players the last couple years in the $500,000 neighborhood, but they have stayed away from the bigger-ticket items after spending heavily on Angel Villalona, Rafael Rodriguezand Gustavo Cabrera with little to show for their investment. The Giants are trying to become more active in the Cuban market, and with a fairly light farm system, Moncada would be a good fit, and a potentialPablo Sandoval replacement at third base should the Panda end up elsewhere.

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