Diamondbacks To Sign Yoan Lopez

[Davis_Mike]

Diamondbacks To Sign Yoan Lopez

The Diamondbacks have agreed to terms with Cuban righty Yoan Lopez, according to a report from Ben Badler of Baseball America. He will receive a $8.27MM bonus, according to MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (via Twitter).

That contract edges out recent signee Roberto Baldoquin for the highest-ever bonus for an international amateur. Lopez, 21, may have set a new record for international players not classed as professionals, but he actually left money on the table when he signed with the D’Backs, with Sanchez adding that Lopez had a $9MM bonus offer (links to Twitter). Arizona beat out the division-rival Padres and Dodgers, Sanchez adds, with top D’Backs brass convincing Lopez that their organization offered the best and quickest path to the big leagues.

While adding a sought-after international arm without putting the biggest money on the table would seem to count as a win for the Diamondbacks, the signing is not without its drawbacks. Lopez was subject to international spending limits, meaning that his new organization will pay a 100% overage on the amount it goes over its pool allocation and will not be allowed to hand out a $300K+ bonus to any international amateur over the next two July 2 signing periods.

The Diamondbacks join the Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, and Rays as teams that will begin serving a two-year signing closure starting this summer. That will hurt even more for Arizona, however, as the team will not be able to tap into the largest international allocation for the 2015-16 signing period (as Badler notes on Twitter).

Lopez is likely to open at one of the Class A levels, in Badler’s estimation, where he will begin learning to maximize his raw talents. Badler writes that Lopez has a good frame that he has begun filling out, delivering a fastball that sits in the low-to-mid-90s.

Another good signing of a player for below market value by Stewart. This is essentially like signing a 1st round draft pick which gives us 6 years of control with minimal salary for $8.27 mil. Hopefully the guy will make it to the bigs.

 

[Jonas_steven]

I like what Stewart has done so far. Towers was just sleep walking through the end of his tenure.

 

[Davis_Mike]

The bad news in this signing is that we will now keep us out of the international market for 2 years. With us having the highest pool when the next signing period begins, we basically giving that up. But that probably means there will be more than a few trades that include or bonus slot money.

Overall it's a good signing in my opinion. With the likely looming international draft for amateurs with in the next few seasons, this looks like a good time to spend on high ranked international amature prospects.

 

[Orange602]

Stewart has made some good moves so far. I'm actually mildly excited about the future of this team, now.