The MLB officially named middle infield Cuban propsect Yoan Moncada a free agent today, allowing him to talk with MLB teams.
According to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, Cuban middle infield prospect Yoan Moncada has been declared a free agent by Major League Baseball. Before he can officially sign with a team, Moncada needs to be cleared by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC.
Our own Steve Sypa profiled Moncada back in August:
The youngster seems to know what he is doing at the plate. He has a level, line-drive swing that has already exhibited some burgeoning power, and should continue developing as he ages. According to Moncada himself, he has more power while batting from his left side, but has more bat control and plate coverage when batting from his right.
The Mets have been linked to the 19-year-old as he would address a need up the middle at shortstop. Some GMs and scouts believe that Moncada will command a $30-40 million signing bonus. Earlier this week, Moncada held a workout and the Mets had scouts in attendance.
For a team looking to make a splash and upgrade a position, the Mets signing Moncada would do both. Moncada has been compared to Jorge Solar and Yasiel Puig by Jesse Sanchez himself. The only thing keeping Moncada from the Mets would be the money attached—plus competition from other clubs—as any team that signs him will more than likely spend all of their international free agent pool on him.