Badler: Sox expected to sign Yoelki Cespedes

[fathom]

2 hours ago, mqr said:

does he slot it in top 100?

MLB Pipeline is higher on him than anyone and they say no. They said on the podcast he’d be after Kelley in the team rankings.

[Sambuca]

Is Cespedes generally being looked at as a better signing than Colas around the industry?  

[Y2Jimmy0]

1 hour ago, southsider2k5 said:

I believe he was supposed to be in the Jul 2022 class, but don't know how things wilp change with the moves of the recent dates. Maybe @Y2Jimmy0 can offer more here?

I think it depends on his birthday. He’s 14 I believe 

[Jack Parkman]

So anyway, I guess what's going on is that Jorge and Colas are waiting because most of the Int'l money has been used by all 30 teams. 

The question is: Where do these guys play in 2021? Can they go to the KBO or something like that to get work in? 

Edited December 23, 2020 by Jack Parkman

[ron883]

12 minutes ago, Jack Parkman said:

So anyway, I guess what's going on is that Jorge and Colas are waiting because most of the Int'l money has been used by all 30 teams. 

The question is: Where do these guys play in 2021? Can they go to the KBO or something like that to get work in? 

Edited December 23, 2020 by Yearnin' for Yermin

[South Side Hit Men]

2 hours ago, ScooterMcGee said:

Need to rename Guarunteed Rate Field to New Cuba Park or something.

Estadio Latinoamericano, both to honor the Havana Stadium specifically, and Latin American Baseball in general, or Minnie Minoso Park would be two great names for the current White Sox Park II / Comiskey Park II.

Beisbol de los White Sox, Hogar de la Conexion Cubana!!! (A tip of the hat to the old Aronson commercials.) 

 

[quickman]

Cepesdes is jimmy wynn

[Eminor3rd]

7 hours ago, Jack Parkman said:

Yeah.....I was asking if it was possible if Colas wants to wait for the next signing period for him to play in Japan or Korea in 2021.

It’s certainly possible, but based on how things ended up with Colas and the Hawks, I would be absolutely shocked if we ever plays in Japan again. 

From what I’ve gathered, the controversy boiled down to Colas misunderstanding the terms of his developmental contract: he thought he was becoming a free agent, but the contracted stipulated substantially more control left for the team. Whether or not it was an honest mistake depends which side of the fence you fall on — it’s possible the hawks were intentionally deceptive, or at least negligent in properly translating the contract (they have a history of service time manipulation with their domestic stars and are a ruthlessly competitive organization), and it’s also possible that Colas and his reps dropped the ball, or even that they just “played dumb” when they realized how hard it was going to be for him to break into the top team roster and he could get a bigger payday and opportunity in the US. 

Regardless, the Hawks were publicly adamant that he owed them service, that they had invested in his development and it was a breach for him to take his services elsewhere before his obligation ended. It seems that the matter was settled behind closed doors, so it isn’t clear if they lost a suit or merely cut bait because it was going to be hard to have a productive relationship with the player after the ordeal. Both sides publicly cried foul play. 

The NPB is way, way more conservative and old-school in how it operates when compared the to MLB, which is already very conservative in how it operates. This is my opinion, but for a player to have run afoul of a high-powered franchise like this (justified or not) and end up with another team would be scandalous, and the Hawks would likely have leverage to complain anyway. 

Also, if it really is true that Colas was unfairly manipulated, I wouldn’t be shocked if he never wants to set foot in Japan again. 

KBO is a different story, of course, perhaps. But my guess is he’s gonna hang out in Latin America somewhere and work out at an academy until the right time to sign. 

[runtheballdown]

29 minutes ago, Eminor3rd said:

It’s certainly possible, but based on how things ended up with Colas and the Hawks, I would be absolutely shocked if we ever plays in Japan again. 

From what I’ve gathered, the controversy boiled down to Colas misunderstanding the terms of his developmental contract: he thought he was becoming a free agent, but the contracted stipulated substantially more control left for the team. Whether or not it was an honest mistake depends which side of the fence you fall on — it’s possible the hawks were intentionally deceptive, or at least negligent in properly translating the contract (they have a history of service time manipulation with their domestic stars and are a ruthlessly competitive organization), and it’s also possible that Colas and his reps dropped the ball, or even that they just “played dumb” when they realized how hard it was going to be for him to break into the top team roster and he could get a bigger payday and opportunity in the US. 

Regardless, the Hawks were publicly adamant that he owed them service, that they had invested in his development and it was a breach for him to take his services elsewhere before his obligation ended. It seems that the matter was settled behind closed doors, so it isn’t clear if they lost a suit or merely cut bait because it was going to be hard to have a productive relationship with the player after the ordeal. Both sides publicly cried foul play. 

The NPB is way, way more conservative and old-school in how it operates when compared the to MLB, which is already very conservative in how it operates. This is my opinion, but for a player to have run afoul of a high-powered franchise like this (justified or not) and end up with another team would be scandalous, and the Hawks would likely have leverage to complain anyway. 

Also, if it really is true that Colas was unfairly manipulated, I wouldn’t be shocked if he never wants to set foot in Japan again. 

KBO is a different story, of course, perhaps. But my guess is he’s gonna hang out in Latin America somewhere and work out at an academy until the right time to sign. 

How about just have him play in an independent league in the states for a year?

[ChiSoxJon]

I would really be impressed if the Sox somehow land Cespedes AND Vera AND Colas AND Jorge

I mean, I already am without the latter two

[Eminor3rd]

4 minutes ago, runtheballdown said:

How about just have him play in an independent league in the states for a year?

I imagine that’s possible assuming all of his visa-related paperwork is ready, but (again just my opinion) I imagine that he has more to lose with a mediocre showing in the indie leagues than he has to gain by getting his reps in at a higher level. 

[Jack Parkman]

1 hour ago, Eminor3rd said:

It’s certainly possible, but based on how things ended up with Colas and the Hawks, I would be absolutely shocked if we ever plays in Japan again. 

From what I’ve gathered, the controversy boiled down to Colas misunderstanding the terms of his developmental contract: he thought he was becoming a free agent, but the contracted stipulated substantially more control left for the team. Whether or not it was an honest mistake depends which side of the fence you fall on — it’s possible the hawks were intentionally deceptive, or at least negligent in properly translating the contract (they have a history of service time manipulation with their domestic stars and are a ruthlessly competitive organization), and it’s also possible that Colas and his reps dropped the ball, or even that they just “played dumb” when they realized how hard it was going to be for him to break into the top team roster and he could get a bigger payday and opportunity in the US. 

Regardless, the Hawks were publicly adamant that he owed them service, that they had invested in his development and it was a breach for him to take his services elsewhere before his obligation ended. It seems that the matter was settled behind closed doors, so it isn’t clear if they lost a suit or merely cut bait because it was going to be hard to have a productive relationship with the player after the ordeal. Both sides publicly cried foul play. 

The NPB is way, way more conservative and old-school in how it operates when compared the to MLB, which is already very conservative in how it operates. This is my opinion, but for a player to have run afoul of a high-powered franchise like this (justified or not) and end up with another team would be scandalous, and the Hawks would likely have leverage to complain anyway. 

Also, if it really is true that Colas was unfairly manipulated, I wouldn’t be shocked if he never wants to set foot in Japan again. 

KBO is a different story, of course, perhaps. But my guess is he’s gonna hang out in Latin America somewhere and work out at an academy until the right time to sign. 

I knew about most of that, That's why I thought Korea was probably the best option if he wanted to play. 

[ron883]

10 hours ago, Quin said:

Man, for a so-called Sox fan, you sure do like to talk about people bolting from this team.

I was so appalled by TLR's hire that I almost stopped cheering for the team. Were you that appalled? Didn't think so. 

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

8 hours ago, Sleepy Harold said:

Look at you, taking shots at my fellow vertically challenged brethren.

LOL ,no, I was commenting on Fathom taking shots at Madrigals height good-naturedly.

[Quin]

9 minutes ago, Yearnin' for Yermin said:

I was so appalled by TLR's hire that I almost stopped cheering for the team. Were you that appalled? Didn't think so. 

No, but I cancelled my MLB.TV subscription and wrote TLR's hire as why. I didn't make grandiose declarations that I had no intention of keeping like some people like to do.

[southsider2k5]

10 minutes ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

LOL ,no, I was commenting on Fathom taking shots at Madrigals height good-naturedly.

So he took shots at something that can't be changed in a thread that wasn't about Madrigal's height?  Hmmmm.

[Sambuca]

4 hours ago, Sambuca said:

Is Cespedes generally being looked at as a better signing than Colas around the industry?  

Is Cespedes generally being looked at as a better signing than Colas around the industry?

Edited December 23, 2020 by Sambuca

[hi8is]

3 minutes ago, Sambuca said:

Is Cespedes generally being looked at as a better signing than Colas around the industry?

Good question 

[ron883]

1 hour ago, Sambuca said:

Is Cespedes generally being looked at as a better signing than Colas around the industry?

From what I can tell, they seem pretty evenly ranked. 

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

1 hour ago, Sambuca said:

Is Cespedes generally being looked at as a better signing than Colas around the industry?

The answer is probably yes . But it should be noted that Colas' status hasn't been cleared up and MLB hasn't declared him a Free Agent so far. So as of now he is unsignable. It's pretty hard to gauge how the industry feels . Cespedes is the better known quantity with his appearance in the WBC and has loud tools but hasn't got much field action lately. Colas played in the minors in Japan so at least he's been on the field and got that Cuban Ohtani label put on him because he can pitch a little bit but didn't do it in Japan.

[Sambuca]

4 hours ago, hi8is said:

Good question 

Thank you. 

[Sambuca]

Thanks, people who respond, and for the information.  I’d use Google, but this seems like such a subjective thing for me to get a gauge on without following for a while.

[bmags]

4 hours ago, CaliSoxFanViaSWside said:

The answer is probably yes . But it should be noted that Colas' status hasn't been cleared up and MLB hasn't declared him a Free Agent so far. So as of now he is unsignable. It's pretty hard to gauge how the industry feels . Cespedes is the better known quantity with his appearance in the WBC and has loud tools but hasn't got much field action lately. Colas played in the minors in Japan so at least he's been on the field and got that Cuban Ohtani label put on him because he can pitch a little bit but didn't do it in Japan.

He was declared a FA today I believe

[thxfrthmmrs]

For those with BA subscriptions, do they have tool grades and a blurb of scouting report on Cespedes similar to MLB Pipeline? They only have him ranked 12th, so it’s interesting to see they evaluation of him.

[bmags]

24 minutes ago, thxfrthmmrs said:

For those with BA subscriptions, do they have tool grades and a blurb of scouting report on Cespedes similar to MLB Pipeline? They only have him ranked 12th, so it’s interesting to see they evaluation of him.

They don't do tool grades. This is part of why I trust BA more, it's hard to get a read on Cespedes because he's apparantly transformed his body a lot since training, but also hasn't been able to do much the last year. Unfortunately we are just going to have to wait until this guy plays to really know more. Let's just hope he's not in the DR all year - PLEASE

"Report: The 23-year-old brother Yoenis Cespedes, Yoelki looks to be ticketed to the White Sox for around $2 million, the latest in their run on Cuban players that includes righthander Norge Vera also in the class, following shortstop Yolbert Sanchez last year for $2.5 million, and outfielder Luis Robert and first baseman Jose Abreu before him. Cespedes played for Cuba in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, but it’s hard to relay an accurate, reliable report that’s up to date like we normally would. Cespedes has been training at his brother’s ranch in Port St. Lucie, Fla. and hasn’t been scouted much due in part to the coronavirus pandemic and MLB’s scouting ban on international players that ended in September. He played for Granma in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, batting .273/.353/.400 in 289 plate appearances with 17 walks, 42 strikeouts and six home runs in the 2017-18 season. The next year was his final season in Cuba and he hit .319/.355/.389 with two walks, 18 strikeouts and no home runs in 77 PAs as a 21-year-old. He has a shorter but strong, athletic frame with added bulk since leaving Cuba, showing good bat speed and a strong arm from the outfield. More depth will probably have to wait until Cespedes gets tested and scouted against more live pitching."