This 19-year-old Cuban is already being touted as the best player on the planet. He's in the Dominican right now, where he held a showcase on Thursday. Ben Badler of Baseball America notes that Robert will have a private workout with the Astros next week. He hasn't been cleared to sign yet, but the teams that are already over their 2016-17 IFA bonus pool are the most likely candidates to land him. The Padres and Cardinals seem to be in the lead, but the Astros "could be in the mix."
Would be great to sign him, last chance to make a major play in the international market since they'll be restricted the next 2 years and there will likely be an international draft in place after that.
PED's are a different story before you sign with MLB. "You don't walk off of the island"...but you sure can pharmacy your way to a contract as a teen. eta: I'm not impugning anyone, it's just the reality of the system.
Astros will have a private workout next week with him. If the Houston Astros sign him it probably means they draft a pitcher at the 2017 MLB draft.
He reminds me a lot of Mike Trout. Insane physical attributes combine with crazy speed. He also has a nice approach to hitting, naturally. Imagine Kyle Tucker & Luis Roberto on the outfield in the future for Houston Astros.
He's 19 . Did this guy just come out of nowhere ? Usually the best players are kept track of at a much younger age . I'm not THAT in the loop, but I don't think I've ever heard of this guy before . Either way , if he's legit ... I hope the Astros pick him up .
We gave Gurriel a contract of nearly $50M, and we supposedly were the 2nd highest bidder for Abreu. Not that I'm assuming we'll actually be in the running this time. Being interested is a long way from signing someone.
I think Houston is one of just a few teams that has a shot. You start by narrowing the list to teams that have already exceeded their intl pool. Then you look at who may have relationship advantages. Houston has that, as Gurriel is the Cuban Babe Ruth and Luhnow has proven he is great with Latin prospects given his background. But just like with Lourdes Gurriel other teams have relationships (like with his trainer or agent) that may trump what Houston has to offer (not to mention make money less of a factor). Houston did sign Gurriel and made a strong play for Abreu but both of those guys were MLB ready. They've yet to make a serious bid for any of the very top teenage talents. If Robert is as good as the OPs article infers, then hopefully Houston gets him.
Based on those articles I'd expect him to sign sometime between 5/1 and 6/15, unless one of the currently restricted teams (namely the Red Sox or Yankees) convinces him to wait until 7/2 when their restrictions are lifted. He still has to be cleared by MLB (can't see that happening before May 1st), and the current signing period ends June 15th.
