Cubs expected to sign top international SS Fernando Cruz |
This offseason has been painfully slow for Cubs fans and, for the most part, fans of the sport, but there is still plenty of time left to make things happen. That may be the only positive to take away from all of this, as the Cubs still have more than a month to get deals put in place with many good players still on the market.
While most fans continue to be frustrated, and rightfully so, you have to look at the entire market in general, and apart from the Dodgers, no team has really done much in terms of significant signings. Sure, the Cubs may be the only team without an MLB contract this offseason, but with Jordan Montgomery, Blake Snell, Shota Imanaga, and Cody Bellinger still on the market, who to say the Cubs won't land someone in the near future? In the meantime, Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins will continue to look at the entire organization and add talent that they see fit. Some of that talent may come from veteran journeymen as minor league options, and some may come from teenagers yet to play in professional ball. With the International free agent period set to begin on January 15th, the Chicago Cubs are already expected to land one of the top players as SS Fernando Cruz is likely to land with the Cubs in the coming days. Cousin of former Cub Starlin Castro, Cruz is ranked as the No. 4 International Prospect, and with pool bonus projected to be in the four or five million range, he could be the only top 50 player they land. Even if he is the only massive International Player they get, it's not the end of the world. Moises Ballesteros and Jefferson Rojas were International Pickups that signed for a fraction of guys like Cristian Hernandez. The 17-year-old Cruz may have as high of an upside as anyone and has yet to fill out his body to see what that upside can become. At 6-0 and 180 pounds, Cruz already has a muscular build on his body, but he needs to do more than that to get where he wants and needs to be. A native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Cruz brings a set of tantalizing tools with him, showing baseball instincts well beyond his 17-year-old body. Cruz has some of the strongest hands and forearms in this entire class; thus has built an excellent reputation for spraying the ball to all fields with authority and consistency. When you watch his swing and the power it already generates, he is taking balls over the fence the opposite way so easily that he looks left-handed at times. Mix that with his relaxed approach at the plate and his ability to generate an easy swing to barrell up a baseball, most scouts see him as a 20-25 homer guy with the potential to hit more. That will only come if he can hone down his approach, as his aggressive nature could make him prone to high strikeouts, but that has yet to be an issue. While the offensive skills are promising, the glove could be the biggest tool in his bag, as Cruz is already approaching elite fielding status. Not the best arm in terms of other Shortstops, Cruz still has an above-average and very accurate arm capable of making all the throws you expect a SS to make. Pair that with his incredibly quick step, and he can often make some of the most challenging plays look routine. He has all the makings of holding down the SS for most of his career, even if he were to add 20-25 pounds of muscle over the years. Although not a big base stealer at this point, Cruz has the potential to become an elite base stealer as he has plus speed and runs the bases extremely well. This is a name to watch in the Cubs system, as he will be a top-30 candidate the moment he signs, even if he is a minimum of five years away from contributing. https://x.com/BenBadler/status/1651277103579664385? A few swings this morning watching shortstop Fernando Cruz in San Cristobal 🇩🇴
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One of the top international players for January 2024.https://t.co/yHXDFzxGpG pic.twitter.com/fNUEYv0P2z
