Cubs linked to two top international prospects |
The longer the offseason goes without the Cubs doing anything to improve their roster, the more challenging it becomes to write about, as there isn't any news to report. As frustrating as that may be for the fans, they understand it and are starting to cope with the idea that the Cubs are just not as aggressive as some other teams when making deals, especially long-term ones.
However, the one thing they do better than most is scouting, especially on the International Market, where the Cubs have always and will continue to be big players. Look at their top 30 prospect list right now, as nearly 50% of their top 30 prospects are International pickups. That shows you how much they value the International Market and believe in some of those guys, even at such a young age. With the International Free Agent period set to begin in a few weeks, it's never too early to start looking ahead at possible additions, and the Cubs may have one guy already in mind. That man is 16-year-old right-hander Yosniel Menendez, who is quickly climbing the International ranks to the point of being one of the top pitchers in his class. The Cuban-born righty was part of the U-15 Cuban National team and has recently been declared a free agent by MLB, making him available for the taking. Anytime you draft a 16-year-old, there comes a ton of risk, but as most of the International free-agent pickups work, they have plenty of time to develop and can be had at a cheap price. While the developmental timeline for Menendez remains to be seen, the price point on him will be a lot of money, but when you look at his arsenal and what he brings to the table, money should be an option when looking at this man. For starters, Menendez's success all starts and stops with his heater, which we will get into in a minute. When you look at high school arms across the Nation, most 16-year-olds will sit in the upper 70s to low 80s, with a very rare instance of mid-80s on top-of-the-line pitchers. Menendez puts all of them to shame as he is already averaging low 90s on his fastball and has been touching 93 MPH consistently this fall. A 16-year-old throwing 93 MPH already should give you all of the hype you need, and plenty of teams will be lining up to sign him come January 15. The Cubs hope they can be one of those teams, especially when you look at their track record with International options. While the fastball is his biggest selling point at this juncture of his career, Menendez has more than that and has become a three-pitch pitcher already. His best secondary offering is his change which has reached 85 MPH, but sits consistently in the 82-83 MPH range. He also has a curveball far from polished, but with an 80 MPH velocity and high spin rate to go with it, it could become his best secondary offering once he perfects it. Everything Menendez brings to the table plays into the Cubs hands about what they are looking for in a pitcher, but getting him will be much more challenging than you think.
Not only will the Cubs have a bevy of competition, but we expect that most of the Cubs International Pool Money will go to SS Fernando Cruz from the Dominican Republic. There were reports earlier this offseason that Cruz was connected to the White Sox, but those have since been corrected, as it looks like the Cubs have Cruz.
With Cruz expected to net most of the Cubs International Money, it may be hard to land Menendez also. Even if the potential is there for Menendez as a player, especially when you look at what he is doing now, Cruz is supposed to be an absolute stud and could be one of those franchise-altering players should he pan out.
One thing to keep an eye on as the International Free Agent period gets underway is the bonus pool that these players get. Currently, Cruz is projected to land a one million dollar bonus, which is drastically less than reported a few months ago. Teams don't just do that for no reason, so there are questions about why the projected bonus went from nearly four million down to one.
Unless the rumored amount of four million was a mistake, the Cubs could easily get Cruz and Menendez and call it a day. Those two alone would give the Cubs arguably the best International Class of any team and land them two potential top-30 prospects.
Cuban RHP Yosniel Menéndez (16) was declared free agent by the MLB Commisioner’s Office, per sources.
— Francys Romero (@francysromeroFR) December 23, 2023
Member of the Cuban National team in the U-15 World Cup.
FB: 93 MPH
CH: 82-83 MPH
CV: 79-80 MPH pic.twitter.com/AZAxY86pCn
