The Yankees have agreed to sign Cuban left-hander Omar Luis Rodriguez to a minor league deal worth an estimated $4-5MM, MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez reports (on Twitter). Rodriguez, 19, drew interest from several MLB teams, including the Dodgers, Royals and Phillies, Sanchez reported two days ago.
Rodriguez projects as a starter and impressed onlookers with his performance at the 2010 World Junior Baseball Championship, according to Sanchez. MLB declared Rodriguez a free agent earlier in June. Like Jorge Soler and others, he had until July 2 to sign without being subjected to the spending restrictions that will soon take effect under baseball's collective bargaining agreement.
I've never heard of this guy and that's an awfully big deal. Here's a scouting report (http://orioles-natio...luis-rodriguez/)
Rodriguez is a big boy with a solid, strong lower half body that generates solid downhill force. His projection is not as high as some of his peers from other ranks, so the arsenal might show a tick improvement down the line. He starts out with a good fastball with solid movement, which runs 89-93 mph, but has touched 95 mph in junior national events. It has some nice late action that at least grades a tick above average.
