There are several interesting international free agents this offseason who should be available and who might fit with the Red Sox.
Will they go after any of these guys?
Kenta Maeda, SP, Japan:
Maeda is a 26-year-old RH starting pitcher in Japan who will likely be posted. Under the new posting rules, any team that agrees to pay the $20 million fee will be able to negotiate with him.
CBS Sports notes that Cafardo reported that Maeda will be posted and the the Red Sox have scouted him heavily.
"Across parts of seven seasons in Japan's Central League, Maeda, 26, owns a career 2.45 ERA and a K/BB ratio of 3.72. While he lacks Tanaka's ceiling, he does, as you can see above, throw an assortment of pitches and incorporate a disruptive pause in his delivery, as so many Japanese hurlers do. He'll have suitors, particularly with the reduced posting fees now in effect."
Last month, NESN reported that Maeda would like to come to the Red Sox or Yankees (guess he has a smart agent who knows where the money is.)
"Maeda went 11-8 with a 2.56 ERA in 179 innings over 26 starts with the Hiroshima Carp this season. The 26-year-old right-hander struck out 7.7 hitters per nine innings while walking only two batters per nine frames. He owns an 82-58 record and 2.43 ERA over seven seasons in the Japan Central League... Cafardo reports that, according to a source familiar with Japanese baseball, the speculation is that Maeda could land a six-year contract worth $120-$130 million."
MLB Trade Rumors (In their free agent predictions piece[SIZE=14.3999996185303px]) writes:[/SIZE]
"Maeda, 27 in April, is the next big thing out of Japan. The right-handed starting pitcher is expected to be posted by the Hiroshima Carp in November. Assuming multiple teams reach the $20MM posting fee maximum, it will be open bidding among those clubs afterward. As a team that fell short on Tanaka last year, the Astros could bring Maeda in to front their rotation for less than the Big Three starters will cost. Most of the teams named for Ervin Santana could be possibilities here. (and those teams are: "The Red Sox, Yankees, Twins, Astros, Mariners, Rangers, Cubs, Pirates, Diamondbacks, Rockies, and Giants figure to be in the market for starting pitching.")
In a blurb from October 15, MLBTR also notes: "It is still an open question whether Japanese starter Kenta Maeda will be posted this year. Noting that posturing is an element in public discussions of whether Maeda will be made available, Ben Badler of Baseball America breaks down Maeda’s last start of the year. Per Badler, the righty — who relies on location given his good-but-not-great pure stuff — was crisp until his pitch count crept up. Clubs will get an interesting chance to see Maeda face big leaguers later this winter, as he is slated to throw for the Japanese club that will face a barnstorming roster put together by MLB."
And another from October 6: "Ben Badler of Baseball America has a report on Maeda’s last outing in the Nippon League, writing that he “flash[ed] three average or better pitches with good fastball command.” Though slight in build, Maeda steadily worked in the 90-94 mph range. Ultimately, Badler indicates that, while the righty is not viewed as a top-of-the-rotation arm at the MLB level, he should draw plenty of interest if he is made available."
Sports rumor alert, whatever the hell that is, says "he does throw in the low-to-mid 90's. In addition, he has a hard slider and a deceptive change-up. His control and pitch selection make him a candidate for a Major-League rotation."
Yasmany Tomas, LF, Cuba:
A 6'4" bruiser of a LF. RH power hitter.
Fangraphs profile:
Hit: 40/45+, Game Power: 50/60, Raw Power: 65/65, Speed: 45/45+, Field: 45/50, Arm: 45/45+
Upside: .275/.350/.480 with 25-30 homers, fringy defense & baserunning value in left field
"Tomas will be 24 next year and should be big league ready at some point in 2015. Scouts on the low-end for Tomas mention Dayan Viciedo as a comparable while more scouts think Yoenis Cespedes is a better offensive comparison, though Cespedes is quicker-twitch athlete with more speed and defense value... I would expect the winning bid to be a 7-year deal for $10-15 million per season, which would give a range of $70 million to $105 million. The list of interested clubs is still muddled, but the Giants and Phillies are seen as the favorites with the Rangers, Yankees, Tigers and Mets all expected to be in the mix."
Baseball America describes him as "a[SIZE=14.3999996185303px] righthanded-hitting corner outfielder, Tomas can hit towering home runs thanks to the strength from his thickly-built 6-foot-1, 230-pound frame. Tomas has 70 raw power on the 20-80 scale, and with Jose Abreu already gone, the only player still in Cuba with more raw power than him was [/SIZE]Alfredo Despaigne[SIZE=14.3999996185303px]. He has some experience in center field and is a decent runner for his size, but his speed is still below-average and he’s going to be a corner outfielder in pro ball."[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.3999996185303px]"Given his present talent level, Tomas might have a chance to go straight into a major league lineup, but a more likely scenario would have him starting in the upper minors, with Triple-A seeming like a good fit."[/SIZE]
"[SIZE=14.3999996185303px]Tomas did show some swing-and-miss tendencies at the WBC with an uppercut stroke and trouble handling good breaking pitches. Three months after the WBC, when Cuba took a team to the U.S. last summer to face the college national team, the U.S. power arms were able to exploit some of those holes by beating him with good velocity up and in and getting him to swing through soft stuff in and out of the zone."[/SIZE]
MLB Trade Rumors (In their free agent predictions piece) writes:
"Tomas is a unique free agent, in that he defected from Cuba this year and will be just 24 years old. A right-handed hitting corner outfielder with huge power, Tomas comes with a lesser reputation and less certainty than countryman Jose Abreu did a year ago, yet Tomas could still top Rusney Castillo’s $72.5MM record for a Cuban player (set in August). That could mean a seven-year deal worth around $100MM. Tomas makes sense even for rebuilding teams, bringing the Phillies into play. Earlier this month, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez also named the Rangers, Padres, Giants, Mariners, and Dodgers as other teams with strong interest."
The Sox aren't favored to land him, but they did have a private workout with him[SIZE=14.3999996185303px].[/SIZE] A power hitting LF nicknamed Yaz could never work out in Boston anyway, right?
Jung-Ho Kang, IF, Korea
Kang (not Kodos) is a RHH SS in Korea.
According to Cafardo, Kang is expected to be posted this offseason, and since he is in the Korean league, the posting rules will be similar to when Dice K came over: teams bid for the right to sign him, and the highest bidder will gain that exclusive right.
An international scouting report: "One of Kang’s biggest tools is his raw power. Although the shortstop position puts heavy emphasis on defense, Kang has been one of the best sluggers in KBO for years, hitting at least 20 HR in three straight seasons (the only shortstop in the KBO to do so). He also makes good contact and can get on base.
Defensively, Kang is known for his strong arm. Although he is not very agile in the field, his strong arm makes up for it in his ability to play the shortstop position. However, he has committed errors in routine plays at times, which has led some experts to doubt whether he can be an everyday shortstop in MLB.
Quoting an MLB scout: “I think Kang has a functional arm at SS, but he may be better suited at 3B or RF. He doesn’t have the range to play SS and I don’t think he has the glove to play 3B. He may be able to play RF but that position will require better offensive production. He certainly has the arm to play RF.”
Scouts from the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks have scouted Kang in Korea.
Hyuk Sohn, a Korean baseball analyst who specializes in covering MLB said, “I heard that teams seeking Kang might ask him to play third base, and I think that would be good for him because he could focus more on hitting.” Sohn predicts Kang “can produce more than 20 home runs in a season with a batting average between .280-.290 in the big leagues.” Kang played third base in the 2010 Asian Games, so he has clearly shown comfort at that position.
A Mets SBNation blog has a detailed overview of his career. The writer notes: "He stands very upright at the plate, and employs a very pronounced leg kick. He's obviously made it work for him thus far in his professional career, but Kang holds the pose, so to speak, longer than most players who use leg kicks, leaving him literally standing on one leg as the pitcher delivers the ball... in MLB, I can't help but think that pitchers would exploit his weird posture by beating him with pitches to which he can't catch up...
"Defensively, Kang has quick reactions. His arm is generally decent enough to get the job done, and he makes up for any missing zip on his throws with good range and agility to his left and right. He is able to get to balls to the right (his left) of the second base bag and to the deep shortstop hole with equal ability. He loses some zip on his throw from deep in the hole, but such throws are generally sufficient to get slower baserunners out. If he shows no issues playing shortstop in MLB, he should be at least an average defensive player."
Yoan Moncada, IF, Cuba
19-year-old switch hitting SS, huge potential.
Fangraphs profile:
"Moncada is 19 and packs a lot of tools into his 6’1/210 frame. He’s a plus-plus runner with above average raw power from both sides of the plate and the tools/skills to stick in the infield, possibly at shortstop. Moncada is the quick-twitch type with big bat speed that clubs covet and his track record of hitting at big tournaments and in Cuba’s professional leagues is excellent considering his age. Ben Badler has even more details about how he’s performed in specific tournaments if you can’t get enough of this stuff."
That article also includes a guess at the cost of signing Moncada:
"Here’s the question: with essentially a dollar-for-dollar tax on the bonus for this player, how much would you pay him in an upfront bonus, in what would surely be a fierce bidding war? I feel like $50 million (with a roughly $45 million tax on top of that) is the most you could justify while $30 million seems reasonable enough that multiple teams may be willing to pay that much. For reference, the biggest draft/international bonus of all time is $8 million (Gerrit Cole) and the biggest guarantee (via a major league contract, back when those were legal) is $15.1 million (Stephen Strasburg)."
From Baseball America's Scouting Report:
"a 6-foot, 210-pound switch-hitting infielder who’s the best teenager to leave Cuba since Jorge Soler, a player with exciting tools and dominance of the Cuban junior leagues on par with what Yasiel Puig did at the same age... How good is Moncada? He has more upside than Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo, who just reached a $72.5 million deal with the Red Sox. He’s better than Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas, who’s in the Dominican Republic but is still likely several months away from free agency. If Moncada were eligible for the 2015 draft, he would be in the mix to be the No. 1 overall pick."
Will he be eligible for the current youth international free agency period, or will he be counted as part of next year's class? If the former, the Red Sox and Yankees both will be able to spend as much as they want to on him (though both will have to pay a matching amount in penalties.) But the Cubs and Rangers would not be able to offer more than $300,000 for him.
On the other hand, if he is counted as part of next year's class, then neither the Yankees nor the Red Sox would have any real chance of signing him.
And no matter which class he is a part of, every team will be interested.
Will they go after any of these guys?
Kenta Maeda, SP, Japan:
Maeda is a 26-year-old RH starting pitcher in Japan who will likely be posted. Under the new posting rules, any team that agrees to pay the $20 million fee will be able to negotiate with him.
CBS Sports notes that Cafardo reported that Maeda will be posted and the the Red Sox have scouted him heavily.
"Across parts of seven seasons in Japan's Central League, Maeda, 26, owns a career 2.45 ERA and a K/BB ratio of 3.72. While he lacks Tanaka's ceiling, he does, as you can see above, throw an assortment of pitches and incorporate a disruptive pause in his delivery, as so many Japanese hurlers do. He'll have suitors, particularly with the reduced posting fees now in effect."
Last month, NESN reported that Maeda would like to come to the Red Sox or Yankees (guess he has a smart agent who knows where the money is.)
"Maeda went 11-8 with a 2.56 ERA in 179 innings over 26 starts with the Hiroshima Carp this season. The 26-year-old right-hander struck out 7.7 hitters per nine innings while walking only two batters per nine frames. He owns an 82-58 record and 2.43 ERA over seven seasons in the Japan Central League... Cafardo reports that, according to a source familiar with Japanese baseball, the speculation is that Maeda could land a six-year contract worth $120-$130 million."
MLB Trade Rumors (In their free agent predictions piece[SIZE=14.3999996185303px]) writes:[/SIZE]
"Maeda, 27 in April, is the next big thing out of Japan. The right-handed starting pitcher is expected to be posted by the Hiroshima Carp in November. Assuming multiple teams reach the $20MM posting fee maximum, it will be open bidding among those clubs afterward. As a team that fell short on Tanaka last year, the Astros could bring Maeda in to front their rotation for less than the Big Three starters will cost. Most of the teams named for Ervin Santana could be possibilities here. (and those teams are: "The Red Sox, Yankees, Twins, Astros, Mariners, Rangers, Cubs, Pirates, Diamondbacks, Rockies, and Giants figure to be in the market for starting pitching.")
In a blurb from October 15, MLBTR also notes: "It is still an open question whether Japanese starter Kenta Maeda will be posted this year. Noting that posturing is an element in public discussions of whether Maeda will be made available, Ben Badler of Baseball America breaks down Maeda’s last start of the year. Per Badler, the righty — who relies on location given his good-but-not-great pure stuff — was crisp until his pitch count crept up. Clubs will get an interesting chance to see Maeda face big leaguers later this winter, as he is slated to throw for the Japanese club that will face a barnstorming roster put together by MLB."
And another from October 6: "Ben Badler of Baseball America has a report on Maeda’s last outing in the Nippon League, writing that he “flash[ed] three average or better pitches with good fastball command.” Though slight in build, Maeda steadily worked in the 90-94 mph range. Ultimately, Badler indicates that, while the righty is not viewed as a top-of-the-rotation arm at the MLB level, he should draw plenty of interest if he is made available."
Sports rumor alert, whatever the hell that is, says "he does throw in the low-to-mid 90's. In addition, he has a hard slider and a deceptive change-up. His control and pitch selection make him a candidate for a Major-League rotation."
Yasmany Tomas, LF, Cuba:
A 6'4" bruiser of a LF. RH power hitter.
Fangraphs profile:
Hit: 40/45+, Game Power: 50/60, Raw Power: 65/65, Speed: 45/45+, Field: 45/50, Arm: 45/45+
Upside: .275/.350/.480 with 25-30 homers, fringy defense & baserunning value in left field
"Tomas will be 24 next year and should be big league ready at some point in 2015. Scouts on the low-end for Tomas mention Dayan Viciedo as a comparable while more scouts think Yoenis Cespedes is a better offensive comparison, though Cespedes is quicker-twitch athlete with more speed and defense value... I would expect the winning bid to be a 7-year deal for $10-15 million per season, which would give a range of $70 million to $105 million. The list of interested clubs is still muddled, but the Giants and Phillies are seen as the favorites with the Rangers, Yankees, Tigers and Mets all expected to be in the mix."
Baseball America describes him as "a[SIZE=14.3999996185303px] righthanded-hitting corner outfielder, Tomas can hit towering home runs thanks to the strength from his thickly-built 6-foot-1, 230-pound frame. Tomas has 70 raw power on the 20-80 scale, and with Jose Abreu already gone, the only player still in Cuba with more raw power than him was [/SIZE]Alfredo Despaigne[SIZE=14.3999996185303px]. He has some experience in center field and is a decent runner for his size, but his speed is still below-average and he’s going to be a corner outfielder in pro ball."[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.3999996185303px]"Given his present talent level, Tomas might have a chance to go straight into a major league lineup, but a more likely scenario would have him starting in the upper minors, with Triple-A seeming like a good fit."[/SIZE]
"[SIZE=14.3999996185303px]Tomas did show some swing-and-miss tendencies at the WBC with an uppercut stroke and trouble handling good breaking pitches. Three months after the WBC, when Cuba took a team to the U.S. last summer to face the college national team, the U.S. power arms were able to exploit some of those holes by beating him with good velocity up and in and getting him to swing through soft stuff in and out of the zone."[/SIZE]
MLB Trade Rumors (In their free agent predictions piece) writes:
"Tomas is a unique free agent, in that he defected from Cuba this year and will be just 24 years old. A right-handed hitting corner outfielder with huge power, Tomas comes with a lesser reputation and less certainty than countryman Jose Abreu did a year ago, yet Tomas could still top Rusney Castillo’s $72.5MM record for a Cuban player (set in August). That could mean a seven-year deal worth around $100MM. Tomas makes sense even for rebuilding teams, bringing the Phillies into play. Earlier this month, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez also named the Rangers, Padres, Giants, Mariners, and Dodgers as other teams with strong interest."
The Sox aren't favored to land him, but they did have a private workout with him[SIZE=14.3999996185303px].[/SIZE] A power hitting LF nicknamed Yaz could never work out in Boston anyway, right?
Jung-Ho Kang, IF, Korea
Kang (not Kodos) is a RHH SS in Korea.
According to Cafardo, Kang is expected to be posted this offseason, and since he is in the Korean league, the posting rules will be similar to when Dice K came over: teams bid for the right to sign him, and the highest bidder will gain that exclusive right.
An international scouting report: "One of Kang’s biggest tools is his raw power. Although the shortstop position puts heavy emphasis on defense, Kang has been one of the best sluggers in KBO for years, hitting at least 20 HR in three straight seasons (the only shortstop in the KBO to do so). He also makes good contact and can get on base.
Defensively, Kang is known for his strong arm. Although he is not very agile in the field, his strong arm makes up for it in his ability to play the shortstop position. However, he has committed errors in routine plays at times, which has led some experts to doubt whether he can be an everyday shortstop in MLB.
Quoting an MLB scout: “I think Kang has a functional arm at SS, but he may be better suited at 3B or RF. He doesn’t have the range to play SS and I don’t think he has the glove to play 3B. He may be able to play RF but that position will require better offensive production. He certainly has the arm to play RF.”
Scouts from the Detroit Tigers, Chicago Cubs, Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox, Washington Nationals and Arizona Diamondbacks have scouted Kang in Korea.
Hyuk Sohn, a Korean baseball analyst who specializes in covering MLB said, “I heard that teams seeking Kang might ask him to play third base, and I think that would be good for him because he could focus more on hitting.” Sohn predicts Kang “can produce more than 20 home runs in a season with a batting average between .280-.290 in the big leagues.” Kang played third base in the 2010 Asian Games, so he has clearly shown comfort at that position.
A Mets SBNation blog has a detailed overview of his career. The writer notes: "He stands very upright at the plate, and employs a very pronounced leg kick. He's obviously made it work for him thus far in his professional career, but Kang holds the pose, so to speak, longer than most players who use leg kicks, leaving him literally standing on one leg as the pitcher delivers the ball... in MLB, I can't help but think that pitchers would exploit his weird posture by beating him with pitches to which he can't catch up...
"Defensively, Kang has quick reactions. His arm is generally decent enough to get the job done, and he makes up for any missing zip on his throws with good range and agility to his left and right. He is able to get to balls to the right (his left) of the second base bag and to the deep shortstop hole with equal ability. He loses some zip on his throw from deep in the hole, but such throws are generally sufficient to get slower baserunners out. If he shows no issues playing shortstop in MLB, he should be at least an average defensive player."
Yoan Moncada, IF, Cuba
19-year-old switch hitting SS, huge potential.
Fangraphs profile:
"Moncada is 19 and packs a lot of tools into his 6’1/210 frame. He’s a plus-plus runner with above average raw power from both sides of the plate and the tools/skills to stick in the infield, possibly at shortstop. Moncada is the quick-twitch type with big bat speed that clubs covet and his track record of hitting at big tournaments and in Cuba’s professional leagues is excellent considering his age. Ben Badler has even more details about how he’s performed in specific tournaments if you can’t get enough of this stuff."
That article also includes a guess at the cost of signing Moncada:
"Here’s the question: with essentially a dollar-for-dollar tax on the bonus for this player, how much would you pay him in an upfront bonus, in what would surely be a fierce bidding war? I feel like $50 million (with a roughly $45 million tax on top of that) is the most you could justify while $30 million seems reasonable enough that multiple teams may be willing to pay that much. For reference, the biggest draft/international bonus of all time is $8 million (Gerrit Cole) and the biggest guarantee (via a major league contract, back when those were legal) is $15.1 million (Stephen Strasburg)."
From Baseball America's Scouting Report:
"a 6-foot, 210-pound switch-hitting infielder who’s the best teenager to leave Cuba since Jorge Soler, a player with exciting tools and dominance of the Cuban junior leagues on par with what Yasiel Puig did at the same age... How good is Moncada? He has more upside than Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo, who just reached a $72.5 million deal with the Red Sox. He’s better than Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas, who’s in the Dominican Republic but is still likely several months away from free agency. If Moncada were eligible for the 2015 draft, he would be in the mix to be the No. 1 overall pick."
Will he be eligible for the current youth international free agency period, or will he be counted as part of next year's class? If the former, the Red Sox and Yankees both will be able to spend as much as they want to on him (though both will have to pay a matching amount in penalties.) But the Cubs and Rangers would not be able to offer more than $300,000 for him.
On the other hand, if he is counted as part of next year's class, then neither the Yankees nor the Red Sox would have any real chance of signing him.
And no matter which class he is a part of, every team will be interested.
