Roberto Baldoquin signs with Angels for $8 Million bonus

There was a report today from Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com that the Los Angeles Angels have in fact gone into the cuban market and signed middle infielder Roberto Baldoquin for $8MM. The $8MM is a record setting deal for an amateur player under the current international signing rules according to MLB Trade Rumors. Include the 100% tax and he will end up costing the Angels roughly $14MM. He will be controlled by the Angels just like a prospect, for six years of service time.

The above video is of Baldoquin doing hitting drills and also some fielding at the very end. He seems to show a good swing and a bit of gap to gap power but a lot of fly balls. On the defensive side he shows a bit of flare and flash which is normal for a Cuban player. That could in fact be a good thing after what we have seen from former cuban players now in the major leagues such as Yasiel Puig and Yoenis Cespedes.

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We in fact do not know exactly how good or bad Baldoquin is, but I would guess he is a pretty good athlete. I was not able to find any stats on him, but if you know where I can do so, please comment below with where to find some.

Overall this is a huge signing for the Angels as an organization. He is going to most likely be a top five prospect for 2015 within the organization and a much needed position player in the top 10. He will spend most of 2015 in the minor leagues I would presume getting ready for 2016 if the Angels in fact cannot sign Howie Kendrick to an extension. He is also said to have played third base, but he projects as more of a middle infielder due to his size at just 5’10”.

Something very important pointed out by Jesse Sanchez is this: “In accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team is allotted a $700,000 base and a bonus pool based on the team’s record in 2013 for the international signing period, which started on July 2. The Angels’ bonus pool total for this year’s signing period is $2,383,700, and because they are expected to exceed the pool by 15 percent or more with the Baldoquin signing, the club will not be allowed to sign a player for more than $300,000 during the next two signing periods and will have to pay a 100-percent tax on the pool overage.”