Late last night, the Philadelphia Phillies agreed to sign twenty-six year old Cuban right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez. The six-year deal is worth close to $60 million, however, only $48 million is guaranteed over five years. The sixth year is an $11 million vesting option for 2019. At least a dozen teams including the Yankees, Dodgers, and Red Sox have been heavily scouting the promising right-hander.
Gonzalez has been in Mexico the last few months after fleeing Cuba earlier this year. While in Mexico, Gonzalez had been throwing bullpen sessions for quite a few major league teams. Gonzalez is just the latest Cuban defector to garner major interest from teams around the league. Over the last three years players such as Jorge Soler, Yoenis Cespedes, and Yasiel Puig have signed huge deals with Major League teams. Last season, Cespedes finished second in the American league Rookie of the Year voting for the Oakland Athletics and won the 2013 Home Run Derby last week. This year, Yasiel Puig has taken the league by storm as he has put up unrealistic numbers since joining the Dodgers in June.
The scouting report on Gonzalez shows that he is a very talented player that has potential to be a middle of the rotation starter. Gonzalez has been clocked at 90-95 mph while occasionally touching 97-98 mph with his fastball. His fastball has late life that makes it difficult for hitters to square it up. Gonzalez also features a change up and forkball that range from mid 70- 80 mph, and a curveball.
The market for Gonzalez had begun to heat up last week with knowledge that he would soon be granted a visa from the government and declared a free agent by Major League Baseball. Commissioner Bud Selig granted the right-hander free agency yesterday, and the Phillies swooped in with the highest offer. The signing of Gonzalez by the Phillies came out of the blue as the team was not considered to be the front-runner for the talented young arm.
The Phillies view Gonzalez as a middle of the rotation arm that could slot right behind Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee next year. While some scouts agree with the decision of the Phillies to insert him in the rotation, others believe he could eventually transition into the long reliever role in the Phillies bullpen. General Manager Ruben Amaro has yet to comment on the signing of Miguel Gonzalez.
With the Phillies, losers of six in a row, playing poorly out of the gates after the All Star break, speculation of the Phillies becoming sellers has grown. Players such as Michael Young, Carlos Ruiz, Jonathan Papelbon, Chase Utley, and Cliff Lee could all be on the market within the next few days if the Phillies choose to make them available. However, with the signing of Miguel Gonzalez, it seems that a Cliff Lee deal is unlikely since the Phillies want to insert Gonzalez behind the two left-handers (Hamels and Lee) next season.
The trade deadline is four days away and rumors and reports of the Phillies possible moves will start to appear more frequently. Although the Phillies may make some moves, the signing of Gonzalez might have little affect on the Phillies decisions, as the agreement of a contract with Gonzalez is more for the future.
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