Bronx Bomber Ball

  Early Saturday morning, the New York Yankees agreed to terms with the #1 International Prospect , 17-year-old shortstop Roderick Arias. Per sources, the deal will be for $4 million – a huge chunk of the club’s $5.18 million International Signing Bonus Pool – but one necessary to land a prospect as highly touted as Arias.  The Yankees were rumored to be the favorites as early back as last summer, but the deal was reported on the 15th. The Yankees have not formally announced the deal yet. Per MLB Pipeline, using their 20-80 scale, Arias has a 60-hit grade and 55 grade in all other categories (power, run, arm, fielding).   He is a true five-tool player and a dangerous asset for the Yankees to add to the pipeline along with other top prospects Jasson Dominguez and Anthony Volpe.   At just 17 years of age, Arias is not considered a threat to make the Major League club any time soon, so his addition should not block Volpe’s path to the Bronx, or perhaps the additi...

The Yankees announced on Monday that they finalized a trade deal that will send Nestor Cortez Jr. to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for $28, 300 in international signing bonus pool allocation.   Photo Credit: Newsday 

Mike Trout, Mickey Mantle, Maurice Jones-Drew, and a martian are just some of the comparisons new Yankees' prospect Jasson Dominguez is getting this from scouts and media alike. Although it has been rumored for a long time, the club finally made it official today that they will be signing the phenom to a contract including a huge $5 million signing bonus. The 16-year-old outfielder joins a New York farm system that has slipped in recent years due to promotions and trades, and will likely slot near the top of the prospects lists. @jassondominguez_7

In a surprise move, the Yankees have dealt middle reliever Adam Warren to the Seattle Mariners for international signing money. The deal was first reported by Ken Rosenthal and the return was reported by Mark Feinsand. The Mariners were busy on the relief pitching market and the Yankees likely appealed to them because of New York’s desire for international signing money over prospects. Picture Credit: Paul J. Bereswill

Less than 24 hours after sending two relievers to the Cardinals in exchange for international spending money along with a minor league first baseman, Cashamn spun another deal to send minor league southpaw reliever Caleb Frare to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for 1.5 million dollars in international spending money.   Photo Credit: NY Post

The Yankees have made a splash in the International Prospect pool by signing outfielder Raimfer Salinas, 16 and catcher Antonio Cabello, 17. Both are from Venezuela, and both are ranked in the top twenty international prospects for 2017 according to Baseball America’s rankings.  The signings gave the Yankees five of Baseball America’s top 20 international prospects, including OF Everson Pereira, SS Ronny Rojas, and SS Roberto Chirinos. Salinas is six foot, 170 pounds with plus speed and arm strength. Cabello is five foot eleven, 185 pounds and shows a patient hitting approach from the right side.  The signings are more than likely a result of the failure to sign the “Japanese Babe Ruth” Shohei Ohtani, who chose to sign with the Angels as an international free agent. @JesseSanchezMLB via Twitter Salinas and Cabello’s signing bonuses aren’t yet announced, but shortstop Ronny Rojas signed for $1M in September, so it’s fair to assume Salinas and Cabello recei...

With the 2017 Draft in the past, July 2 is the big day for international prospects. Teenagers from across the globe become eligible to sign with Major League clubs on this date, and other than the draft, this is the best way to infuse young talent into a team’s organization. The Yankees are typically very active with international prospects, and 2017 was no different. This year’s signing day was especially significant, because it marks the first time since 2014 that they were able to sign players for higher than 300,000 dollars, since they exceeded their spending by 15 percent in 2014. Today the Yankees signed the fourth, twentieth, and twenty-eighth ranked international prospects on the market. Photo Credit: MLB.com