“(It) gives us more flexibility as we seek to build our team for 2019,” Antonetti said. “Exactly what that means, we’ll have to see.”


Exactly. And this is why Dec 13 is only a stepping stone.

Interesting from the other side:

Why did the Rays trade first baseman Jake Bauers for infielder Yandy Diaz?


By Juan Toribio Dec 13, 2018 9
LAS​ VEGAS —​ When Jake​ Bauers got called up​ in June, the​ future had finally​ arrived​ for the​ Tampa Bay Rays.​​ After years of talking about the youngsters in the minor leagues, it was now time to see what the future would hold for the Rays, with Bauers and shortstop Willy Adames leading the way.

Bauers jumped out to a hot start, hitting nine home runs in his first 44 games, and quickly became a fan favorite. His bat flip on a walk-off home run against the Yankees on June 24 gave Rays fans a glimpse of what they hoped this young team would be able to do against the likes of New York and Boston.

Just six months after being called up, the Rays decided to trade Bauers to the Indians as part of a three-team deal on Thursday, just as the MLB Winter Meetings were ready to wrap up in Las Vegas. In exchange, Tampa Bay received infielder Yandy Diaz and minor-league pitcher Cole Sulser.


“The key in this deal is how we feel about Yandy Diaz,” said Rays vice president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom. “We really like his bat. He hasn’t gotten an opportunity to play with regularity at the major league level, just being blocked by some of the players the Indians have had, but we think there’s a lot of upside there.

“He hits the ball to all fields, hits the ball really, really hard and has a chance to drive the ball more as he continues to develop as a hitter.”

In his short time in the big leagues, Diaz, 27, has shown the ability to hit the ball hard, but he hasn’t necessarily turned that into home-run power. In limited work with the Indians last season, the native of Cuba slashed .312/.375/.422 in 120 plate appearances. Diaz connected on just one home run, but eight of his 34 hits went for extra bases.

With this move, the Rays clearly are betting on Diaz’s bat. They’re hopeful that he can tap into some more power as he continues to develop, but the club would be content if he remained the same type of hitter he is right now, which is a player that will hit to all parts of the field and get on base.

Along with Bauers, the Rays also sent $5 million dollars to the Mariners, Carlos Santana went to Cleveland and Edwin Encarnacion was sent to Seattle.

Why did the Rays make the deal?
The Rays’ interest in Diaz had been widely reported over the last couple of days in Las Vegas, but the fact that Bauers was part of the return came as a surprise to everyone.

Bloom understood that there would be some shock among players who had moved up through the Rays system with Bauers, but he did say that the organization believes Diaz will fit in well with the core players and the clubhouse atmosphere.

The Rays also believe that Diaz will give the roster even more versatility. He can play first base but at the same time is capable of playing either third base or in the outfield. The move gives manager Kevin Cash even more options, and it’ll allow him to keep his players fresh for what the club hopes is a long season that extends well into October.

Diaz, who signed as an older player out of Cuba, still has five years left of team control as well. Both Bauers and Diaz were under control for a long period of time, so getting a controllable player for Bauers was something the Rays wanted.

Adding right-handed bats, too, has been a priority for the Rays ever since the offseason began. They dealt Mallex Smith for right-handed catcher Mike Zunino in November and have now added Diaz to hit from the right side.

Those two additions, however, doesn’t mean that the team is done shopping for another bat.

“It’s something we’re still open to,” Bloom said. “We feel like we do have a deep and functional club right now and we’re going to continue to look at other ways to improve, but we like where our roster stands.”


Several Rays players expressed sadness at the departure of first baseman Jake Bauers, including Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. (Kim Klement / USA TODAY Sports)
What’s next?
Adding Diaz gives the Rays another infield option, which likely means someone will be on the move before the season begins. Diaz joins an infield group that includes Joey Wendle, Matt Duffy, Daniel Robertson and Brandon Lowe. Everyone except for Duffy can slide into the outfield, which means Duffy could be the odd man out.

One plus of having such a versatile roster is the fact that the Rays can now carry one (or even two) big bats who are solely designated hitters. That leaves the door open for the Rays to continue to explore signing someone like Nelson Cruz. Cruz’s representatives met with the Rays on Wednesday night, and we’re told the negotiations “went well, but nothing is imminent.”

Bloom and the Rays have continuously said that they’re happy with the club they have right now, but I would expect the Rays to continue shopping.

So who plays first base?
With Bauers and C.J. Cron now out of town, the question now shifts to who will play first base in 2019.

While the Rays have a couple of months to figure things out — and could still bring someone in from the outside — they’re hoping Diaz, Choi and even Robertson and Lowe can help the team at the position on any given night. As of right now, Cash will likely play matchups at the position. Getting Diaz is an upgrade offensively for the Rays, but the team defense certainly takes a hit with Bauers’ departure.

One other option for the Rays is highly touted prospect and 2018 minor league player of the year, Nathaniel Lowe. Over three stops in the minor leagues, Lowe hit .330 with 27 home runs and 102 runs batted in. The organization is high on Lowe, and there’s a good chance that he joins the team sometime during the 2019 season.

Until then, the Rays will have to work with what they’ve got at first base. But the team’s offseason action might just be getting started.

So that quote near the end of the article on the team defense....

Could it be the tribe likes Bauers' DEFENSE at 1B?

BA likes his defense at 1st base.

It is not a given as that article says that Diaz is an offensive upgrade over Bauers or vise versa. They are completely different offense players. Story I read and will copy if I find it quotes Kevin Cash saying Bauers has always been one of the youngest at every level he has performed at and has always struggled in his early going and then comes along well. A 22 year old major leaguer is young and he struggled against lefties especially, granted the struggles were worse second half of the year. He might be the next Mike LaPorta. Might be the next Michael Brantley. Time will tell.

I'll be surprised if Yandy does not hit 300 regularly. On batting average alone he will produce very impressive results. It remains hard to imagine that a young man with that many muscles who hits the ball that hard can't figure out a way eventually to get the ball up into the air, If he is a career 310/360/380 hitter that's not bad at all.

If, however, the Rays think that Yandy is going to play any outfield for them, they're kidding themselves.

Cleveland Indians: Does the Carlos Santana deal set up more trades to come? -- Terry Pluto
Updated Dec 14, 1:49 PM; Posted 8:02 AM
Staff Photographer
The Indians still think Carlos Santana has at least two good seasons left. (Chuck Crow/The Plain Dealer) (Chuck Crow / Plain Dealer )

By Terry Pluto, The Plain Dealer tpluto@plaind.com
ABOUT THE TRADE

1. The Edwin Encarnacion/Carlos Santana deal with Seattle was driven a lot by money. The Indians don’t believe Santana will deliver the same power numbers as Encarnacion, who has hit at least 32 HR in each of the last seven years. His lowest RBI total in that span was 98.

2. Encarnacion will be 36 next season. His bat is slowing down a bit. He used to be an OK first baseman, but at this stage of his career his best position by far is DH. The Indians whacked $11 million from their payroll in 2019. They’ll pay Santana about $14 million while Encarnacion will make $20 million in 2019 – plus he has a $5 million buyout for 2020. That meant the Tribe owed him $25 million.

3. Tribe President Chris Antonetti said the move gives the Indians more “payroll flexibility.” Exactly what that means for 2019 is unclear. They also traded Yan Gomes for prospects, and that cut another $7 million in the process. But it doesn’t mean the Indians will suddenly be in the free agent market.

4. I don’t know how much the Indians plan to cut from their $134 million payroll in 2018, but cost-saving is happening. Fans can debate the economics and return to the “Tribe is cheap” mantra. But regardless of what Major League Baseball says, not having a salary cap leads to teams such as Cleveland, Cincinnati, Kansas City and Pittsburgh going through payroll slashes at various times.


5. The trades of Encarnacion and Gomes could mean the the Indians will keep their starting rotation together, despite all the serious trade talks centering on Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer. Or maybe that means if they do trade a starter, they are in a better position to bring back a player with a higher salary than they would have done a week ago.

6. The Indians still could trade a starter. My sense is they wanted to move Encarnacion before making a final decision on any trade dealing with a major player such as Bauer or Kluber. The Indians now have a clearer payroll picture than they did when the winter meetings opened last week.

7. I had forgotten the Phillies traded Santana to Seattle only 12 days ago. They signed him to a 3-year, $60 million deal before the 2018 season. But when all the money moves around, the Indians will only owe Santana $29 million over the next two seasons.

8. Meanwhile, Seattle supposedly wants to trade Encarnacion. The Mariners are in a youth movement. One of the things they received from the Tribe was the No. 77 compensation pick in the 2019 draft along with Encarnacion.

9. When the Indians signed Encarnacion before the 2017 season, it was with the hope of returning to the World Series in the next year or two. He was paid $35 million over the first two seasons. In the third season, it rises to $25 million for 2019. That structure almost set up the possibility of the Indians dealing him after two years.


10. The Indians like Santana: “We have a long history with him and we know what makes him tick,” said team president Antonetti. Manager Terry Francona has long appreciated Santana because the first baseman is durable, draws a lot of walks, has some power and is a switch-hitter.

8. The 32-year-old Santana missed only one game in 2018 for Philadelphia. His .229 batting average was the lowest of his 9-year career. His .766 OPS was second-lowest. His 24 HR and 86 RBI were about normal for him.

11. Santana had his usual dismal early-season problems at the plate. He was hitting only .209 at the All-Star break, then batted .256 after. I’m not going to dwell on those stats. Tribe fans watched Santana for eight years and know he doesn’t heat up until the weather does. That also seemed to be the pattern for Encarnacion.

12. The Indians spent the off-season trying to find a trading partner for Encarnacion. Because he’s mostly a DH, that eliminated the National League teams. Because of his hefty contract, the natural trading partners were big market teams such as New York, Boston and the Angels. All have DHs making big money. Then Seattle became interested in the 3-way deal, and perhaps the Mariners have a landing spot for Encarnacion. The Indians couldn’t find one.


13. I thought the Indians were going to give Yandy Diaz a chance to establish himself as the team’s third baseman in 2019. I thought wrong. He was traded to Tampa Bay for 22-year-old Jake Bauers.

14. Diaz is 27. The knock against Diaz is his lack of power – one HR in 265 big league at bats over two seasons. In that span, he batted .283 (.727 OPS). Maybe he won’t hit for power. But a guy who makes contact, draws walks and hits for average (with a decent OPS) has value in the strikeout-crazed game played today.

15. Last season, Diaz didn’t receive much playing time, yet he hit .312 (.797 OPS) in 109 at bats. The Cuban import played 282 games over four seasons at Class AAA Columbus, batting .319 (.848 OPS). For two years, I’ve been lobbying the Indians to use Diaz more.

16. Tampa Bay VP Chaim Bloom told The Athletic’s Juan Torbio: “The key in this deal is how we feel about Yandy Diaz. We really like his bat. He hasn’t gotten an opportunity to play with regularity at the major league level, just being blocked by some of the players the Indians have had...He hits the ball to all fields, hits the ball really, really hard and has a chance to drive the ball more as he continues to develop as a hitter.”


17. The Diaz/Bauers deal came down to two front offices with two different opinions about two players who have yet to establish themselves in the majors. The Indians obviously like Bauers more than Diaz. Antonetti called him “an above-average first baseman” who also can play left field.

18. Bauers was fast-tracked to the majors at the age of 22. According to the Tampa Bay Times, he batted .244 (.852 OPS) in his first 48 big league games, .150 (.520 OPS) in his last 48 games. That added up to .201 (.700 OPS) with 11 HR and 48 RBI. He struck out 104 times compared to 54 walks.

19. A few days before the trade was made, Tampa Bay Manager Kevin Cash said this about Bauers during his winter meetings press conference: “He’s been about the youngest player at every level he’s played. He tends to struggle and then figure it out...this year, he just didn’t have time to figure it out (before the season ended).”

20. More Cash on Bauers: “He’s hit at every level where he’s been. He has helped our infielders because he gives them confidence when they throw to first base.”

21. Bauers batted .268 (.781 OPS) with 18 HR in 184 Class AAA games in 2017-18. In Class AA (2016-17), he batted .275 (.771 OPS) with 19 HR in 204 games. In his 6-year minor league career, Bauers played 414 games at first, 145 in the outfield.


22. Depending upon how Bauers plays in spring training, he could open with the Tribe or at Class AAA. He is best at first base, but supposedly can play a decent left field – a wide-open position at the moment.

23. The trade of Diaz means Jose Ramirez probably will start at third base, where he made the All-Star team. Jason Kipnis will move back from the outfield (where he ended the season) to second base.

24. I keep hearing that the Indians remain aggressive on the trade front. They know the roster has flaws in the outfield and bullpen. They also want to add prospects because they traded several in the last few years in an attempt to win now – Justus Sheffield, Clint Frazier, Will Castro and Francisco Mejia.

25. Also in the Bauers deal was Tribe minor league pitcher Cole Sulser. He’s 28, and the right-handed reliever had an 8-4 record and 3.86 ERA between Class AA and AAA for the Indians last season. He joins Tampa Bay having never pitched in a Major League regular season game.

What’s next for the Cleveland Indians following Yonder Alonso’s trade to the Chicago White Sox?
Updated 2:07 PM; Posted 11:58 AM



By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com phoynes@cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Indians, in the span of two days, have continued to reshape their roster by trading Yonder Alonso, Edwin Encarnacion and Yandy Diaz to the White Sox, Seattle and Tampa Bay, respectively.

Alonso was traded to the White Sox on Friday night for minor league outfielder Alex Call. Encarnacion and Diaz were traded Thursday in a three-team deal with the Rays and Mariners.

So what’s next? It’s only mid-December. Are the Indians still looking to trade Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer? And who is going to hit in the middle of manager Terry Francona’s lineup?

When asked about the potential trades of Kluber and Bauer, Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, said in a Saturday morning conference call, “It’s still relatively early in the offseason. I think what we will continue to do is be aggressive to improve our position moving forward whether that’s to impact the 2019 team or beyond.”

The Indians, starting with the trade of Yan Gomes on Nov. 30, have saved about $21 million in payroll for the 2019 season. The White Sox assumed the remaining $9 million left on Alonso’s contract. Antonetti was asked if that money would be used to improve the roster for the upcoming season.


“That remains to be seen,” said Antonetti. “We’ve had a couple of goals going into the offseason and that’s foremost trying to make sure we have a team that’s capable of winning the American League Central in 2019, but also position the organization for sustained success beyond that.

“There are a couple of ways to do that. One is to infuse young, controllable talent into the organization. The second element of that is to manage our finances. We feel like the series of moves we’ve made up to this point advance both of those goals.”

Regarding the middle of the lineup, Encarnacion made 112 starts in the cleanup spot and 25 in the No. 5 spot last season. Alonso made 77 starts in the No. 5 spot. Diaz made 10 starts in the cleanup spot, three in the No. 5 spot and seven in the No.6 spot.

Depending on what happens the rest of the winter, it will be interesting to see if Francona will keep switch-hitters Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez hitting first and third. Lindor, hitting leadoff, tied Mookie Betts for the MLB lead in runs with 127 last season. Ramirez, meanwhile, hit 39 homers and drove in 105 runs out of the No.3 spot.

Lindor or Ramirez could easily slip into the No. 4 spot, but their absence at the top of the order would be missed.


Antonetti said Santana and Bauers should fit well in the middle of the lineup.

“I think we’ve acquired two guys who can do that in Carlos Santana and Jake Bauers,” he said. “Again they have a little bit of different offensive profiles. But they’re both productive major league players who not only contribute offensively, but defensively as well. The add some versatility to our roster beyond that.”

Santana, who spent his first eight years in the big leagues with the Indians, hit .210 (60-for-286) with nine homers and 42 RBI in the No.4 spot last season for Philadelphia. He appeared in 82 games batting cleanup and posted a .717 OPS. Santana hit .265 (27-for-102) with eight homers and 20 RBI in the fifth spot for the Phillies. He posted a .909 OPS.

Bauers, who made his big-league debut last season, spent most of his time hitting third for the Rays. He batted .183 (31-for-169) with seven homers, 29 RBI and a .678 OPS.

Antonetti said when they were discussing the three-team deal with Seattle and Tampa Bay, they were also trying to find a trading partner for Alonso. When that deal happened, the trade of Alonso was put in motion.

“We feel this trade (Alonso to Chicago) frees up opportunity for both Jake Bauers and Carlos Santana to maximize their impact on our team,” said Antonetti. “And that was one of the primary motivating factors in doing this.”


Alonso hit .250 (129-for-516) with 23 homers and 83 RBI last season. He appeared in 145 games and posted a .738 OPS.

Right now the trades of Gomes, Encarnacion, Alonso, Diaz and Erik Gonzalez and the free-agent departures of Lonnie Chisenhall and Josh Donaldson have taken 77 homers and 284 RBI off the Tribe’s stat sheet from 2018. The arrivals of Santana, Bauers, Jordan Luplow and Max Moroff have added 41 homers and 150 RBI. That means the Indians are still looking at a deficit of 36 homers and 134 RBI.

The White Sox drafted Call with their third-round pick in 2016 out of Ball State. The right-handed hitting Call, 24, can play all three outfield positions. He split last season between Class A Winston-Salem and Class AA Birmingham, hitting a combined .248 (107-for-431) with 28 doubles, 12 homers and 58 RBI. Call drew 60 walks and posted a .760 OPS in 123 games.

“With Alex we feel we’re acquiring another upper-level prospect,” said Antonetti. “He’s got a great reputation for being a blue-collar player that goes about the game the right way. We feel he has the ingredients to develop into a productive major league hitter.”

I don't read anything that Alex Call is an upper level prospect, outside of that quote. Some of the other new OFs are reasonably good prospects: Mercado, Luplow, Johnson and Bauers.

Call is marginal at best. I liked nothing about his minor league numbers. Antonetti blowing smoke in that one.

Hillbilly wrote:Call is marginal at best. I liked nothing about his minor league numbers. Antonetti blowing smoke in that one.

So far the only upper level thing about him is that he WAS a 3rd round pick. And not that long ago.

From a fantasy baseball site, fascinating analysis of Bieber.


Reality Check: Shane Bieber Might Impress Us
DECEMBER 16, 2018 BY NATHAN DOKKEN LEAVE A COMMENT | NATHANDOKKEN


Does Shane Bieber have room for more upside?

Shane Bieber first began turning heads in the minor leagues not because of what he did, but rather what he didn’t do; walk batters. Bieber walked just 10 batters over 173.1 innings across three levels of the minors in 2017. That’s a 0.50 BB/9. Let that sink in. He still wasn’t considered an elite prospect since he wasn’t striking out over a batter per inning, but he was firmly on the 2018 redraft radar due to his overall success.

If you’re like us you can’t wait until spring to get the 2019 fantasy baseball season started? Well, you don’t have to. Leagues are already forming at Fantrax.com, so head on over and get your league started today.

Shane Bieber in 2018
What We Saw In His Debut
Shane Bieber did get to make his debut in 2018 and wound up starting 19 games for the Indians. The surface results were a mixed bag. His ERA and WHIP were underwhelming at 4.55/1.33, but his strikeout rate shot up to 9.26 K/9 and he continued to limit the walks with a 1.81 BB/9. The results point to a back-end starting pitcher, but the strikeout and walk rates paint a pretty picture of upside. Which are we to believe?

A great place to start when determining the base skill set of a starter is to look at his K-BB%. With a 24.3% K% and 4.7% BB%, simple math (if that’s your thing) gives us a 19.6% K-BB%. That was the 23rd best mark in baseball (min. 110 IP). Not too shabby. So what was behind the elevated ERA and WHIP?

The .356 BABIP Bieber posted raises an eyebrow. I can already hear the chants of “regression”, but let’s not get hasty here. The BABIP was driven by a highly elevated 43.9% hard contact rate. That was the fifth highest mark in baseball (again, min. 110 IP) behind only Dan Straily, Jason Hammel, Robbie Ray, and Bartolo Colon. It’s not a shock that every one of those pitchers struggled at times in 2018. Then again, there are success stories further down that list in guys like Patrick Corbin and Zack Greinke. You can still find success if you make up for the hard contact with a lot of strikeouts, or plus command – both of which Bieber possesses. However, the elevated BABIP was deserved. While there should be some regression, it could still sit around .320-.330 since Bieber neither induces a ton of ground balls nor pop-ups.

Bieber also suffered a below-average strand rate. This, unlike the BABIP, strikes me as pretty unfortunate given his high strikeout rate. Bieber’s FIP takes both strand rate and BABIP regression into account and puts him at a 3.23 FIP for his efforts in 2018. I’m not ready to go there – again, considering his hard contact rate – but if he continues to strike out more than a batter per inning, he’ll get better results.

The plate discipline stats for Bieber indicate those K’s should stick around. His 11.4% swinging strike rate was 39th in MLB, which isn’t earth-shattering by any means, but solid. His O-Swing% is more of a wet blanket though. At 30.9%, he didn’t get batters to expand the zone as much as you’d like. However, high strikeout starters like German Marquez and Jack Flaherty were able to find success with sub-31% O-Swing rates, so it’s not a must.

It also makes sense for Shane Bieber, because he is in the zone a lot. In fact, his 48% zone rate was ninth highest among starters. That in itself is very encouraging. He trusts his stuff and has the command to paint the corners. Still, it might suit him to pitch in the zone a little less to incur fewer hard-hit balls.

Bieber’s slider is his main strikeout pitch, a sexy breaker that he used 23 percent of the time. It got 26.41% whiffs per swing, along with a .248 batting average against. Perhaps he could stand to throw it even more in 2019. His curve is a solid third offering, though far less spectacular than the slide piece. The fastball isn’t great but plays up because of his command, but that changeup is a distant fourth offering. He only used it against left-handers, and just seven percent of the time at that. Does it work? No. No, it does not. It yielded a .357 BAA. It’s a straight change that is an absolute change-of-pace pitch.

The lack of success against lefties was Bieber’s largest issue. He allowed a .383 wOBA to lefties (.282 vs RHH) with a staggering 48% hard contact allowed. He was 60% fastballs against lefties, but his curve allowed just a .250 BAA and 17% whiff rate. If he gets a bit more curve-happy against lefties in 2019 (or his changeup takes a step forward) he should find more success. Can we count on that happening? Absolutely not. But, BUT, at least there is a reason for optimism.

What To Expect from Shane Bieber in 2019
Steamer only has Bieber projected for 23 starts. I’d expect him to maintain a rotation spot all season unless he either performs very poorly or the Indians surprise us and add another pitcher instead of trading one away like they’ve been rumored to. Give me the over on Steamer’s 130 IP. He’s projected for a 3.85 ERA, which is probably about right to me. Even if he continues to get hit harder than you’d like because he lives in the zone too much, he gets to beat up on terrible Tigers, Royals, and White Sox lineups within the division.

175 innings of a 3.85 ERA with a strikeout per inning is a mighty fine pitcher these days. He’s SP50 right now according to our ADP, but he offers just as much as a lot of the starters going before him. I’ll pass on the likes of Kyle Freeland, Rick Porcello, and Jose Quintana to name a few if it means getting Shane Bieber a round or two later. As long as his ADP doesn’t climb much higher, there’s some very nice upside built into that pick.

Nathan Dokken is a member of the FSWA and has been featured on numerous radio shows, podcasts, and magazines. He is the host of the Nasty Cast and Fantrax Dynasty Baseball podcasts, and his written work can be found at Razzball and Fantrax HQ. He is on Twitter @NathanDokken. If you enjoyed this article please check out his full archive.

Not quite sure what all of that meant, e.g. "He’s SP50 right now according to our ADP"

But he throws strikes, gives up hard hits and needs to do much better against lefties.
We've had plenty of 1 year wonders, usually our No. 1 pick lefties like Sowers and Huff, or Laffey and others who slip my mind.
I think Shane's got more chance for success; he throws harder than most of them and I anyway he's got an SP of 50 already!

MLB, union, Cuba reach deal for players to sign

HAVANA (AP) — Major League Baseball, its players’ association and the Cuban Baseball Federation reached an agreement that will allow players from the island to sign big league contracts without defecting, an effort to eliminate the dangerous trafficking that had gone on for decades.

The agreement, which runs through Oct. 31, 2021, allows Cubans to sign under rules similar to those for players under contract to clubs in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

“For years, Major League Baseball has been seeking to end the trafficking of baseball players from Cuba by criminal organizations by creating a safe and legal alternative for those players to sign with major league clubs,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement Wednesday. “We believe that this agreement accomplishes that objective and will allow the next generation of Cuban players to pursue their dream without enduring many of the hardships experienced by current and former Cuban players who have played Major League Baseball.”

Depending on the quality of future players, the agreement could mean millions of dollars in future income for the cash-poor Cuban federation, which has seen the quality of players and facilities decline in recent years as talent went overseas.

The agreement marks a step forward in U.S.-Cuba relations during a time of tensions between Cuba and the Trump administration, which has pledged to undo President Barack Obama’s 2014 opening with the island. MLB said the deal was allowed by a general license issued by the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control in 2016 that was not specific to baseball.

Any disputes between MLB and the Cuban federation are subject to resolution by the International Chamber of Commerce.

“Establishing a safe, legal process for entry to our system is the most important step we can take to ending the exploitation and endangerment of Cuban players who pursue careers in Major League Baseball,” union head Tony Clark said in a statement. “The safety and well-being of these young men remains our primary concern.”

Only players under contract to the Cuban federation are covered by the agreement, and the Cuban federation agreed to release all players 25 and older with at least six years of professional experience. They would be classified as international professionals under MLB’s labor contract with the players’ association and not subject to international amateur signing bonus pools.

The Cuban federation may at its discretion release younger players to sign minor league contracts with MLB organizations.

A player can decide whether he wants a registered MLBPA agent to negotiate a major league contract. He may use a representative other than an agent to negotiate a minor league deal.

U.S. Sen. Jeff Flake, an Arizona Republic, called it a “homerun agreement,” tweeting “This deal will make life better for Cuban baseball players, who will no longer have to risk unsafe passage to the U.S.”

Players have told stories of harrowing crossings on rafts and rickety boats — some later challenged as exaggerations.

“Today is a day that I am extremely happy,” said a statement from Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig, who was smuggled out of Cuba by traffickers linked to a Mexican drug gang, according to court testimony. “To know future Cuban players will not have to go through what we went through makes me so happy.”

While Puig, Orlando and Livan Hernandez, Jose Contreras and others became stars in the major leagues, others have been big-money busts. Outfielder Rusney Castillo agreed to a $72.5 million, seven-year contract with Boston in 2014 and has appeared in just 99 games with the Red Sox while playing 347 in the minor leagues.

“Words cannot fully express my heartfelt joy,” Chicago White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu said in a statement. “Dealing with the exploitation of smugglers and unscrupulous agencies will finally come to an end for the Cuban baseball player. To this date, I am still harassed.”

Any players allowed to sign with big league clubs can do so without leaving Cuba, and the fee paid by the signing team will be covered by the same rules as in MLB’s other posting systems: 20 percent of the first $25 million of a major league contract, 17.5 percent of the next $25 million and 15 percent of any amount over $50 million. There will be a supplemental fee of 15 percent of any earned bonuses, salary escalators and exercised options.

For minor league contracts, the fee will be 25 percent of the signing bonus, and there will be a supplemental fee for any foreign professionals who at first agree to minor league deals that include major league terms that later come into force.

A former Cuban federation player under contract to a MLB club may return to Cuba during the offseason. He can play in Cuba during the offseason only with his MLB club’s consent.

The departure of young Cuban players to MLB has slowed since limits were placed on signing bonuses for international amateurs starting July 2, 2017.

For 2017-18, outfielder Julio Pablo Martinez got $2.8 million from Texas, and the only other signing bonus over $300,000 for a Cuban-born amateur was $750,000 for shortstop Eddy Diaz (Colorado).

In the current signing period that started July 2, the largest signing bonus for a Cuban-born amateur has been $975,000 for outfielder Jairo Pomares with San Francisco.

civ - that means he's being drafted in fantasy leagues as the 50th starting pitcher drafted. ADP means average draft position.

When you remember there are 30 MLB teams, it gives you an idea that being drafted 50th starting pitcher isn't bad at all since there are (theoretically) 5 starting pitchers on each of the 30 teams.

Further, most fantasy leagues are 12 team leagues, the top 40% of all MLB players are drafted into the majority of leagues.

So that puts Bieber in that top 40% of MLB and starting pitchers in the view of fantasy drafters.

Since the article is directed at predicting Bieber's success chances to those fantasy drafters, it is always relevant to note how highly a particular player is being drafted (yes - leagues already are drafting for next season)

Thank you for the translation!

Never had any interest in fantasy sports.

Was an APBA player in junior high, some of high school, and created a league among friends at college. But that was enough.