Report: White Sox have deal with top Cuban prospect Luis Robert

SEATTLE — The White Sox have agreed to a deal with prized Cuban prospect Luis Robert, a 19-year-old outfielder who will likely cost the team in the neighborhood of $50 million.

Robert, considered to be a top-five caliber pick were he in the amateur draft, is a free agent who was eligible to sign Saturday. In recent days, it appeared his decision was coming down to the Sox or Cardinals.

FOXSports.com’s Ken Rosenthal reported the deal will be worth more than $25 million. But it’s not expected to exceed $30 million. The Sox will also have to pay a luxury tax of equal amount.

The Sox, who embarked on a rebuilding plan this past offseason, add another significant piece to that with Robert, who could follow in a long Sox history of Cuban players including Minnie Minoso, Jose Contreras, Alexei Ramirez and Jose Abreu — who signed a six-year, $68 million contract, the largest in Sox history, in October 2013 at age 26.

Because of their age difference, Abreu hasn’t played with Robert.

“But I’ve seen him play, and I’ve seen some videos of him and he looks like a very good ballplayer,’’ Abreu said Friday through an interpreter.

Abreu said Robert will face challenges on numerous fronts.

“It’s a very tough process,’’ Abreu said. “Just because you are talented and have a gift doesn’t mean you will have success. Especially for us, it’s different and probably harder because we have to move to this country, and that’s another process that is probably as challenging as the process to play baseball. You have to find the right people to have around you, people who can advise and help you.’’

The 6-2 Robert is fast, can hit for power and projects in center field. He would join fellow Cuban Yoan Moncada as one of the top prospects in the organization and gives the Sox premium quality in the outfield, an area in which they are thin. While Moncada has major league experience and is playing at AAA Charlotte, Robert would likely start at low or high Class A.

“He’s an extremely talented young man who is going to have an impact on whatever organization he winds up joining,” White Sox general manager Rick Hahn said of Robert earlier this month.

In addition to the Cardinals, the Padres, Astros, Reds and Athletics were also linked to Robert.

White Sox have deal with Cuban outfielder Luis Robert


By Colleen KaneContact Reporter

Chicago Tribune

The White Sox have taken another major step in boosting their farm system by adding Cuban outfielder Luis Robert.

The Sox reached a deal with the 19-year-old international amateur free agent Saturday, the first day he was eligible to sign after months of waiting and working out for teams in showcases and private sessions. The club hadn’t yet announced the deal Saturday afternoon.

Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan reported that the Sox would pay Robert a signing bonus of just more than $25 million and the total cost to the Sox with overage taxes would be more than $45 million. The Sox acquired two international bonus pool slots worth $756,300 from the Orioles on Saturday for minor-league pitcher Alex Katz, which would reduce the amount taxed.

The Sox also won’t be able to sign an international amateur player for over $300,000 for the next two years for signing Robert, a penalty for going over their allotted pool.

The Cardinals were also believed to be in the hunt for Robert. Sox social media went crazy Saturday morning when an Instagram account believed to belong to Robert posted a photo of the player wearing a black Sox hat.

Sox general manager Rick Hahn said last week he expected the bidding for Robert to be “extremely robust” but also noted how he would seem to fit in with the Sox’s rebuilding system, which includes top overall prospect Yoan Moncada.

“He’s an extremely talented young man who is going to have an impact on whatever organization he winds up joining,” Hahn said.

The Sox already have six of the top 100 prospects in baseball, according to MLB.com, all of which were acquired either in the last two drafts or the Chris Sale and Adam Eaton trades in December. But eight of their top 10 prospects are pitchers, and the club was in need of more position player talent.

Scouting reports grade Robert, a right-handed hitter, high for speed and power. He played in Cuba’s Serie Nacional with Ciego de Avila since he was 16 before leaving the country this winter.

Badler has followed Robert’s journey to the majors closely, including his workouts in the Dominican Republic, and he speculated he would start at either low- or high-Class A.

“At 6-foot-3, Robert has a strong but extremely lean, athletic frame, standing out for his physicality, athleticism, tools and track record of performance, both against his peers and older competition,” Badler wrote in his report Saturday. “He’s a right-handed hitter with a good set up, premium bat speed and a fairly sound, compact swing. When Robert connects, he drives the ball with high exit velocity and plus raw power.”

The Sox have a long history with Cuban players, starting with Minnie Minoso and extending to Jose Abreu and Moncada today.

Abreu said Friday through a Sox interpreter that he knows Robert is “a kid with a lot of talent.”

“I’ve never met him, but I know he’s a very good player,” Abreu said. “I’ve seen some videos about him, and he looked great. And I would like the opportunity to play with him.

“I would like that. But that’s his decision.”

Abreu went through a similar process before signing with the Sox in 2013, though his contract was governed by different rules because he was older, and he knows how draining it can be.

“It was a long and hard process because I had to work hard every day with the showcases and meetings,” Abreu said. “My agents tried to explain to me every detail of that process to figure out the best way to pick a team. It’s a very hectic process.”

HOW LUIS ROBERT USED INSTAGRAM TO HINT AT REPORTED WHITE SOX SIGNING

Hours before Cuban outfielder Luis Robert reportedly signed with the White Sox, he went "no filter" on hinting at which team he was joining.

The 19-year-old changed his Instagram profile picture to him wearing a Sox hat, blessing South Siders with quite possibly the greatest social media post ever.

Robert joins an organization in the midst of a rebuild, but also a young nucleus of players that could be making noise soon in the big leagues.

Although his Instagram page is private, die-hards may want to request him.

Who knows what he'll drop next?

HOW JOSE ABREU, RICK RENTERIA PLAYED PIVOTAL ROLES IN WHITE SOX PRESENTATION FOR LUIS ROBERT

SEATTLE -- A legend in Cuba, the man they simply know as ‘Pito,’ Jose Abreu played a large role in the White Sox pitch to young Cuban outfielder Luis Robert.

Same for Yoan Moncada. White Sox manager Rick Renteria had a big hand in it, too.

Robert, 19, reportedly signed a deal worth $25-30 million with the White Sox on Saturday afternoon. The yet-to-be-announced signing is another significant move for the rebuilding White Sox in their quest to accumulate as much high-end, controllable talent as possible. Robert likely slots into the team’s farm system as the No. 3 prospect behind Moncada and Michael Kopech.

One way the White Sox endeared themselves to Robert was with a video presentation narrated in Spanish by Renteria with plugs from Abreu and Moncada, who implored the youngster to join them in Chicago. Hours before Robert signed with the White Sox he switched the avatar on his Instagram account a picture of him wearing the team’s hat.

Abreu’s message undoubtedly was genuine, coming from a man who not only loves how he has been received by White Sox fans, but also was floored at how well the team treated Cuban icon Minnie Minoso until his death in 2015.

“From the bottom of my heart, that is something that is very special to me,” Abreu said through an interpreter on Friday. “I really appreciate that. The way this team has treated the Cuban players and the Latino players in general, that’s something that is important and I really, really appreciate it.”

When Abreu signed, he was the 17th Cuban to have suited up for the White Sox. Two months later, the team added catcher Adrian Nieto in the Rule 5 draft and they’ve since acquired Moncada.

Abreu recalled on Friday how he had known about more recent White Sox players who hailed from Cuba such as Alexei Ramirez, Dayan Viciedo, Jose Contreras and ‘El Duque’ Orlando Hernandez. But he didn’t know as much about Minoso — who was a club ambassador at the time — until his elder countrymen took him under his wing and became a father figure to Abreu. Abreu said learning about Minoso’s dealings with the White Sox made his transition to the United States significantly easier.

“Once I left the island, that was when I learned more about who else was here and I met Minnie,” Abreu said. “I heard about his story with the team and all the things that he did.”

The White Sox also have an edge over the rest of baseball in that Renteria is the only Spanish-speaking manager at the major league level, another layer to his skillset that was noted in the presentation. Renteria said earlier this week that he knows that his ability to bridge the communication gap is significant in a game where the Spanish-speaking population continues to rise.

While it’s merely another attribute that he brings to the table among many, Renteria, who was the first U.S.-born member of his family (his parents and four older brothers were born in Mexico), knows his background can be a valuable tool.

“Is there value to my cultural experience and how I grew up and the experiences I’ve had in general?” Renteria said. “Yeah. Absolutely. No question about it. I’ll take advantage of it to the extent that I can get the most value out of the players playing for me both Anglo and/or African American and/or Hispanic.

“I think in general we should be able to cross all bridges to be able to communicate with all players. Is it simpler for me? Yeah, I am Spanish speaking since I was little. That helps a lot. My language skills in Spanish have actually gotten better over the years -- correcting and checking to make sure you’re saying things the right way.

“You might speak the same language in terms of the words. But if your message isn’t very good it doesn’t matter what language you speak, it isn’t going to get across.”

As soon as he signs with a team other than the Tribe, I'd prefer not to read another word about him. Don't think I'm alone either.

Second. Who cares about the White Sox ? Nobody !

Maybe nobody cares -------- I think there should be some concern.

Pitching is the name of the game and the sox are loaded. They have the #1 prospect in baseball at Charlotte and they just signed the #1 international free agent on the market.

Chicago jumped from No. 23 to No. 4 in the farm system rankings and these rankings were set pre Luis Robert. I have to assume they just jumped 3 more spots in the rankings to #1. Cleveland jumped from 15 to 11 with Bradley Zimmer. Zimmer was promoted. It's not often that you see a team acquire four top-100 prospects—including the top position-player prospect and pitching prospect in the game in the span of 48 hours. They could have a future rotation of Lucas Giolito, Michael Kopech, Reynaldo Lopez, Carson Fulmer and Carlos Rodon, with flame-thrower Zack Burdi anchoring the bullpen. Then there is Alec Hansen with legitimate front-line upside, first-round selection Zack Collins, and another 2016 first rounder in Dane Dunning as part of Washington Nationals.

Nobody cares but I think the front office should be showing a little concern considering Cleveland is in the same division and will be our arch rivals as early as next season.

Indians Prospective‏ @indiansPro
Source: #Indians favorites to sign 5'11 160lbs 16yr old (SS) Jose Tena (Dominican Republic) Can sign July 2nd 2017

https://youtu.be/hCNkYY6J4jQ

Just wondering if they cleaned up all the age falsification problems with players from the DR.

MLB Pipeline @MLBPipeline
#Indians favorites to sign two on Top 30 Int'l Prospects list:
Dominican OF George Valera
Venezuelan SS Aaron Bracho
http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2017/?list=int

Indians Prospective‏ @indiansPro 23 minutes ago
Both guys 1st Round talent. Give #Indians credit they really ponied up. Smart getting talent International make up for Encarnacion pick loss

.

Looks like Luis Robert finally got his professional career started. Dominican Summer League. Surprising to me, but, according to the White Sox, Robert hasn't played organized ball in over a year. They thought this would be a nice place to start

Ventura and Palacios take it out in victory of Indians 19-8 win over the cooperative team

Left fielder Carlos Ventura and second baseman Gaspar Palacio hit home run for the Cleveland Indians to beat the Indians-Brewers cooperative in the northern division Saturday.

Ventura set up his home run in the third inning with two teammates on board off of opener Luis Cordero's pitches. He went 2=3, with a hit, a double and a home run, to produce five runs and score one.

Meanwhile, Palacio slammed his homer in the fourth inning with two teammates on off of pitcher Juan Gomez. He batted in three runs and scored two. It went 2-6.

Reliever Hector Figuereo, who pitched from the third inning through sixth giving up three clean runs, was the winning pitcher.

For the cooperative, designated hitter Antonio Perez hit a home run in the second inning with the bases empty, against opener Luis Garcia's pitches.

The cooperative scored two runs in the first inning and three in the second. In the fifth they scored three more.

Meanwhile, the Indians retook the lead with six in the third, five in the fourth, four in the sixth and four in the eighth.

The losing pitcher was Luis Cordero, who has three consecutive defeats (0-3).

[ Looks like we didn't have enough players to field two teams. This is similar to the AZL. We have a combination of Brewers and Indians players on the cooperative team ]

BA echos the reports on Indians' expected summer signings:

"Two of the top offensive performers in the class are tied to Cleveland: Dominican OF George Valera who has a sweet lefty swing and above average power. In Venezuela the Indians are also linkedto Aaron Bracho a switch hitter who could develop into an offensive second baseman and OF Alexfri Planez.

Indians Prospective‏ @indiansPro
Source: #Indians favorites to sign 6'1 165lbs 15yr old SS Joseph Paulino out of the Alianza Baseball Academy in DR