May 22, 201511 yr Here is a link: http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/05/right-hander-norge-ruiz-leaves-cuba-will-seek-deal-with-mlb-club.html From what I have heard it sounds like he has really good potential.
May 22, 201511 yr Author Here is Baseball America's link: http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/norge-ruiz-cubas-best-pitching-prospect-leaves-cuba/
May 22, 201511 yr From what I read, at Baseball America and MLB Trade Rumors, I'd definitely pass on this kid. The Twins rotation is already filled with middle of the rotation types and there's already several in the MiLB that are better that Ruiz is.
May 23, 201511 yr If the Twins are going to exceed the bonus pools then they should spend like drunken sailors. Too many good MLB pitchers? That problem does not exist. The Cardinals have a model where someone gets injured and they call up an actual mid-rotation starter from AAA instead what the Twins have. worst case is that the Twins can trade from this supposed excess of early to mid 20 something year old mid rotation starters.
May 23, 201511 yr Author If the Twins are going to exceed the bonus pools then they should spend like drunken sailors. Next year's international class is way better, so they may be waiting until next year to overspend their pool.
May 23, 201511 yr Next year's international class is way better, so they may be waiting until next year to overspend their pool.The International signing loophole is going to be closed soon, perhaps not until after the CBA expires in 2016, but it will get fixed, and almost certainly soon. I'm going to be pretty upset if the Twins never take advantage of it.
May 23, 201511 yr Not gonna happen. They have passed on every Cuban. Yup. They'll go through the motions, but that's as far as it will go.
May 24, 201511 yr Next year's international class is way better, so they may be waiting until next year to overspend their pool.They are already rumored to have a deal in place for Wander Javier that likely puts them at the max or over it. I doubt they are going to sign just one int'l FA this year (starting July 1st). If you are going over then you might as well sign every prospect you can get.Yup. They'll go through the motions, but that's as far as it will go. The same was said when they were pursuing Sano. The big deciding factor is whether or not this Cuban is considered a prospect (pricewise) and can be signed for 5M or if he is going to get 20+M (+100% tax) like other high profile Cubans have gotten.
May 24, 201511 yr The same was said when they were pursuing Sano. The big deciding factor is whether or not this Cuban is considered a prospect (pricewise) and can be signed for 5M or if he is going to get 20+M (+100% tax) like other high profile Cubans have gotten. Sano was a welcome and unexpected surprise, but that was also under Bill Smith who was decidedly more aggressive in the international market. This is Ryan and the Cuban precedent with this team is pretty strong. They rarely show interest and haven't pursued it beyond that in as long as I can remember. Doesn't make it impossible, but pretty damn unlikely.
May 24, 201511 yr Sano was a welcome and unexpected surprise, but that was also under Bill Smith who was decidedly more aggressive in the international market. This is Ryan and the Cuban precedent with this team is pretty strong. They rarely show interest and haven't pursued it beyond that in as long as I can remember. Doesn't make it impossible, but pretty damn unlikely.They have continued to spend internationally after signing Sano and now they apparently have a BIG deal in place for one of the top prospects this summer. The Sano signing was a complete mindset shift for the whole org. But it really comes down to whether or not it's a prospect price tag or if it is really significant money. They aren't spending Cespedes, Puig, Soler, Moncada or Castillo type money on a Cuban. That is very unlikely but <10M is possible.
May 24, 201511 yr They have continued to spend internationally after signing Sano and now they apparently have a BIG deal in place for one of the top prospects this summer. The Sano signing was a complete mindset shift for the whole org. But it really comes down to whether or not it's a prospect price tag or if it is really significant money. They aren't spending Cespedes, Puig, Soler, Moncada or Castillo type money on a Cuban. That is very unlikely but <10M is possible. Right, that is important and maybe the changes with Cuba in general make this a sea-change moment for the organization like Sano was. But I'm not counting on it.
May 24, 201511 yr Right, that is important and maybe the changes with Cuba in general make this a sea-change moment for the organization like Sano was. But I'm not counting on it. It won't take a sea-change moment for the Twins to sign a 5M prospect. It would take a sea-change moment for the Twins to sign a 30M prospect (plus 100% tax) like Moncada. It doesn't matter if Ruiz is Cuban, Japanese, Brazilian or Estonian at those prices.
May 24, 201511 yr It won't take a sea-change moment for the Twins to sign a 5M prospect. It would take a sea-change moment for the Twins to sign a 30M prospect (plus 100% tax) like Moncada. It doesn't matter if Ruiz is Cuban, Japanese, Brazilian or Estonian at those prices. No, but historically Cuban players only fit into one of those two camps prior to now and there is still uncertainty as to how they'll fit now. We don't know if it was the that was the deterrent or something else, but we're going to find out
May 24, 201511 yr Author It doesn't matter if Ruiz is Cuban, Japanese, Brazilian or Estonian at those prices.Speaking of Europe, that is where they might spend big this class, that and Australia and Taiwan. Some people say that we have a deal in place with Simon Muzziotti, who is real good, and has been compared to Jacoby Ellsbury.
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