Cuban prospect Luis Morales declared free agent by MLB and expected to get record bonus for a pitcher… with the Oakland Athletics believed to be favorites to sign him
- Luis Morales defected from Cuba to Mexico after a game in Mexico City in 2021
- Has been clocked throwing as high as 99 miles an hour during private workouts
- Morales is not expected to sign with a team until the offseason in January 2023
Major League Baseball has declared 19-year old pitcher Luis Morales Cuban defect eligible for free agency.
The highly coveted prospect will be eligible to sign with any team as of September 7th and is expected to receive a record signing bonus for a pitcher.
The Oakland Athletics are currently the favorite to sign Morales.
LA Angles star Shohei Ohtani holds the second highest signing bonus received by a pitcher during an international signing window.
The current record signing bonus for an international player under MLB’s current structure is $2.61 million the Tampa Bay Rays gave Cuban pitcher Sandy Gatson in 2018.
Los Angeles Angles star Shohei Ohtani currently ranks second on the list after receiving a bonus of $2.315m in 2017.
Before MLB implemented a salary cap system for the amount of money teams could spend to sign international players the record was the $4.25 million given by Dominican pitcher Michael Yona by the A’s.
Oakland has developed a reputation over the years of being one of the highest spending teams in baseball when it comes to international talent.
Morales last played for the Cuban U-23 in Mexico City in September of 2021, before defecting.
He has held open showcases in January and April, as well as several individual workouts with MLB teams. During those workouts his fast ball reportedly reached top speeds as high as 99 mph.
Since most of the money teams are allotted to sign players has already been spent for the current international signing period it is believed Morales will wait for the next window which opens on January 15th.
The Oakland A’s have invested heavily in their farm system and are the favorites to sign Morales
.