Yankees seen as the favorites for Yoan Moncada

It appears that the Yankees are continuing their assault on the international free agent market, as Ben Badler of Baseball America is reporting that the Bronx Bombers are the favorites to land Yoan Moncada, once he's been cleared with the Office of Foreign Assets Control. With 10 of the top 30 players already signed to contracts, Moncada would be just the cherry on top for this season's crop of talent. The team is already over its allotment so his contract will cost the team double the final amount, and they're one of the few teams that can afford to make that kind of a move.

Yoan Moncada is a 19-year old premium middle infield talent from Cuba that scouts have watched for years. At 6-foot, 210-pounds, he's said to have been the best Cuban player to be available since Jorge Soler. Here's a scouting report from Kiley McDaniel of FanGraphs: "He’s a plus-plus runner with above average raw power from both sides of the plate and the tools/skills to stick in the infield, possibly at shortstop. Moncada is the quick-twitch type with big bat speed that clubs covet."

It’s exciting to see the Steinbrenner family commit to adding high-end talent to the farm system, and adding Yoan Moncada to play shortstop or second base would be quite expensive.  The Yankees have made their presence felt in 2014, choosing to come off of the sidelines and exploit the rules like the Rangers and Cubs. Stay tuned, as OFAC could take a few weeks to release him, but this IFA signing season has been one for the history books.  Now we’ll see if the team lands their first elite talent in this wave of Cuban talent.