Cubs 2018 International Signing Period (J-2 players)
6/16 UPDATE:
With just minutes left before the midnight (Eastern) deadline, the Cubs signed two more 2018-19 J-2 IFA (both from Mexico), bringing the total number of 2018-19 J-2 IFA signed by the Cubs to 39, including 21 since the Cubs acquired $750K in ISBP space from the Baltimore Orioles this past April in return for allowing the Orioles to keep 2017 Rule 5 draft pick RHRP Pedro Araujo.
Emir Blanco, RHP
R/R, 6'2 240, Age 17
MEXICO
Ricardo Green, RHP
R/R, 6'2 188, Age 18
MEXICO
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6/14 UPDATE:
With just one day to go in the 2018-19 ISP, the Cubs have signed three more 2018-19 J-2 IFA, their 35th, 36th, and 37th IFA signed since the start of the 2018-19 ISP last July 2nd:
Jorge Arellano, RHP
R/R, 5'11 162, Age 20
COLOMBIA
Luis Berelleza, OF
R/R, 5'9 180, Age 19
MEXICO
Starlin Mateo, OF
R/R, 6'1 180, Age 16
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
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6/13 UPDATE:
Two days before the deadline to sign 2018-19 International Free-Agents (IFA) who are subject to International Signing Bonus Pool (ISBP) restrictions (so-called "J-2 players"), the Cubs have officially signed six more 2018-19 IFA:
Elias Fabian OF
R/R, 5'11 169, Age 18
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Anderson Feliz, RHP
R/R, 6'3 165, Age 17
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Wilfri Figuereo, RHP
R/R, 5'6 171, Age 18
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Samuel Rodriguez, LHP
L/L, 6'3 178, age 17
VENEZUELA
Joanfran Rojas, INF
R/R, 5'11 162, Age 17
VENEZUELA
Wilker Ruiz, LHP
L/L, 6'0 150, Age 17
VENEZUELA
So the Cubs have signed 34 IFA since the start of the 2018-19 ISP last July 2nd (see complete list below).
The deadline to sign 2018-19 IFA is midnight this coming Saturday (June 15th).
There will then be a "quiet period" (16 days when no IFA who is subject to ISBP restrictions may be signed) before the 2019-20 ISP commences on July 2nd.
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6/10 UPDATE:
The Cubs have officially signed another 2018-19 IFA:
Andricson Salvador, LHP
L/L, 5'11 180, Age 18
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
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5/29 UPDATE:
The Cubs have officially signed eight more 2018-19 IFA:
Yovanny Cabrera, RHP
R/R, 6'2 180, Age 18
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Enmanuel de la Cruz, RHP
R/R, 6'2 168, Age 17
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Edgar Gamargo, C
R/R, 5'10 172, Age 17
VENEZUELA
Joel Jimenez, RHP
R/R, 6'0 160, Age 18
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Gregori Montano, RHP
R/R, 5'11 175, Age 19
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Marco Prieto, RHP
R/R, 6'2 165, Age 19
VENEZUELA
Esmarly Tatis, INF
B/R, 5'10 165, Age 19
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Luis Valenzuela, RHP
R/R, 6'2 170, Age 17
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
So the Cubs have signed 27 IFA since the start of the 2018-19 ISP on July 2 (see complete list below)
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4/25 UPDATE:
The Cubs have officially signed another 2018-19 IFA:
Kelvin Abreu, RHP
R/R, 5'10 140, Age 18
VENEZUELA
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3/22 UPDATE:
The Cubs have officially signed another 2018-19 IFA:
Jonathan Alvarez, RHP
R/R, 6'1 160, Age 19
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
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3/21 UPDATE:
The Cubs officially signed another 2018-19 IFA:
Cristian More, OF
L/L, 5'10 170, Age 17
CUBA
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3/15 UPDATE:
The Cubs have officially signed another 2018-19 IFA:
Felix Stevens, OF
R/R, 6'4 235, Age 19
CUBA
NOTE: By this time last year the Cubs had signed 33 IFA on their way to a record (for the Cubs) 46 IFA signed by the 6/15 deadline. But that was because the Cubs needed to fill a 35-man roster for the new AZL Cubs #2 affiliate and they did that mainly by promoting about thirty DSL players to the AZL who otherwise probably would have remained in the DSL for another season, and that in turn required signing a much higher than usual number of IFA to replentish the two Cubs DSL squads. The Cubs don't have that issue this year.
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1/7 UPDATE:
The Cubs have signed three more 2018-19 IFA:
Ezequiel Alvarez, OF
B/R, 5'11 150, Age 16
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Samuel Duarte, OF
R/R, 5'11 175, Age 17
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Lizardo Ruiz, INF
R/R, 5'11 165, Age 16
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
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12/3 UPDATE:
The Cubs have signed one more 2018-19 IFA:
Manuel Heredia, RHP
R/R, 6'4 195, Age 21
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Heredia was assigned to the DSL Cubs #1 Furure Services List.
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11/1 UPDATE:
The Cubs have officially signed three more "J-2" 2018-19 IFA:
Edwin Castillo, INF
L/R, 6'0 160, Age 19
DOMINICAN RPUBLIC
Darling Grullon, P
R/R, 6'4 200, Age 18
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Orlando Guzman, OF
L/R, 6'0 160, Age 16
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
All three were assigned to the DSL Cubs #1 Future Services List.
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8/6 UPDATE:
The Cubs have officially signed three more "J-2" 2018-19 IFA:
Jose Lopez, OF
L/R, 5'10 167, Age 16
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
$1.5M signing bonus
Yander Montero, RHP
R/R, 6'2 175, Age 18
DOMINICAN EPUBLIC
Rafael Morel, SS-CF
R/R, 5'11 165, Age 16
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
$850K signing bonus
All three were "Signed for Future Service" (signed 2019 contract).
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7/7 UPDATE:
The Cubs have signed two more "J-2" 2018-19 IFA:
Gabriel Jaramillo, RHP
R/R, 6'1 178, Age 19
VENEZUELA
Ronny Simon, INF
B/R, 5'9 150, Age 18
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
Unlike Gallardo, Machado, and Pinango, Jaramillo and Simon were - NOT - "Signed for Future Service" (they will make their debut in 2018).
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7/3 UPDATE:
The Cubs have officially signed their first three "J-2" 2018-19 IFA:
Richard Gallardo, RHP
R/R, 6'1 187, Age 16
VENEZUELA
$1M signing bonus
Joel Machado, LHP
L/L, 6'0 165, Age 16
VENEZUELA
$850K signing bonus
Yohendrick Pinango, OF
L/L, 5'11 170, Age 16
VENEZUELA
$400K signing bonus
All three have been "Signed for Future Service" (2019 contract), and thus the earliest they can make their field debut is at post-2018 AZ Instructs (TBD).
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INTERNATIONAL FREE-AGENTS SIGNED BY CUBS IN 2018-19 INTERNATIONAL SIGNING PERIOD:
Last updated 6-15-2019
* bats or throws left
# bats both
NOTE: Age listed is the player's age when he signed
PITCHERS: (22)
Kelvin Abreu (age 18) - VENEZUELA - 5'10 140 - SIGNED APRIL 2019
Jonathan Alvarez (age 19) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 6'1 160 - SIGNED MARCH 2019
Jorge Arellano (age 20) - COLOMBIA - 5'11 162 - SIGNED JUNE 2019
Emir Blanco (age 17) - MEXICO - 6'2 240 - SIGNED JUNE 2019
Yovanny Cabrera (age 18) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 6'2 180 - SIGNED MAY 2019
Enmanuel de la Cruz (age 17) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 6'2 168 - SIGNED MAY 2019
Anderson Feliz (age 17) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 6'3 165 - SIGNED JUNE 2019
Wilfri Figuereo (age 18) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 5'6 171 - SIGNED JUNE 2019
Richard Gallardo (age 16) - VENEZUELA - 6'1 187 - SIGNED JULY 2018
Ricardo Green (age 18) - MEXICO - 6'2 188 - SIGNED JUNE 2019
Darling Grullon (age 18) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 6'4 200 - SIGNED NOVEMBER 2018
Manuel Heredia (age 21) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 6'4 195 - SIGNED DECEMBER 2018
Gabriel Jaramillo (age 19) - VENEZUELA - 6'1 178 - SIGNED JULY 2018
Joel Jimenez (age 18) - DOMINCAN REPUBLIC - 6'0 160 - SIGNED MAY 2019
* Joel Machado (age 16) - VENEZUELA - 6'0 165 - SIGNED JULY 2018
Gregori Montano (age 19) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 5'11 175 - SIGNED MAY 2019
Yander Montero (age 18) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 6'2 175 - SIGNED AUGUST 2018
Marco Prieto (age 19) - VENEZUELA - 6'2 165 - SIGNED MAY 2019
* Samuel Rodriguez (age 17) - VENEZUELA - 6'3 178 - SIGNED JUNE 2019
* Wilkin Ruiz (age 17) - VENEZUELA - 6'0 150 - SIGNED JUNE 2019
* Andricson Salvador (age 18) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 5'11 180 - SIGNED JUNE 2019
Luis Valenzuela (age 17) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 6'2 170 - SIGNED MAY 2019
CATCHERS: (1)
Edgar Gamargo (Age 17) - VENEZUELA - 5'10 172 - SIGNED MAY 2019
INFIELDERS: (6)
* Edwin Castillo (age 19) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 6'0 160 - SIGNED NOVEMBER 2018
Rafael Morel (age 16) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 5'11 165 - SIGNED AUGUST 2018
Joanfran Rojas (age 17) - VENEZUELA - 5'11 162 - SIGNED JUNE 2019
Lizardo Ruiz (age 16) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 5'11 165 - SIGNED JANUARY 2019
# Ronny Simon (age 18) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 5'9 150 - SIGNED JULY 2018
# Esmarly Tatis (age 19) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 5'10 165 -SIGNED MAY 2019
OUTFIELDERS: (10)
# Ezequiel Alvarez (age 16) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 5'11 150 - SIGNED JANUARY 2019
Luis Berelleza (age 19) - MEXICO - 5'9 180 - SIGNED JUNE 2019
Samuel Duarte (age 17) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 5'11 175 - SIGNED JANUARY 2019
Elias Fabian (age 18) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 5'11 169 - SIGNED JUNE 2019
* Orlando Guzman (age 16)- DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 6'0 160 - SIGNED NOVEMBER 2018
* Jose Lopez (age 16) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 5'10 167 - SIGNED AUGUST 2018
Starlin Mateo (age 16) - DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 6'1 180 - SIGNED JUNE 2019
* Cristian More (age 17) - CUBA - 5'10 170 - SIGNED MARCH 2019
* Yohendrick Pinango (age 16) - VENEZUELA - 5'11 170 - SIGNED JULY 2018
Felix Stevens (age 19) - CUBA - 6'4 235 - SIGNED MARCH 2019
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The "International Signing Period" extends from July 2nd through June 15th of the following year. No international player can be signed during the period of time extending from June 16th through July 1st.
ELIGIBILITY & RESTRICTIONS
Any individual who is age 17 or older, has not previously signed an MLB or minor league contract, resides outside the U. S., Canada, and Puerto Rico, and has not been enrolled in a high school or college in the U. S., Canada, or Puerto Rico within the previous year, can be signed during the "International Signing Period." Also, a 16-year old international player can be signed if the individual will turn 17 prior to September 1st or prior to the conclusion of the regular season of the minor league club to which the player is assigned (whichever comes first).
An international player can be "Signed for Future Service" (contract is for the following season) if the player signs a contract during the period of time starting on July 2nd up through January 15th.
In addition, a 16-year old international player who otherwise would not be eligible to sign can be "Signed for Future Service" (that is, contract is for the following season) if the player signs a contract July 2nd through August 31st.
INTERNATIONAL SIGNING BONUS POOL
There is a maximum limit on the aggregate amount of money each MLB club can pay as signing bonuses to international first-year players.
Beginning with the 2017-18 ISP:
1. A club's International Signing Bonus Pool (ISBP) will no longer be divided into four "Signing Bonus Values." Instead, a club's ISBP will be a fixed amount: $5.75M for the clubs that have selections in Competitive Balance Round "B" (between the 2nd & 3rd rounds) of the MLB Rule 4 Draft, $5.25M for the clubs that have selections in Competitive Balance Round "A" (between the 1st & 2nd rounds) of the MLB Rule 4 Draft, and $4.75M for all other MLB clubs (not counting possible subtractions as the result of a club signing an Article XX-B Qualified Player in the previous off-season).
2. A club cannot exceed its assigned ISBP plus a maximum additional 75% of the club's assigned ISBP that might be acquired in a trade or trades (a maximum additional 60% of its assigned ISBP that might be acquired via trade or trades starting with the 2019-20 ISP).
3. A club can carry-over up to $400K in ISBP space from one ISP to the next ISP if a contract or contracts signed by a player or players is/are voided after the conclusion of the ISP during which the contract or contracts was/were signed. The amount of ISBP space carried-over from the previous ISP must match the amount of ISBP space that was deducted from the club's ISBP after the player or players signed their contracts. If the amount of ISBP space deducted exceeded $400K, the amount of ISBP space in excess of $400K that is carried-over to the next ISP will be divided up into 29 equal amounts and added to the ISBP of the other 29 MLB clubs.
NOTE: A club's right to carry-over ISBP space from one ISP to the next ISP only applies to contracts that are voided as the result of the player failing his physical or being unable to obtain a visa to the U. S. or if an investigation by the MLB Commissioner determines the player falsified his age and/or identity prior to signing the contract. It does not apply to contracts voided by the MLB Commissioner as a result of a rules violation by the club.
4. An MLB club that signs an Article XX-B Qualified Player (not including its own Qualified Players) will have $500,000 subtracted from its assigned International Signing Bonus Pool (ISBP) in the next full International Signing Period (ISP) for each Qualified Player signed, and an MLB club that is a CBT payor (club's payroll exceeds the so-called "Luxury Tax") would have $1,000,000 subtracted from its ISBP in the next ISP for each Qualified Player signed. (The Competitive Balance Tax threshold is $195M in 2017, $197M in 2018, $206M in 2019, $208M in 2020, and $210M in 2021).
5. The MLB Commissioner can order a club to forfeit up to 50% of its assigned ISBP from one or more ISP and/or one or more player contract(s) can be voided if it is determined that a club and/or a player or players attempted to circumvent the international signing bonus rules.
ISBP EXCEPTIONS/RESTRICTIONS:
1. A signing bonus paid to a first-year international player age 25 or older who has spent all or part of at least six seasons playing in an MLB-recognized foreign professional or "major" league does - NOT - count against the club’s ISBP.
2. Up to 75% of a signing bonus paid to an international free-agent under the control of a Mexican League club does - NOT - count against the MLB club's ISBP if the signing bonus is paid to the Mexican League club and not directly to the player and the player receives no more than 25% of the signing bonus from the Mexican League club.
NOTE: On June 19, 2018, the MLB Commissioner imposed an indefinite ban on MLB clubs signing any first-year IFA player who is under contract to a Mexican League club.
3. A player subject to ISBP restrictions cannot be signed to a Major League contract.
TRADING/ACQUIRING ISBP SPACE:
A club can trade up to 100% of its ISBP, and a club can acquire up to 75% of the club's assigned ISBP via trade. (A club can acquire up to 60% of its assigned ISBP via trade or trades beginning with the 2019-20 ISP).
While up to 100% of a club's originally-assigned ISBP (plus up to an additional 75% of the club's originally-assigned ISBP that might be acquired in a trade or trades) can be traded, there are some restrictions:
1. A club's ISBP (or a portion of it) can only be traded during the International Signing Period (ISP) to which the ISBP was assigned (July 2nd through June 15th of the following year);
2. A club can trade no more than $250K of its ISBP space in any one transaction unless the club is trading all of its remaining ISBP in one transaction.
3. A club's ISBP (or a portion of it) cannot be sold for cash. However, cash can be exchanged if it is used to offset the salary or salaries of a player or players acquired in return for the SBV;
4. A club's ISBP (or a portion of it) cannot be substituted for a "Player to Be Named Later" (PTBNL);
5. Another club's ISBP (or a portion of it) acquired in a trade can be traded ("flipped") to a third club.
RESTRICTING BONUSES (CARRY-OVER FROM PRE-2016 CBA):
Through the 2016-17 ISP, a tax and a restriction on bonuses that could be paid to international players during the next ISP were assessed if a club paid signing bonuses in excess of its ISBP in a given ISP
1. A club that paid signing bonuses that exceeded its ISBP by 5% or less was assessed a 75% tax on the ISBP overage, but there was no restrictions on bonuses in the next ISP.
2. A club that paid signing bonuses that exceeded its ISBP by 5-10% was assessed a 75% tax on the ISBP overage, and was permitted to sign only one international first-year player to a bonus of $500K or more in the next ISP.
3. A club that paid signing bonuses that exceeded its ISBP by 10-15% was assessed a 100% tax on the overage, and no player could be signed to a bonus of $300K or more in the next ISP.
4. A club that paid signing bonuses that exceeded its ISBP by 15%+ was assessed a 100% tax on the overage, and no player could be signed to a bonus of $300K or more in the next two ISPs.
Money collected from the tax on clubs that exceed their ISBP will be used to further the development of international baseball.
NOTE: Despite changes in the 2016-21 CBA, penalties incurred by clubs in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 ISPs will continue in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 ISPs. Because they exceeded their 2015-16 ISBP by more than 15%, the Cubs were not allowed to sign any international free-agent subject to ISBP signing bonus limits to a contract with a signing bonus in excess of $300K in both the 2016-17 and 2017-18 ISPs.
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