Feb. 23--It appears the Boston Red Sox have won the Yoan Moncada sweepstakes.
According to MLB.com, the prized Cuban infielder has agreed to a new deal with the Red Sox worth $31.5 million.
The agreement is pending a physical. Nearly all of the payout will be part of a bonus since Major League Baseball international signing rules allow for only $700,000 to be paid to players who haven't played at least five professional seasons.
Since the Red Sox will also go over their allotted bonus pool amount, they will have to pay a 100% overage tax on the bonus, meaning they will be on the hook for an additional penalty of about $31.5 million, according to MLB.com.
The Red Sox would have until July 15 to pay the overage tax and up to three years to pay Moncada's bonus, the league's website reported.
Dodgers General Manager Farhan Zaidi told MLB Network Radio last month the Dodgers were interested in signing the 19-year-old, who is considered one of the top prospects in baseball.
"Moncada, we've scouted extensively," Zaidi said. "We have the checkbook. Young elite talent in baseball is the most valuable asset to have. To the extent that our evaluation of him matches or exceeds where the market goes, we'll definitely be players for him."
Moncada debuted with Cienfuegos of the Cuban National Series at the age of 17, and played alongside Dodgers infielder Erisbel Arruebarrena and Chicago White Sox standout Jose Abreu.
Moncada became a free agent on Feb. 3 after MLB changed its rules regarding Cuban players.
UPDATE
8:22 a.m.: This post has been updated with MLB.com reporting the deal is for $31.5 million.
This post was first published at 7:16 a.m.
