MLB Hot Stove Signings: A's sign Cuban Norge Ruiz, who could pitch in MLB in 2017
The 22-year-old Ruiz received a $2 million signing bonus
By
Mike Axisa
•
2 min read
In their never-ending search for affordable high-upside talent, the Athletics have ventured back out onto the market to sign a Cuban free agent. The team reportedly agreed to a deal with right-hander Norge Ruiz on Friday.
Sources: A's deal with Cuban RHP Norge Ruiz, #3 on @MLB Top 30 Int'l Prospects List, is for $2 million. https://t.co/KAe6dnsQGq@MLBPipeline
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) December 23, 2016
Ruiz, 22, defected last year and last pitched in Cuba back in 2014. That year he went 7-6 with a 3.26 ERA in 110 1/3 innings spread across 17 starts and one relief appearance. Ruiz has a lifetime 2.55 ERA with 249 strikeouts in 374 1/3 career innings in Cuba.
MLB.com ranked Ruiz as the third-best international prospect available during the 2016-17 signing period. Here's a snippet of MLB.com's free scouting report:
Ruiz has a fastball that has been clocked at 94 mph and he often works in 90-92 mph range. He throws a "heavy fastball," and his repertoire also features a slider, a cut-fastball, a changeup and a split-fastball thrown at various arm angles. He's a groundball pitcher with the ability to change speeds and keep hitters off balance in the batter's box. He's not physically intimidating, but he knows how to pitch and evaluators like how he handles himself on the mound.
The scouting report also says Ruiz could pitch in the big leagues as soon as this year. Ben Badler, Baseball America's international guru, says Ruiz may need some minor-league time before helping the A's, with Double-A a possible destination. Here's some video of the righty in action:
Ruiz's $2 million signing bonus will count against Oakland's international bonus pool for the 2016-17 signing period. They've already maxed out their $3.82 million bonus pool, so they'll have to pay a 100 percent tax on Ruiz's $2 million bonus. It's a $4 million investment total. Teams will be given a hard cap for international free agents starting next summer.
The A's have been very active in the market for Cuban free agents for years. Most notably, they signed Yoenis Cespedes to a four-year contract back in 2012. They also drafted Ariel Prieto in 1995, after he was granted a visa to leave Cuba, and signed 17-year-old outfielder Lazaro Armenteros for $3 million back in July.
At the moment, Oakland's rotation depth chart looks something like this:
The A's are not a team that can go out and sign a big name free agent to bolster the rotation -- there aren't any big names to sign this offseason anyway -- so they have to build their starting staff in other ways. Grabbing a young talent like Ruiz for $4 million total is their latest attempt to add a quality young player on the cheap.
