The Braves were among baseball’s biggest spenders on international free agents last summer, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re tapped out and unwilling to spend more in that area.
Enter Cuban outfield prospect Luis Robert, a 19-year-old slugger who was declared a free agent last week and is considered to be advanced for his age — he’s reportedly 6-foot-3 and powerfully built — and expected to draw varying degrees of interest from perhaps a dozen teams.
Since he’s eligible to sign during the current international free-agent signing period, the Braves and six other teams that will face restrictions in the next signing period beginning in July can make whatever offer they see fit for Robert if they sign him by June 15.
However, the Braves and those other teams — the Nationals, Cardinals and Astros are among them — would have to pay a steep penalty on any bonus since they exceeded their international bonus allotment last summer.
“Through the hard work of our international department, led by Gordon Blakely, we are in every game,” Braves general manager John Coppolella said, referring to the organization’s pursuit of talent far and wide. “We like Robert, and so do many other teams, so we will see where it goes.”
The Braves would be required to pay a 100-percent penalty on any bonus they paid Robert. If they offered him a $10 million bonus, they’d in effect be committing $20 million for the player. That’s a big reason they’re not considered to be among the early front-runners for Robert.
Some big spenders including the Dodgers, Cubs and Giants can’t even get involved since they are already in the so-called “penalty box” after spending more than their international bonus allotment in previous years and currently subject to a $300,000 limit on such players.
Though they could spend big before June 15 if they want to, the Braves seem unlikely to get into a major bidding war for Robert, who has draw the attention of scouts since he was 15 and is considered to be a prime target for the White Sox and at least two other teams.
The Braves signed the top-rated international prospect last summer, then 16-year-old shortstop Kevin Maitan, to a $4.25 million bonus and signed catching prospect Abraham Gutierrez to a $3.5 million bonus. They signed at least four other international free agents, most of them 16 or 17 at the time, signing bonuses of between $1 million and $1.9 million and spent close to $12 million in signing bonuses and at least another $6 million in taxes on those bonuses.
