Tag Archives: Luis Robert

Jackson Chourio Signs Eight-Year, $82 Million Contract with Milwaukee Brewers

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Things are brewing for Jackson Chourio…

The 19-year-old Venezuelan center fielder and the Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to an eight-year, $82 million contract with two club options and escalators that can take the total value of the deal to $142.5 million, according to ESPN.

Jackson ChourioThe deal guarantees Chourio more money than any player before his Major League Baseball debut.

Chourio, a Venezuela native who signed with the Brewers in 2021 as a 16-year-old, spent most of 2023 at the Double-A level, where he hit .280/.336/.467 with 22 home runs and ascended to the No. 3 prospect in baseball in ESPN’s rankings.

Pre-debut long-term deals are rare, and all five of the previous players to sign one — Eloy Jimenez with the Chicago White Sox, Scott Kingery with the Philadelphia Phillies, Luis Robert with the White Sox, Jon Singleton with the Houston Astros and Evan White with the Seattle Mariners — were either 22 or 23 years old.

If both options are exercised, Chourio would hit free agency at 29.

The deal significantly increases the likelihood of Chourio breaking camp with the Brewers. A small-market team whose payroll last finished in the upper half of Major League Baseball in 2012, Milwaukee would have been incentivized to keep Chourio at Triple-A — where he played his final six games this season — to delay his eventual free agency by a year.

Even if he began the season in the minor leagues, Chourio could have won a full year of service finishing first or second in Rookie of the Year voting.

Yoan Moncada to Represent Cuba at Upcoming World Baseball Classic

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Yoan Moncada is going native…

Cubans signed with Major League Baseball organizations or other foreign clubs, including the 27-year-old Cuban professional baseball third baseman for the Chicago White Sox, will for the first time join local stars on the national team that’ll play in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, according to officials.

Yoan MoncadaThe Cuban Baseball Federation long defended the idea of amateurism and punished those who left the island to seek their fortunes in professional baseball.

But that changed when a program on state television announced the roster of 30 players for Cuba’s national team that will play in the international tournament that begins March 8 in Taiwan.

In addition to Moncada and his teammate Luis Robert, plus three players from Triple-A rosters: infielder Andy Ibanez of Detroit Tigers affiliate Toledo Mud Hens, right-hander Miguel Romero of the Oakland Athletics’ Las Vegas Aviators and right-hander Ronald Bolanos of the Kansas City Royals‘ Omaha Storm Chasers.

Also on the team will be outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, who played for the New York Mets but has not been in the majors since 2018.

Two Cubans who play in Japan were picked, outfielder Yurisbel Gracial of the Pacific League‘s Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks and catcher Ariel Martinez of the Central League‘s Chunichi Dragons.

To arrange participation of the MLB players, Cuba had to get special permission from the U.S., since Washington maintains sanctions on Cuba. Under the agreement, those players are barred from coming to Cuba to work with the team.

Baseball is the national sport in Cuba but economic difficulties, the philosophy of restricting the movement of athletes and the temptations of professional contracts abroad have decimated the game on the island.

Eloy Jimenez Hoping to Reclaim Outfield Role Over Designated Hitter Slot

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Eloy Jimenez is hoping to head out(field)…

While the 26-yearold Dominican professional baseball player could spend a lot of time at designated hitter for the Chicago White Sox, he has other plans.

Eloy JimenezJimenez says he’s preparing to play more games in the outfield, especially in right, after Chicago signed left fielder Andrew Benintendi to a $75 million, five-year contract. The White Sox also have Luis Robert in center, to go along with Gavin Sheets and prized prospect Oscar Colás in the mix in right.

Jimenez was sidelined for a couple of months last season after he had surgery in April to repair a torn hamstring tendon behind his right knee. He returned in July and finished with a career-high 50 starts at DH — not exactly his favorite opening in the lineup.

Asked whether he would embrace the DH role this year, Jimenez responded: “I don’t know.”

“Last year, when I was DH’ing more than [playing] the outfield, it was because I got surgery. And I understand that,” he said. “But this year, I’ve been working really hard to play the outfield more than DH. So I don’t really think that I’m going to accept it, because if I’m working hard, I’m going to get better, and I want to play in the outfield.”

Jimenez has been a bit of an adventure in the outfield since he made his major league debut with Chicago in 2019. He missed the start of the 2021 season after he ruptured his left pectoral tendon trying to make a defensive play during an exhibition game.

But he remains a force at the plate, and there is no questioning his importance to the White Sox.

After Jimenez returned last year, he hit .305 with 15 homers, 47 RBIs and an .895 OPS in his last 73 games. He bashed 31 homers during his rookie year in 2019, and then batted .296 with 14 homers and 41 RBIs in 55 games during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Chicago went 81-81 in 2022 and missed the playoffs after reaching the postseason in the previous two years.

“We just need to be healthy; that’s the key right now,” Jimenez said. “If we’re healthy, we can do whatever because we are good on paper. But if we don’t play together as a team because of the injuries, we’re not going to do it, you know? We’re not going to make it.”

Jimenez said he has had “good communication” with Pedro Grifol since he took over as White Sox manager in November. Asked about his offseason conditioning, Jimenez playfully brushed off the question.

“I’m going to give you a surprise. I’m not going to answer right now,” said Jimenez, who plans to play for his native Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic.

“You’re going to see me in spring training.”

Left field was Jimenez’s only defensive position in his first four years in the majors, as he made 235 starts at the spot among 316 big league games. But Benintendi has spent most of his career in left, winning a Gold Glove in 2021 with the Kansas City Royals.

So Jimenez and Grifol have talked about him playing right, but the 24-year-old Colás is expected to get a long look at the position in spring training after he batted .314 with 23 homers last year in the minors.

Still, Jimenez has focused at least some of his work on learning how to play right.

“It feels way different because most of the contacts in left field you don’t know where it’s going to go,” he said. “Right field is a lot different because every ball the right-handed hitter hits most of the time has some backspin. It’s way better being there.”

In addition to the new position, Jimenez is preparing for his first season without Jose Abreu after the first baseman left Chicago for a $58.5 million, three-year contract with the Houston Astros in free agency.

Abreu has been a key figure in Jimenez’s career.

“It’s going to be a little bit weird but this is the business,” Jimenez said. “We need to move forward and play with what we have.”

United States will Permit Cuban MLB Players like Jose Abreu to Represent Home Country at World Baseball Classic

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Jose Abreu could represent Cuba in next year’s World Baseball Classic.

The United States will permit Major League Baseball players from Cuba, like the 35-year-old professional baseball player, to represent their home country in the tournament next year.

Jose AbreuThe decision announced over the weekend in a news release by the Baseball Federation of Cuba (FCB) could be a big step in once again turning Cuba’s national team into heavy hitters on an international stage.

Major League Baseball confirmed Monday that the U.S. granted the license to FCB.

It clears the way for MLB stars such as Abreu, Yordan Alvarez, Randy Arozarena, Yoan Moncada and Luis Robert to play for Cuba in the WBC in March if they choose to accept a potential invitation.

It’s up to each country’s national governing body to pick the players on its WBC team. Final 30-man rosters are due on February 7 for the WBC, which begins March 8 with Cuba facing the Netherlands in Taiwan.

While the sport of choice for much of Latin America is soccer, baseball dominates in Cuba. The island has gained fame around the world for its baseball talent.

But in recent years, hundreds of those players have defected from Cuba to play professionally elsewhere. Most notably, many have become United States residents and stars with major league teams in the U.S.

The defections are largely due to a not-so-uncommon geopolitical spat between the two seaside neighbors, leaving Cuban players stuck in the middle.

Cuban athletes competing on the island can’t earn a paycheck under the communist government, which prohibited professional sports following the Cuban revolution 60 years ago.

Longtime sanctions by the U.S. make it largely impossible for Cubans to play professionally for an American team without defecting. Meanwhile, Cuba historically has not allowed Cuban players who defected on their national team rosters.

The defections have taken a toll on Cuba’s performance in international baseball competitions. For example, the Cuban baseball team failed to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Games after years of previously winning medals in the sport.

In November, Cuba changed its tune and invited several top players who defected to represent the country in the World Baseball Classic, a tournament that features some of the sport’s top players competing in Japan, Taiwan and the U.S.

Weeks later, Cuban officials accused the Biden administration of blocking those players from representing Cuba.

In a statement Saturday, FCB President Juan Reinaldo Perez Pardo called the permit a “positive step,” and said the Cuban federation should have more information about the team’s WBC roster once it has more details about the license granted by the U.S.

At the same time, Perez Pardo also criticized the U.S., tweeting Saturday that “it is arbitrary and discriminatory that a permit from the government of this country (the U.S.) is needed to attend” the WBC.

Oscar Colás Signs Agreement with Chicago White Sox

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Oscar Colás is headed to the Windy City…

The 23-year-old Cuban professional baseball pitcher and outfielder has agreed to a contract with the Chicago White Sox, adding another name to the team’s rich Cuban history.

Oscar ColásConsidered one of the top international free agents, Colás received a $2.7 million signing bonus. The team also announced it had agreed to terms with outfielder Erick Hernández in a deal that included a $1 million bonus.

Colás hails from Santiago de Cuba. He bats and throws left-handed and hit .282 with 28 homers and 116 RBIs in 187 games over his foreign league career.

Colás also has worked as a pitcher, but Marco Paddy, an executive for international operations for the White Sox, said he’ll concentrate on developing him as an outfielder.

“He wants to be a position player and he feels that he’s got a better chance to be successful as a position player,” Paddy said, “and we feel like his development as a pitcher would take much longer than a position player.

“So, for that kind of player with that type of power, that type of ability on the field, obviously we’re looking for a guy that has the opportunity to get to the major leagues a lot quicker.”

The White Sox have experienced a long run of success with Cuba natives that includes Minnie Miñoso, who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in December, and extends all the way to their current team with first baseman José Abreu, centerfielder Luis Robert, catcher Yasmani Grandal and third baseman Yoán Moncada. The team also has Yoelqui Cespedes, Norge Vera, and Yolbert Sánchez in the minors.

Colás said he talked to Robert, Cespedes and Sánchez before finalizing his decision.

“What they told me is this is a very good organization, that they’re very excited having me,” Colás said through an interpreter, “and that they just want me to join them and play hard as they are doing here.”

The 17-year-old Hernández is from Moca, Dominican Republic. He bats and throws left-handed.

The team said it expects to make more international signings in the coming weeks.

“We feel very good with what we were able to accomplish this year,” Paddy said. “Having the ability to sign two high-level prospects with impact-type tools like Colás and Hernández, I would categorize that as a solid year.”