This isn’t new, but it’s news. The Cubs signed Cristian Hernandez today.
Hernandez is one of the best players on the international market, and with teams finally allowed to begin signing international players (the date was delayed because of Covid), the Cubs got the guy they’ve been expected to get since May.
Besides not exactly being new, there are reasons this isn’t as impactful as it might come across. My understanding of it is this (please correct me if I’ve messed anything up):
The way the international signing process works involves hard salary caps, and teams spend every dollar of those caps. This makes the process a battle over efficiency, not heft. You can’t win by outspending your opponents. You have to outscout them, and you have to outprioritize them. The Cubs are especially behind the eight-ball here because this is an area where Major League Baseball flexes some competitive balance muscle, capping larger-revenue clubs at lower thresholds, meaning the Cubs can’t spend as much money on international players as, say, the Rays.
The real question, then, is not whether Cristian Hernandez will be a generational talent (his frame and quickness have earned him comparisons to A-Rod). It’s whether the Cubs managed this market efficiently, getting the most future value per dollar they could. At the same time, though, it’s fun to have a potential top prospect in the fold, and while it’ll be a little while before Hernandez is on any prospect lists, a breath of optimism is nice right now.
Let’s hope they develop him well.
