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Seven perfect fits for Lazaro Armenteros

By Steven McNeil

Oct 16, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of a glove and baseball during batting practice prior to game one of the ALCS between the Kansas City Royals and the Toronto Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2015; Kansas City, MO, USA; A general view of a glove and baseball during batting practice prior to game one of the ALCS between the Kansas City Royals and the Toronto Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 11, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; A detailed view of baseball on the MLB logo at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 11, 2015; San Diego, CA, USA; A detailed view of baseball on the MLB logo at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports /

Interest for the next phenom from Cuba is heating up, and teams are lining up for the chance to sign him. What teams are a perfect fit for the young slugger?

According to MLBTradeRumors, there are a total of nine teams already interested in the newest Cuban free agent phenom Lazaro Aramenteros. In case you are wondering who this guy is, like most casual MLB fans, let’s first take a look at what “Lazarito” offers to the the interested parties.

Dubbed as the “Cuban Bryce Harper” and the next Cuban star to take over Major League Baseball, Lazaro Arameteros is an interesting player. He is only 16 years old and is already displaying a ridiculous tool set. MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez believes that he will command a $15-$20 million signing bonus which is a hefty amount for a kid who has yet to see his 17th birthday.

Lazarito is a player who will no doubt display all five tools, and have the ability to be the kind of middle-of-the-order bat that doesn’t come around often. There is no doubt that Lazarito will be highly sought after.

The important thing to note about Lazarito’s impending signing is that he will be signed for an amount well above any team’s international bonus pool. This means that the team in question will face penalties from MLB. The penalties are a 100 percent bonus tax payed directly to MLB.

The other stiff penalty is likely the most important, as the team in question will receive a ban on international signings above $300,000, and this ban stretches over the two signing periods after the signing. While good finds can still be had in areas like the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Panama at that price, this likely eliminates the team from signing any significant amateur Cuban free agent.

Today, we are going to take a look at the teams that Lazarito fits best on. While we aim to inform you on who Lazarito could sign with, there are a number of teams not in the running of the services for the Cuban phenom because they have already gone over the bonus pool in the previous year.

According to MLB Trade Rumors, this eliminates the Angels, Diamondbacks, Rays, Red Sox, and Yankees. With three out of the five of those being really big players, that significantly limits Lazarito’s suitors.

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