Giants sign Cuban outfielder Daniel Carbonell
The San Francisco Giants agreed to a four-year contract with Cuban outfielder Daniel Carbonell on Monday, reports Hank Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. The deal is worth $1.4 million guaranteed but could be worth over $3 million if he spends enough time in the majors.
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Carbonell, 23, is a speedy and talented defensive outfielder who could profile in center field, according to Baseball America’s report, but also lacks a polished bat. There’s a chance he develops into a decent hitter in time thanks to solid power, which is reportedly graded around 50-55 on the 20-80 scouting scale.
In the past, a number of teams had been rumored to want Carbonell, which is understandable considering he won’t count against the international draft pool since he signed before July 2. That’s a nice bonus for San Francisco, which retains its draft pool money for other prospects while getting a young outfielder to potentially add some depth.
Expectations should be tempered, however, compared to other Cuban players like Yasiel Puig and Yoenis Cespedes. Giants assistant GM Bobby Evans told Schulman that Carbonell is “more of a project” than those players and likely won’t reach the big leagues in 2014.
It’s still a reasonable deal for San Francisco at the affordable price, as the 6’3, 195-pound outfielder could end up being a nice bargain. He’ll now reportedly report to extended spring training in Arizona once he obtains a work visa.
According to reports, Carbonell will receive a $1 million signing bonus and each year of the deal is a split contract, which establishes different salary rates depending on whether he spends a certain amount of time in San Francisco. He’ll earn $100,000 annually if he’s in the minor leagues, but gets between $500,000 and $600,000 each year if he’s in the big leagues.
The deal also includes incentives, so it’s potentially worth $3.175 million in addition to whatever performance bonuses he meets, according to Schulman. However, given that the team doesn’t expect him to reach the majors this year, it’s more likely that he doesn’t receive the full payout.