Cubs' deal with Cuban prospect Martinez accepted
Chicago lands 20-year-old outfielder after Giants had also submitted claim
Cuban outfield prospect Eddy Julio Martinez is officially a member of the Chicago Cubs.
The Cubs have not announced the deal, but Major League Baseball transactions confirm that Martinez's deal with the Cubs became official on Oct. 9, as previously reported by MLB.com.
It's been an eventful month for the young outfielder. Martinez agreed to terms on a signing bonus worth $2.5 million on Oct. 3 with the Giants and later changed his mind. The deal, which the Giants did not confirm, was pending a physical and based on a series of texts and emails. Sources told MLB.com that Martinez's father was seeking a bonus closer to $3 million and did not approve of the deal with San Francisco.
According to sources, Martinez then signed the term sheet for the Cubs for $3 million on Oct. 8 and filed it for approval by the Commissioner's Office one day later. The Giants submitted paperwork claiming a deal with Martinez the day after they came to terms. However, representatives for Martinez claim the player did not sign a term sheet for the Giants or the sworn statement that says a Cuban player is in compliance with Section 515.05 of Cuban Assets Control Regulations in order to sign with a Major League team.
The terms of the deal with the Giants were rejected in favor of the Cubs, according to industry sources.
Martinez is represented in the Dominican Republic by trainers Aldo Marrero and Amauris Nina. He is represented in the United States by Beverly Hills Sports Council. It was Marrero and Nina who made the deal with the Cubs. It was BHSC that made the deal with the Giants.
The 6-foot-2, 195-pound Martinez is ranked No. 4 on MLB.com's Top 30 International Prospect list. Martinez, 20, was among the first Cuban players eligible to sign during the international signing period. However, he later found himself in a competition for attention with top Cuban prospects like outfielder Yusniel Diaz (No. 3 prospect), 18, and right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez (No. 2 prospect), 19, and others who entered the market in search of deals with Major League teams.
Martinez left Cuba in November, established residency in Haiti in February and has been training in the Dominican Republic.
The right-handed hitter has a quick and compact power stroke. He's shown the ability to hit home runs to all fields and work the count. He's speedy out of the box and shows basestealing potential. He has also shown good instincts on defense and the ability to cover the gaps in the outfield. Those skills combined with a playable and accurate arm could mean Martinez should stay in center field as he develops.
The outfielder played for Cuba's junior national teams in Mexico and Venezuela and spent two seasons with Las Tunas in Cuba's Serie Nacional, the island's top league. He is set to join a class of top international prospects for the Cubs that includes shortstop Yonathan Perlaza, ranked No. 15; outfielder Yonathan Sierra Estiwal, ranked No. 18; shortstop Aramis Ademan, ranked No. 21; and Panamanian catcher Miguel Amaya, ranked No. 26.