Lopez Agrees to Lucrative Contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks

Diamond(back)s are Yoan Lopez’s new best friends…

The 21-year-old Cuban professional baseball pitcher and the Arizona Diamondbacks have agreed to a contract that includes an $8.27 million signing bonus, according to multiple reports.

Yoan Lopez

A hard-throwing right-hander, Lopez is expected to begin his Diamondbacks career in the minor leagues.

The Associated Press and MLB.com both reported that the $8.27 million bonus is the largest for a young player who resides outside the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico and subject to a team’s international signing pool under baseball’s collective bargaining agreement.

Lopez counts toward a club’s signing pool because he is under 23 and has played professionally less than five years in a Cuban professional league.

Because Arizona would exceed its pool of $2,316,600 by 15 percent or more for the one-year period ending July 1, the Diamondbacks would incur a 100 percent tax on the overage and be barred for the next two signing periods from adding an international player subject to the pool with a bonus over $300,000.

The Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Angels already have gone over their pools by 15 percent or more.

The Angels and 20-year-old Cuban infielder Roberto Baldoquin finalized an agreement on January 6 for an $8 million signing bonus.

Arizona agreed in December to a $68.5 million, six-year contact with 24-year-old Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas.

Tomas to Join the Arizona Diamondbacks

Yasmany Tomas has 68-million reasons to love the Grand Canyon State…

The 24-year-old Cuban slugger has agreed to a six-year deal worth $68.5 million with the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to a report by MLB.com.

Yasmany Tomas

The report, which cites industry sources, states that the deal is believed to include an opt-out clause after four years.

Tomas would become the latest Cuban star to sign a lucrative contract with a major league team, joining Jose Abreu, Rusney Castillo, Yasiel Puig, Yoenis Cespedes and Aroldis Chapman.

Tomas, a corner outfielder, has spent a portion of the last seven years playing for the Havana Industriales. He batted .375 (6 for 16) for Cuba with two homers and five RBIs in last year’s World Baseball Classic.

In total dollars among Cuban players, Tomas’ deal would fall just short of the $72.5 million, seven-year contract agreed to in August between Castillo and the Boston Red Sox. The $11.42 million average would be just above Abreu’s $11.33 million average in the $68 million, six-year deal he agreed to with the Chicago White Sox in October 2011. Abreu went on to win AL Rookie of the Year.