The Orioles announced today that right-hander Pedro Araujo was re-acquired after being returned to the Cubs. $750K of international bonus signing availability went to the Chicago organization in the deal, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune tweets.
Araujo’s Rule 5 status made him a tough fit on the Baltimore roster. As a 2017 selection who missed some action due to injury last year, he only needed to be held on the active roster for a few weeks for his rights to permanently go to the O’s. But he’d still have required a 40-man roster spot even if he was optioned down.
By working things out this way, the Orioles will keep Araujo without having to tie up a 40-man spot. They’ll cough up some international pool availability, but the organization has already been utilizing its excess bonus cash in other trades. The long-term plan is likely to begin putting that asset to work directly through prospect signings, but the O’s first need to establish an international infrastructure that was not pursued under the prior front office regime.
The 25-year-old Araujo obviously has impressed the Baltimore brass to some extent, given that they wanted to keep him in the organization. But it was plain that he wasn’t really ready for the majors. Last year, he was torched for 7.71 earned runs per nine over 28 frames, coughing up nine home runs along the way. But he also generated a healthy 13.9% swinging-strike rate at the MLB level.
It’s as if they are deathly allergic to International bonus money!
Factually incorrect.
If you can’t spend it I guess you might as well do this. I don’t think araujo is going to be up to snuff by next offseason where he’ll be rule 5 eligible again but we’ll see.
They can spend it.
For whatever reasons, they weren’t going to.
There’s not much to spend it on when you millions more than the rest. The pool is small.
$750,000 gets you three lottery tickets.
If they’re willing to work hard enough, they can be useful.
Yes but it’s nice that they managed to keep him (and he has some possible upside) after having given him up in the manner they had.
Seems like a lot of money they could’ve spent on some “lottery ticket” prospects instead.
The problem is that assumes said prospect WANTS to go to baltimore.
It’s also a week into April already, soon other clubs will be resetting their yearly limits.
My guess is the 40 man slot with a prospect you’re acquainted with has more value than a drastic overpay for one or two guys who don’t want to really be there
Some 17 year old kid from the DR doesn’t care if it’s the orioles signing him or not if they’ll give him 100K. The problem is there’s very few guys the orioles are familiar with even left on the market at this point. All the top guys have been scooped up by now. There’s no sense in throwing that money away on some C level guys who your scouts haven’t even seen.
Their international scouting is still being updated with scouts etc. They only have less than two months to spend it left. Good deal and it keeps a 40 man roster spot open. Once their scouts are hired and all on the same page as the front office , they will spend. But it is unreal that a MLB team isn’t up to date in the international market by now. Baby steps I guess.
Never understood this. Is this real money exchanging hands, or just the ability to spend money if you wanted, as I know there is a cap + % you can go over..
What was traded was the ability to spend the money.
FWIW, I’d like a site to have candy thermometer,indicating how much space the 30 sides still have to spend.