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According to MLB’s Jesse Sanchez, the Astros have reached an agreement with Cuban lefthanded prospect Cionel Perez. The deal is believed to be worth $2 million.
Source: Astros have signed Cuban LHP Cionel Perez, #4 on @MLB Top 30 Prospects list, to a $2M deal. @MLBPipeline
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) December 9, 2016
Does that name sound familiar? Wondering why this all feels like deja vu? Well, it’s because the Astros already inked Perez to a deal back in September.
However, things fell apart in October thanks to a reported medical issue. Houston voided Perez’s deal on Oct. 26.
It appears, though, Houston has worked through whatever issues it had and signed Perez for less than half of his last deal.
Here’s what TCB wrote at the time of his signing:
Cionel, 20, played for Matanza in 2014 with the Cuban League. Cionel was 7-2 with a 2.50 ERA in 20 games (18 starts). He allowed 25 earned runs on 79 hits and 34 walks while striking out 78.
Sanchez is reporting the Astros have signed Perez for a $5.15 million signing bonus — the Astros will have to pay $10.3 million with a 100-percent overage tax. The Astros’ original bonus pool was $2.197 million which Houston quickly spent and exceeded the pool money.
Instead of paying $10.15 million, the Astros will presumably be paying $4 million for the signing. They still have to pay the 100 percent overage tax, since their bonus pool has long been spent.
Want a scouting report on Perez? TCB has you covered there too. It’s almost like he’d been signed before, y’all!
From Bhrodhnos’ excellent article at the time:
Pérez stands a rather diminutive 5’10’’ and was, as of his last weigh-in in Cuba, measured at about 150 lbs. While it is not unreasonable to expect an 18-year-old to put on additional weight and muscle, Pérez is unlikely to ever develop the kind of power build of someone like, say, Jake Arrieta or Felix Hernández. Compared to many Cuban pitchers, Pérez’s delivery is downright conventional. While it includes the expected twist at the top of the leg kick and the variation in arm angles, it is fairly streamlined in terms of high leg-kicks, distracting feints with the arms, or too many other moving parts. Observe Pérez pitching below with the under 18 team just before his defection.
So there you have it. What was once lost is now found. What was once hurt is now pain-free. Now, when do the Astros get to sign Cuban Jacob Nix and Cuban Mac Marshall?