The Philadelphia Phillies locked up one of the most prized players on the international market, according to Jeff Passan of Yahoo! Sports, when they signed Cuban right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez to a six-year deal worth more than $50 million.
Several teams expressed a strong interest in Gonzalez and he has been heavily scouted since defecting earlier this year. At that time, the Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, Minnesota Twins and Miami Marlins all had some level of interest in the 26-year-old pitcher, according to a report from ESPN's Enrique Rojas.
Gonzalez was declared an international free agent by commissioner Bud Selig in June, making him exempt from the new international signing regulations that limit the amount teams can spend on international amateurs. The bidding was heavily contested on Friday with the Red Sox and Phillies both making offers, but the deal from the Phillies obviously won out.
Gonzalez has premium stuff and consistently throws in the low-90s, touching 96 mph with his fastball while his arsenal also features a cutter, splitter and change up, according to Passan.
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