The St. Louis
Cardinals announced Saturday that they have agreed to terms with five free
agents from Latin
America. July 2nd marks
the first day that teams are allowed to sign players who were not subject to
last month’s MLB First-Year Player Draft.
All of the agreements announced by the Cardinals
are subject to the players passing a physical, MLB background checks, and
ability to obtain a U.S. Visa.
The
following players agreed to terms with the Cardinals on the first date of
eligibility:
Dewin Perez, LHP,
6-0, 175 lbs.; Born: Sept 29, 1994 (Cartagena,
Colombia)
Eliezer
Alvarez,
SS, S/R, 5-11, 165; Born: Oct 15, 1994 (Santiago,
Dominican Republic)
Jose Godoy, C, L/R, 5-11, 180; Born:
Oct 13, 1994 (Maracaibo, Venezuela)
Alirio Negrette, LHP, 5-11, 176; Born:
March 29, 1995 (Maracaibo, Venezuela)
Also
signing to a 2012 future services contract:
Luis
Arias,
RHP, 6-3, 180; Born: July 6, 1993 (Bonao, Dominican
Republic)
“This
is a good group of young players that will add to our organizational depth,”
said Jeff Luhnow, Cardinals Vice
President, Scouting & Player Development. “It demonstrates our commitment to
Latin America.”
According
to Cardinals scouts, the switch-hitting Alvarez offers an attractive bat, good
speed and a strong throwing arm.
Godoy is considered a solid catch-and-throw backstop who has benefited
from his organized playing experience in Maracaibo. Perez ranked among the best
pitchers in the current class and has strong athleticism – even playing
centerfield in the youth leagues in Colombia.
Notes: Baseball America reports Perez will receive a signing bonus of $450,000 and Godoy agreed to $200,000.
As always, click on highlighted names to be taken to their player profile pages here at The Cardinal Nation. In addition, to see the entire 293-player Cardinals system by level and position, refer to the Roster Matrix at The Cardinal Nation Blog. These players are listed on the Dominican Summer League Cardinals roster.