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Adjust your schedules accordingly: the Marlins have announced a surprise press conference for 11 a.m. Monday morning. Derek Jeter will be there, Michael Hill will be there, and all indications are that Cuban free agents Víctor Víctor Mesa and Víctor Mesa Jr. will join them on the podium. El Nuevo Herald’s Jorge Ebro reports that the club has reached agreements with both talented outfielders, confirmed by Fancred’s Jon Heyman.
All eyes have been on the Mesas since they held a showcase at Marlins Park on Oct. 5 in front of representatives from all 30 MLB organizations. At the time, the Baltimore Orioles held a sizable advantage with the size of their 2018-19 international signing bonus pool.
However, the Marlins eclipsed them in terms of spending ability by acquiring an extra $2.25 million with three separate trades. This news comes just days after the most recent of those moves.
As I had assumed, the Marlins are depleting the vast majority of their $6,569,500 pool. MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez has the specifics:
Sources: @Marlins expected to announce the signing of Victor Victor Mesa and Victor Mesa Jr. in a press conference on Monday in Miami. Victor Victor is expected to sign for more than $5 million and Victor Jr. expected to sign for a bonus near $1 million. pic.twitter.com/C4msvEm6vI
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) October 20, 2018
Right-hander Sandy Gastón shared a showcase and an agency with the Mesas, leading some to speculate that the Marlins might go 3-for-3. That’s highly doubtful at this point.
Scouting perspectives vary quite a bit on the 22-year-old Víctor Víctor. Baseball America has likened him to Nationals outfielder Víctor Robles, someone with legitimate superstar potential. On the other hand, FanGraphs sees more Albert Almora in his game (solid, everyday outfielder). Regardless, he should take over as the Marlins’ No. 1 prospect when major publications update their organizational rankings.
The press conference will shed more light on where Víctor Víctor and Víctor Jr., 17, begin the 2019 season and why they decided to join the Fish (*whispers* the money had a lot to do with it). There is actually some question as to whether the Mesas will do the ceremonial photo op with Marlins uniforms. The team’s logo is about to change to something dramatically different.
As MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro points out, scheduling the presser for Monday avoids any conflict with the MLB postseason. Despite the early start time, nobody would blame you for popping champagne as they get introduced.