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Cuban Star Oscar Colas Agrees to Contract with White Sox with $2.7M Signing Bonus
January 25, 2022
Cuban sensation Oscar Colas will bring his rare blend of talents to the Chicago White Sox after the two sides agreed to a deal on Tuesday.
The White Sox announced they agreed to a deal with Colas that includes a $2.7 million signing bonus.
James Fegan of The Athletic reported Colas is expected to join the minor leagues once his visa clears.
Francys Romero of Las Mayores was the first to report Colas was defecting from Cuba.
ESPN's Jeff Passan reported in January 2020 that Colas was seeking a deal from a Major League Baseball team.
Because of the process of establishing residence in a third country and getting cleared by the Office of Foreign Assets Control, it wasn't clear how long Colas would have to wait before MLB gave him the necessary approval to sign a deal.
Scouting reports suggest Colas, who played in the outfield in Japan in 2019 and can also pitch, has the tools to be the most dynamic international prospect since Shohei Ohtani, who signed with the Los Angeles Angels in Dec. 2017.
Jeff Passan @JeffPassanOne scout who has seen Colás believes he’s going to stick at outfield, while another says his arm is good enough for him to play a two-way role. Either way, Colás, whose leaving Cuba was first reported by <a href="https://twitter.com/francysromero?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FrancysRomero</a>, is expected to garner significant interest across baseball.
MLB.com had Colas ranked as the No. 5 international free agent, adding he was nicknamed "Cuban Ohtani" before he gave up pitching.
Colas hit .300/.353/.511 with 12 homers and 48 RBI in 73 games with the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in 2019. He didn't pitch with the team, so it will be on the Sox to decide if they want to try him back on the mound.
If Colas goes back to being a two-way player, it could delay his MLB arrival given the likely development he will need in the minors to build up his arm strength.
Regardless of what path Colas takes, the White Sox have added one of the best young prospects in baseball to their farm system.
One reason the White Sox have elevated themselves as one of the best teams in the American League is their willingness to be aggressive on the international free-agent market.
Jose Abreu and Luis Robert are two of Chicago's best players. The organization signed them after they defected from Cuba.
Colas has tremendous potential and is only 23 years old. He will likely need some time to develop in the minors, but his natural talent and ceiling are so significant that he could force himself onto Chicago's 26-man roster soon.