Jorge Ona: Latest News, Rumors, Speculation on Free-Agent OF

Top Cuban prospect Jorge Ona is officially a free agent and is free to sign with MLB teams, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com and Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Continue for updates.

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Padres Expected to Sign Ona

Tuesday, July 19

Both Sanchez and Lin reported the San Diego Padres are the front-runners to sign Ona.

Ben Badler of Baseball America also wrote in February that the Padres were planning to sign Ona when he became a free agent, so his link to the organization is nothing new.

Badler provided the following scouting report on the 19-year-old prospect:

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At around 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, Ona has a compact righthanded swing with good bat speed and plus raw power, showing the ability to drive the ball with authority to all fields. His arm is another above-average tool that fits well in right field. Given his present ability, Ona would likely be ready to go to a low Class A team.

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Badler also reported the Padres were keen to sign Cuban left-handed pitcher Adrian Morejon back in February, and the team signed him earlier in July, so it's clear the organization has made targeting young Cuban prospects a major priority.

The Padres have made the international market a focus in general and were incredibly busy once the international signing period began, as Kirk Kenney of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported on July 2:

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The organization was the most active in baseball, with signings completed or imminent for 16 players — including eight of the top 50 prospects ranked by Baseball America — in the early hours of the opening day of the signing period.

It is an unprecedented period of spending for the franchise. The Padres are expected to spend some $60 million (including penalties for overages) during the international signing period, which runs into next year. Combined with a bonus pool approaching $13 million for last month's MLB Draft, the organization is expected to commit nearly $75 million to player acquisition.

"It really just shows the commitment from our ownership," Padres General Manager A.J. Preller said. "To build a championship program and a championship organization, it starts with having championship-level players, talented players — and a lot of them."

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Ona would perhaps be the prized jewel of the bunch, however, and given San Diego's aggressive international push this offseason, he seems likely to indeed wind up with the Padres, as has been reported. 

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