Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Talks with Cuban pitcher Gonzalez reportedly stalled, cause for concern?

August 7, 2013

By Nick Tricome


News broke that the Phillies signed Cuban righthander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez at the end of July, but there hasn't been anything on Gonzalez since then.

No official announcement of the signing, no word of preparations for the Majors. Nothing.

Should that be a cause for concern?


According to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki, talks between the Phillies and Gonzalez have stalled since the details of his contract were first reported.

"A source indicated to MLB.com on Tuesday that the two parties had hit a snag since word quickly spread July 26 the parties had agreed to a six-year, $48 million contract that included an $11 million option for 2019," Zolecki writes.
"The Phillies have said nothing about Gonzalez since the story broke, not even as much as acknowledging anything might be cooking with the Cuban," he continued. "Asked just before Tuesday night's game against the Cubs at Citizens Bank Park if a deal with Gonzalez might no longer happen, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. repeatedly declined comment."
Zolecki also wrote that Gonzalez has had bone spurs removed from his elbow at some point within the last two years, which has caused scouts to have questions about his arm.
Gonzalez, 26, pitched in Tijuana, Mexico recently. The 6'2", 185 pound pitcher impressed scouts, who believe he is an immediate contributor to the middle of a team's rotation.
The Phillies reportedly outbid the Red Sox to get Gonzalez.
The plan was for Gonzalez to start pitching for the Phillies in mid-August, after spending some time in the club's minor league system.
But it's really close to mid-August now, so it looks like that plan won't be happening.
So, with talks reportedly stalled between the Phillies and Gonzalez and the team declining to comment if a deal is still in place, is there a big cause for concern here?

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