Nineteen year-old infield prospect Yoan Moncada, whom the Dodgers have been hotly pursuing since he legally left Cuba, could be cleared to sign with a major-league team soon.
According to a report on Yahoo! Sports, Moncada is clear to receive a license to sign with any major-league team because of a recent foreign policy change by the United States government. Writes Jeff Passan:
Any person who meets the requirements for a general unblocking license no longer will be issued a specific unblocking license, a Treasury Department official told Yahoo Sports, putting the onus on MLB to verify Moncada’s residency [in Guatemala] and allow teams to begin negotiating contracts with him. Moncada had been waiting for a specific license from OFAC since late September, sources said, the only hold-up in an expected bidding war for his services.
MLB was drafting a letter to OFAC on Tuesday asking for a meeting in the near future to clarify the new regulations and potentially change league policy, which requires a specific unblocking license. Should a meeting take place soon, one league official estimated Moncada could be free to negotiate with teams within two weeks.
Moncada has already reportedly worked out privately with the Dodgers, among a number of teams.