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Chicago White Sox ink top Cuban prospect for $25M

By Alex Butler

May 21 (UPI) -- The Chicago White Sox have yet to make the official announcement, but multiple sources are reporting the franchise has landed top Cuban prospect Luis Robert.

Robert, 19, and the franchise reached an agreement worth more than $25 million, according to several media outlets. The outfielder is listed at 6-foot-3-inches and 185 pounds. Robert gained notoriety in Major League Baseball when he was just 15-years-old. He was eligible to sign as a free agent Saturday.

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MLB notified teams in April that Robert was not subject to the June first-year player draft.

Though the franchise has not officially announced the signing, it did tweet Saturday about some possibility related transactions. The White Sox traded minor-league pitcher Alex Katz to the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for two international bonus pool slots worth $756,300.

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Robert will likely report to low or high Class A, according to Baseball America. He is a lean and athletic player with great speed. The right-hander came up through the Cuban junior leagues as a centerfielder but also played some left field for Ciego de Avila's top team in Serie Nacional. Baseball American reports that he clocked a 4.2-second to 4.25-second mark while running from home to first base.

In 2015, Robert hit .381 with a league-leading six home runs in 138 plate appearances. He also led Cuba's 18U league in OBP and slugging percentage. Robert's 13 stoles bases were tied for the league lead.

The White Sox will pay 100 percent on overage taxes for the international signing, meaning the actual cost for Robert will be about $45 million. Robert is considered to be a five-tool prospect. The St. Louis Cardinals were another team competing for Robert's services.

Robert worked out for both teams earlier this month in the Dominican Republic. He also worked out for the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds and Oakland Athletics. The Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and Kansas City Royals were not eligible to sign Robert because they are in the penalty and currently can't sign any international amateur player for more than $300,000.

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The White Sox (19-22) are currently fourth in the American League Central. They host the Seattle Mariners at 4:10 p.m. Sunday, looking to sweep the three-game series. Melky Cabrera, Avisail Garcia, Leury Garcia and Willie Garcia have been the mainstays manning the outfield this season. The latter Garcia hit his first major league home run Saturday in the White Sox's 16-1 win against the Mariners.

The White Sox also acquired fellow top Cuban prospect Yoan Moncada in its offseason Chris Sale trade with the Boston Red Sox. Boston originally signed the infielder in 2015 for a total investment of about $63 million. The third baseman was ranked the No. 5 prospect in 2017 by Baseball Prospectus and ranked No. 2 by Baseball America.

Moncada is ripping through Triple-A ball this season, hitting .331 with six home runs and 15 RBI, with a .905 OPS in 34 games for the Charlotte Knights in the International League.

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Robert still needs to pass his physical before the acquisition becomes official, meaning the deal likely wont be announced officially until next week.

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