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Y! SPORTS
The Philadelphia Phillies and right-hander Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez agreed Friday night on a six-year deal that could be worth up to $59 million, the richest contract ever for an international player, a club source told Yahoo! Sports.
Gonzalez, 26, wowed scouts after defecting to Mexico in February and rode the success of recent Cuban ballplayers as well as a change in international free agency rules to a payday that with bonuses would exceed the $56 million given to Texas Rangers starter Yu Darvish. The guarantee alone beats the previous high for a Cuban, $42 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers to Yasiel Puig.
The deal is worth a guaranteed $48 million over six years with a seventh-year vesting option for $11 million, the source said.
The Phillies are expected to send Gonzalez to the minor leagues for some seasoning before summoning him to the major leagues by mid-August.
Gonzalez, 26, wowed scouts after defecting to Mexico in February and rode the success of recent Cuban ballplayers as well as a change in international free agency rules to a payday that with bonuses would exceed the $56 million given to Texas Rangers starter Yu Darvish. The guarantee alone beats the previous high for a Cuban, $42 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers to Yasiel Puig.
The deal is worth a guaranteed $48 million over six years with a seventh-year vesting option for $11 million, the source said.
The Phillies are expected to send Gonzalez to the minor leagues for some seasoning before summoning him to the major leagues by mid-August.