Lazaro

Armenteros

Armenteros received a $3 million signing bonus as an international free agent back in 2016 and never wound up making it to Oakland. The 25-year-old outfielder was removed from the Athletics’ 40-man roster back in early May and has now been completely cut loose after posting a .681 OPS with three homers and 14 steals in 58 games this season between Triple-A Las Vegas and Double-A Midland. There’s a chance he gets an opportunity somewhere else in the coming weeks.

Armenteros went unclaimed on waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week. The 24-year-old outfielder will remain with the Athletics as extra organizational fodder.

The 24-year-old will hit waivers after a rough start at the minor league level in Las Vegas. Amenteros slashed just .133/.278/.250 with 37 strikeouts in his 72 plate appearances.

It’s a large batch of cuts, and there’s definitely some talent mixed in there, but no one who was truly expected to crack the team’s Opening Day roster. Jordan Diaz saw significant time with the A’s during the 2023 season and he’ll surely get another chance at some point in 2024. Estes is somewhat surprising, as he was absolutely dealing in Cactus League play — posting a 1.29 ERA, 0.43 WHIP and an 8/1 K/BB ratio across seven innings in his three outings.

The 24-year-old is now protected from the Rule 5 draft. Armenteros spent the bulk of his 2023 season at Double-A Midland where he hit .249/.380/.464 with 14 homers, 72 RBI, 10 steals (in 17 attempts) and a 133/62 K/BB ratio across 405 plate appearances.

We’re not sure this is really necessary. Armentero, who has been in the organization since 2017, hit .249/.380/.464 with 133 strikeouts in 405 plate appearances as a 24-year-old in Double-A last season. The A’s see something that makes them think he’s a major leaguer, but they’ve become poor judges of such things.

Under their new ownership group the Dodgers have become the most aggressive spenders on international talent in Major League Baseball, and Armenteros and Fernandez are among the most popular names on this year’s market. Armenteros, commonly referred to as “Lazarito,” is a 17-year-old outfielder with a wide variety of scouting reports -- some very promising, some not so promising. At one point there was talk of him commanding a record sum, but that has cooled. Hernandez is a 27-year-old with a MLB-ready profile, but he was granted free agency in late April and remains unsigned. There’s always an element of mystery with these Cuban signings.

There have been mixed reviews on how “Lazarito” has looked during showcases for teams, but everyone agrees that there’s plenty of raw ability there. He’s only 17 years old and will take a long time to develop, but the A’s are evidently willing to buy the expensive lottery ticket.

Nightengale says that all 30 major league clubs will be at the event. Known as “Lazarito” in international baseball circles, Armenteros is a five-tool talent who won’t turn 17 until May. Nightengale notes that the young outfielder already has a $15 million offer from a Japanese club, but Armenteros’ goal is to play in the major leagues. MLB is expected to decide by the end of January whether he’s eligible to sign now or must wait until the next signing period on July 2.

Armenteros, often referred to as “Lazarito,” was declared a free agent by MLB last month and is expected to decide on a team by when he’s first eligible to sign on February 10. Sanchez hears that the Braves are among the teams making a strong push for the five-tool outfielder. While there were mixed reviews during a recent showcase, he’s expected to command a bonus in the range of $15-20 million.