Yankees sign ‘mini Gary Sheffield’ in top-10 international prospect

Brian Cashman continues to wheel and deal.

This time, the New York Yankees general manager took a plunge in the international pool and came up with a top-10 prospect.

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MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez reports that per a source, the Yankees “have agreed to an estimated $4.4M deal with outfielder Brandon Mayea, #9 Top 50 Int’l Prospects list. The team has not confirmed.”

MLB.com reports the Yankees had a base international signing pool of $5.284 million and that the deal with Mayea is pending a physical.

First of all, Mayea has uncommon bat speed and power. One evaluator described him as a “mini Gary Sheffield,” while others praised his advanced approach at the plate. He’s very aggressive in the batter’s box, and he’s getting a better understanding of the strike zone. Physically, Mayea has a mature frame, and there is still plenty of upside because he is strong and twitchy. On defense, there’s a chance he could stay in center field, but a move to a corner spot could be possible because of his size and athleticism.

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According to MLB.com, Sunday was the first day of the international signing period, which runs through Dec. 15.