Now that top Cuban prospect Victor Victor Mesa and his younger brother, Victor Mesa Jr., have been declared free agents by Major League Baseball, the Orioles plan to pursue both players aggressively, according to an industry source.
The Orioles have plenty of international free-agent bonus money to spend – their $6.7 million in bonus slots is the most in baseball this period — and the club has long been eyeing Victor Victor, 22, as an opportunity to make a big splash in a Latin American market the Orioles have underinvested in for years.
Both brothers left Cuba in May, and it took until now for them to establish residency in the Dominican Republic so they would be declared free agents.