Before The Plan, before Kris Bryant, Kyle Schwarber, Albert Almora and Jorge Soler, the Cubs came to terms with Cuban defector Gerardo Concepcion during the winter of 2012.
At the time, the Cubs were chasing Yasiel Puig, along with the aforementioned Soler. The less-heralded Concepcion was the first to sign, inking a five-year deal that guaranteed the left-handed pitcher $6 million with a $3 million signing bonus. The Cubs had to be beside themselves as it was one of the new regime’s very first “big moves.”
Only twenty years old, Concepcion was coming off of a lot of success playing for Industriales of the Cuban National Series.