Despite Major League Baseball’s deep freeze during the lockout, the Cincinnati Reds are hopeful they added a new star prospect to the organization Saturday.
The Reds signed Ricardo Cabrera, a 17-year-old shortstop from Venezuela, on the first day of the 2021-22 international signing period. Cabrera is rated as the No. 3 overall international free agent by MLB.com, setting high expectations for the face of the Reds' signing class.
Cabrera is the highest-rated international prospect the Reds signed since right-hander Vladimir Gutierrez in 2016, according to the league website’s rankings. The difference from when the Reds signed Aroldis Chapman, Raisel Iglesias, Alfredo Rodriguez, Jose Barrero and Gutierrez over the past 12 years is teams weren’t capped on the amount of money they could spend.