Pirates Prospects has learned that the Pittsburgh Pirates have signed 18-year-old South Korean shortstop Ji-Hwan Bae. He was originally signed by the Atlanta Braves last September, but he was one of the players they lost when MLB voided the contracts of 13 of their international free agents back in November.
The Braves signed Bae to a $300,000 contract, though they had an illegal deal to pay him another $600,000 that wouldn't count against their bonus pool. The Braves at the time had a limit of $300,000 they could spend on any one pick.
Baseball America rated Bae as the fifth best prospect in the group of 13 Braves, calling him a well-rounded middle infielder who should have no problem sticking at shortstop.