A’s Go On International Spending Spree

OAKLAND—The Athletics have been rather quiet on the international signing front in recent years, but that changed in 2016.

Oakland signed five high-profile international players, including highly touted Cuban 17-year old outfielder Lazaro Armenteros, in a change of course for the organization.

“We really liked the kids that were available,” A’s scouting director Dan Feinstein said. “We’ve done the homework, scouted them and just made the decision this was going to be the best year to make that kind of a splash.”

What made this year appealing was several higher profile organizations could not compete because they had exceeded their allotted bonus pools. Armenteros, who is 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, signed for $3 million, which pushed the A’s over their allotted bonus pool. They will be charged a 100 percent overage tax and will not be eligible to sign players for more than $300,000 in the next two international signing periods. The big-money teams will be back in the running then, so the A’s would have less chance of acquiring talent, anyway.

“We had a renewed emphasis on procuring as much of this talent as possible in what was somewhat of a distressed market,’’ Feinstein said.

The A’s first saw Armenteros at the Under-15 World Cup in 2015, and the outfielder made a memorable impression. “It’s impossible not to get excited when you saw a 15-year-old outperform the world at that tournament,” Feinstein said. “We’ve followed him aggressively ever since.

“He’s probably the most imposing young player we’ve seen in a long time. It’s a rare combination of size and strength from a player this young.”

In addition to Armenteros, the A’s signed four Dominicans: third baseman George Bell, the son of the former MVP; shortstops Yerdel Vargas and Marcos Brito; and center fielder Kevin Richards.

A’s ACORNS

• Feinstein acknowledged that he’s “certainly intrigued by (Bell’s) blood lines,” as his father starred for the Blue Jays. The younger Bell will begin his career as a third baseman.

• Feinstein considers Brito “a gifted defender at shortstop” and says Vargas has an advanced bat for his age. He said Richards may be the fastest player in the 2016 class.