Braves Sign Cuban Pitcher Carlos Portuondo

The Braves have signed 28-year-old Cuban righthander Carlos Portuondo to a minor league contract with a $990,000 bonus, according to international sources. Portuondo is exempt from the international bonus pools, so he’s able to sign immediately without affecting Atlanta’s plans to smash through their upcoming 2016-17 international bonus pool on July 2.

Portuondo has a strong frame around 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, though he never had much success pitching in Cuba. In his final Serie Nacional season (2013-14) with Santiago De Cuba, Portuondo posted a 6.39 ERA with 24 strikeouts and 23 walks in 38 innings, splitting his time between starting and relieving, with the Braves planning to use him as a reliever. I’ve never seen Portuondo pitch myself, but reports from those who have seen him are that his fastball has increased into the 90-93 mph since leaving Cuba, with a slider as his go-to secondary pitch.

Portuondo trained in the Dominican Republic with Rudy Santin, who also worked with Cuban outfielder Dian Toscano (four years, $6 million) and Dominican shortstop Derian Cruz ($2 million bonus) when they signed with the Braves last year.