Lazaro "Lazarito" Armenteros is a 16 year old Cuban "superprospect" that is drawing the attention of scouts across the country. He possesses raw speed and power combinations that have scouts making comparisons to Willie Mays and Bo Jackson, with out much hesitation. There is little doubt that a bidding war is on the horizon for the services of this unique talent, with as many as 9 teams with their fingers on the trigger. Of those nine, one of the more surprising is the Atlanta Braves.
The international pool has always been a priority for the new Braves front office, signing two of the top 30 international free agents, and of course the much criticized deal that brought Hector Olivera to Atlanta, after initially losing a bidding war for him to the Dodgers.
They will face a similar situation here as they did with Olivera, as the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Giants, Cubs, Cardinals, and Royals all poised to make a push, taking penalties and lockouts on the chin to acquire him. This puts management in an interesting position, with the rebuild ahead of schedule, could this be the type of play they can now afford to make? Or will they hold off, with relations between Cuba and the USA thawing over time, that could allow for more talent at reasonable pricing to start heading to the majors. The situation continues to evolve, so pretty much everything is speculation to this point, but one thing is for sure: Hart and Coppy certainly have a flair for the dramatic, so it's a situation worth monitoring.
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