Santana and Flores

[Guest Edgy DC]

Take two: The Mets on Wednesday announced the signing of two international teenage free agents, Cesar David Puello Santana and Wilmer Alejandro Flores. Puello, 16, is an outfielder from the Dominican Republic, and Flores, also 16, is an infielder from Venezuela. Both players will report to the Mets' instructional league in Port St. Lucie, Fla.

"We are very happy to bring both of these talented young men to the New York Mets organization," said Mets director of international operations Ismael Cruz. "Puello is a great athlete with excellent makeup. He has good power, a good arm and the ability to run."

"Flores is the biggest international signing this year, and we are very excited at the opportunity to have him in our organization. Many teams were bidding higher for him, and he chose to come to the Mets ahead of the others for the opportunity to play in our organization."

The two took batting practice at Shea Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, mingling with perhaps some of their future teammates.

"The Mets go beyond being a business," Puello said through an interpreter. "They're a family. That's one thing that was a strong consideration in signing."

[Benjamin Grimm]

That sounds like high praise for Flores, especially when you consider that he's 16 years old. (Born in 1991!)

He's an "infielder" and, if he's a real hotshot, he might be in the majors in four or five years. Wright and Reyes should still be around then, so I guess we should think about him as a second baseman?

[Guest Edgy DC]

It's hard for me to think about them as much more than abstractions, but the more abstractions we have, the more concretions we'll one day get.

The Yankees, like other teams, have no team in the Venezeualan Summer League in recent years (and, so, presumably no academy down there?) and instead field two teams in the Dominican. I wonder how much of an advantage the teams holding out in the VSL have in signing young Venezuelans. There's got to be some.

I kind of wish American teenagers could sign at 16.