Kevin Maitan has been a name that Braves fans have been whispering for quite some time. The teenager from Venezuela has tantalizing potential at the plate as well as in the field as the power bat with huge upside that the Braves farm system has sorely needed for some time.
For the better part of a year now, it was understood that the Braves and Maitan have had some sort of handshake/mutual understanding that he would sign with the Braves on July 2 when the international free agency period opens (thats tomorrow...get excited!) and the rumored deal is for somewhere around $4 million which would be a record deal for a prospect out of Venezuela and speaks to how highly he is thought of.
However, he is no sure thing to sign with the Braves it appears. First, in February, I went over Maitan and the hype surrounding his signing (when the comps are names like Chipper Jones and Miguel Cabrera...one tends to take notice). In that, I noted that the Cardinals have been very interested in Maitan for as long as the Braves have. While there hasn’t been any particularly new news on the Cardinals front, its doubtful that their interest has waned in a couple of months.
One thing that IS new is the name of one the Braves’ biggest rivals: the Nationals. Keith Law noted in his report on the top international free agents that while Atlanta is still the favorite to sign Maitan, the Nationals have been very aggressive in trying to get Maitan. In his chat, Law mentions that the Nationals had actually been successful earlier in getting him to switch before the Braves came back and gave him a bigger offer. It now appears that the Nationals may have a $7 million counter offer that is on the table but its unclear as to whether Maitan is still listening or what is going on.
In short, we have a lot of time between now and tomorrow and there seems to be more intrigue that we may have thought regarding the signing of the top international free agent target on the market.