Oakland A’s talks with Chia-Hsi Shen unravel
The Oakland A’s had been expected to sign Chia-Hsi Shen as an international free agent. That deal will not happen.
According to CPBL Stats, the deal between Shen and the A’s has fallen apart and will not take place. However, there are other MLB teams interested in bringing him stateside to join their organization.
Chia-Hsi Shen not joining Oakland A’s after all
Shen’s contract was reported to be for $300,000 and had been expected to be completed in December provided his medicals were in order. At this point, there is no indication as to why the deal fell apart, but this could be a big loss for the A’s system going forward.
It is easy to understand why the A’s, and other major league organizations, would be intrigued by Shen. The 18 year old righty has a fastball that has topped out at 95 MPH, an excellent changeup, and throws a slider and curve as well. As he continues to develop, it is easy to imagine that he will add a few more MPH to his fastball and continue to improve his secondary pitches.
For the A’s, this was a chance to land a player that could develop into a significant prospect at a fraction of the cost. Shen had drawn plenty of attention, but the A’s ability to land international free agents appeared to be a factor once again.
It is possible that he still comes stateside. Those other teams could make an offer that he cannot refuse and everything could go well in negotiations. It is possible that Shen will be another one that got away for the A’s. The only thing that appears certain is that he will not be heading to Oakland after all.
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The Oakland A’s and Chia-Hsi Shen had reportedly agreed to a contract back in November. That deal will not happen as it fell through recently.