Cardinals Void Contract of Dominican Prospect Wagner Mateo

Just 21/2 months after the Cardinals agreed to a $3.1 million contract with 16-year old Dominican prospect Wagner Mateo, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch is reporting that the club is voiding the deal due to a pre-existing condition that Cardinals discovered during their physical exam. It was originally reported on Friday by ESPN's Jorge Arangure that the physical turned up vision problems that could potentially affect the signing, though the club had not elaborated beyond that initial report.

It's not immediately clear what Mateo's vision problems are or what the Cardinals' plan is going forward with Mateo. The voiding of the contract suggests that it's a serious condition, but it's also possible that the Cardinals are playing it safe given the amount of money and young age of the player involved. If that's the case, Mateo could potentially sign, for much less money, with another team somewhere down the road.

This news really highlights the risks of paying huge bonuses to such young players. In his initial report, the Post-Dispatch's Joe Strauss wrote that there were whispers about Mateo's vision well before the Cardinals' physical (which took place at the end of July), though the Cards must certainly have vetted Mateo at least somewhat thoroughly (especially to confirm his age) before giving him such a huge bonus.

It will be interesting to see the impact that this news has on the market for young Latin-American players. Prices have shot upwards in the past two summers with Michael Inoa's $4.25 million bonus last summer, Mateo's bonus this summer and the rumored asking price for Miguel Angel Sano (who's still on the market), which is reportedly anywhere between $2.5 and $5 million. It's possible this news will hurt Sano's value as it highlights the danger of paying a seven-figure bonus to a 16-year old that virtually nothing is known about.

Then again, the Cardinals weren't really burned by this because they did catch Mateo's problems before the contract went into effect, meaning that they don't have to pay the bonus. I'd assume that the clause that hinged the contract on a full physical is standard for these types of signings, so clubs may simply view this as a unique situation and keep pressing onward with astronomical bonuses for Latin-American youngsters.