With the international free agent signing period kicking off on January 15, many signings are still being reported. Hector Gomez reports that Michael Cordero has signed with the St. Louis Cardinals. He is the son of former MLB closer Francisco Cordero.
The third baseman will be signing for $100,000. The 16-year-old will be 17 this upcoming August and was born in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He stands at 5’11” and weighs 185 pounds, hits from the right side and throws right-handed. It will be interesting to see how he develops his bat and glove at the minor-league level.
Cordero is also the son of three-time All-Star closing pitcher Francisco Cordero. He made his MLB debut with the Tigers in 1999 and pitched until 2012 when he retired. During his career, Cordero pitched in 800 games, recording a 47-53 record, a 3.38 ERA, 329 saves, and striking out 796 batters across 824.2 innings. He pitched with the Tigers, Rangers, Brewers, Reds, Blue Jays, and Astros.
Cordero isn’t the only second-generation talent the Cardinals signed during the international free agency period. The team also signed outfielder Royel Strop, the son of longtime MLB reliever Pedro Strop. Strop’s deal with the Cardinals was for $1.5 million, with $100,000 in tuition, according to Mike Rodriguez. It will certainly be something to keep an eye on to see if both Strop and Cordero will make their fathers proud and potentially play together in the Cardinals lineup in the near future.
