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Baseball America is now reporting the Gilbert Lara signing is official. Included in the report is a picture of Lara signing a contract so it's probably just a matter of time before the Brewers announce the deal themselves. The deal is reportedly worth $3.1 million.
Originally Brewers were allotted $2,611,800 but increased that amount by $339,000 for a total of $2,950,800. Teams can sign international free agents for up to 5% over their allotted pool without suffering any major penalties. Five percent over the Brewers current pool is $3,098,340. It's entirely possible this is the amount that Lara has signed for.
Once a team officially signs a player, they're no longer able to acquire more cap space to avoid penalties. If the Brewers were to go over by more than 5 but less than 10% they'd have to pay a 100% tax on the overage and not be able to sign an international free agent by more than $500,000 next year. That would severely limit the kind of talent that would be available to them. If it's true that Lara signed for the exact 5% over pool figure, then the Brewers only have to pay a 100% tax on the overage, which isn't significant.
Unless we hear about the Brewers acquiring another team's slot bonus today I think it's a safe bet that Lara did sign for exactly $3,098,340. We should hope so because I'm quite certain even $10 more and the Brewers get the higher penalty. If it is announced that they acquired more cap space or any other news is revealed, I'll update accordingly.
