Yoan Moncada

We need spring training to start like now so there is something to talk about.

Let me double and triple that sentiment! Thank goodness tomorrow is February. Was it me or was January 10 days longer?

It was like 68 yesterday and 67 today here in Durham, but I totally get what you're saying.

I live in Winston-Salem. Beautiful day yesterday. Insane for here to be 70 & sunny on Feb 1st. Will be catching the games when Salem comes to town. Can't wait!!!

Let me tell you something, if I became as rich as he is I'd be doing the same thing.

To be clear, I think it's unfair to characterize it as "Moncada complained about taxes". When he got his bonus paycheck, it was much smaller than the number that his agent told him and that was widely repeated in the media. In that moment, he was surprised and angry. That seems like a totally reasonable reaction-- if you're not used to employers automatically deducting taxes from your paycheck, are in a new legal/financial environment, and come from a country with rampant corruption, you might well reasonably think that you were just getting ripped off. After his agent explained to him how things work, he calmed down and didn't make a fuss about it.

All fair points, I wasn't trying to bash him really, the extent of my knowledge on the situation came from the few posts in this thread. I like the car, wish they had the some pictures of it at night all lit up.

He needs to watch the ESPN 30 for 30 "Broke." They all do, but esp any of the players who grew up poor outside of the U.S., which, as any of us who've been to some of those countries has seen or know, it's a much more dire and impoverished situations than poor in the U.S typically face. In fact, when I was in the D.R., I had a man who was contrasting the situations in the villages there with poverty in the U.S. tell me "No one is poor who has a toilet and a TV."

We do need to cut the kid some slack. Remembering that he came from a place that had no taxes would help. The concept was probably alien to him and that definitely would be a shock.

It's also one of the reasons why Cuba got opened up. They weren't going to be able to make it simply by relying on friends such as they were any longer, so this is what's coming. With everybody piling in, they'll still needs streets, sewer lines, water systems, trash pickup... guess where all that will come from? My hope is that a place that still has intact mangrove forests as far as the eye can see, won't get run over. One of the scientists I worked with for a long time, went to Cuba maybe 15 years ago. The place hadn't seen any of the aggressive development model that has wiped out much of the Caribbean's natural heritage - up to now. Her impression was that it would all be at risk if care wasn't taken.

The Hastings have hopefully taken the time to explain a lot of the money stuff to him. Sounds as if they've been doing just that. I'm glad they're wet-nursing him. It's got to be a kaleidoscope of change for him, and he is just a kid. He's not now who he will become, big wheels aside.

Thank the Lord those taxes are being taken out of Massachusetts (red sox) rather than new york (yankees). I imagine he'd be screaming more, I can't imagine new york city having better taxes.

Doesn't his residence in Fla make his $$$ be taxed in Fla? It is good that his agent Hastings is basically his financial advisor as well. Hastings wife is from Cuba as well & she is more like a mother/interpreter. Yoan bought a house 3 houses down from the Hastings. They live in the St Pete area (Gulfport) so it's not like he is in Miami or another area where there is a lot of "questionable" activities that he could get caught up in.