Rangers sign Australian prospect

The Rangers have signed Australian outfield prospect Todd McDonald for a $475,000 bonus, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America.

The bonus is the highest one given to an Australian hitter during this signing period, the first under the new international spending restrictions.

The Rangers were very aggressive under the old spending system, paying out millions of dollars each year to international free agents.

McDonald, 17, is said to be one of the better prospects in Australia. He is considered to be a good hitter with spotty power, but that he will play in a corner outfield. He recently played in Australia's 18U National Championship, hitting .432 and getting the "Golden Bat Award."

Teams have recently begun scouring the Australian market for prospects, which is apparent because McDonald did not even receive the highest bonus. That distinction goes to Lewis Thorpe, who was signed by the Twins for $500,000.

This might be an example of how teams try and find new advantages under the current CBA, by looking for under-developed markets such as Australia. We have already seen teams sign players from Germany and South Africa.

It comes as no surprise that Texas would be ahead of the curve, as they have been on many things. One major shift the Rangers made was combining their international scouting department with the rest of the team and acquiring players they fail to sign as IFAs via trade.

The other major signing that Texas has made on the international market during this period is top prospect Jurickson Profar's younger bother Juremi Profar.

Texas has still yet to use most of their pool, but looking at their past spending history it would not be surprising if that changes suddenly.