International Free Agency

IFA, along with the draft, is the lifeblood of the Yankee System. 2009 is supposed to be the best year ever for Latin American international free agents, and the Yanks will, once again, be very active. Because of the economy, the Yanks may be able to really dominate the market, and they should. People think that IFA really only involved the July 2 signing frenzy for 16 year olds, but it's a much bigger market than that. For example, last year the Yanks signed Banuelos and Aceves in February. Similarly, they added Kelvin Duran, whose financial demands had prevented him from being signed when he was one of the top FA's in 2007, before the 7/2 date. The Yanks are basically always in the IFA market, 7/2 is just the highlight. So don't be surprised if the Yanks get something done pretty soon with an international free agent.