Yankees Lose Top International Free Agent Draftee to Mets

The hits just keep on coming for the Yankees. After the Yankees relived Director of International Scouting Donny Rowland of his duties on November 12th, the organization is yet to make a hire.

Now, news comes out of the Dominican Republic Thursday that SS prospect Wandy Asigen will sign with the Mets. The period to sign opens in January.

Asigen was committed to the Yankees for years. A report surfaced a few weeks ago was a warning sign this could happen. It's now a reality.

This is more than just losing a prospect. It's a bad sign that the Yankees are losing touch in the international market. It has been no secret that the Yankees have not had much success with players coming from Latin America, part of the reason Rowland was fired.

It seems the Yankees are losing their luster as an organization. Cashman has been a general manager since 1998 and just one of the teams he built -- that Gene Michael did not have his hands on -- has won a championship. The Yankees have been complacent with coming in second place and not winning for years now, with no sign of change to come.

Rowland's firing was warranted, but it makes you wonder, why now? Why not wait till after the players are signed. It's a really bad look for the organization as a whole. Clearly it affected the design of a free agent.

The Yankees made a change in the international drafting department, maybe it's time to make changes in other places too.