Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette says the Pirates are a strong favorite to land Mexican 16-year-old right-hander Luis Heredia.

No formal offers can be entertained by Heredia’s Veracruz team until Thursday per the declaration by the Mexican Baseball League. The Pirates likely won’t be alone in the pursuit of the right-hander. Kovacevic says the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, San Francisco Giants and Atlanta Braves all scouted Heredia pitching in a tournament for players age 15-16 last week in Mazatlan, Mexico. It won’t be cheap for any of the teams. Some reports have Heredia’s bonus value in the $2 million – $2.8 million range.

Kovacevic points out that the Pirates are heavily invested in the youngster:

• The team has been scouting him since he was 13 years old.
• The team’s Mexican scouting supervisor, Jesus Valdez has known Heredia since he was give and has become a father figure in Heredia’s life.
• The Pirates have close ties to Heredia’s club, Veracruz. Kovacevic says, “In Mexico, a professional team selling a player’s rights keeps 75 percent of the bonus, with the other 25 percent going to the player.”