Jorge Soler Rumors: Soler Still Not a Free Agent

In case you forgot, highly touted Cuban prospect Jorge Soler remains unsigned.  It’s not because teams aren’t interested in Soler, but instead because the 20-year-old outfielder has yet to be officially declared a free agent by Major League Baseball.  Ben Badler of Baseball America chimed in on the situation yesterday, tweeting that teams “haven’t received any word yet” about Soler hitting the open market.  This offseason, a bevy of teams including the Cubs, Rangers, Yankees, Nationals, Athletics, Phillies, Marlins, Orioles, Blue Jays, White Sox and Indians have been tied to Soler.

Because Soler has yet to officially be named as a free agent, Badler added that teams “legally cannot negotiate” with him yet.  Back in February and March it appeared as if the Cubs were doing just that as it was reported that they had a deal in place for Soler.  However, Chicago has since called reports of a $27.5 million offer to Soler “completely bogus”.

Soler is somewhat of an enigma, but some scouts believe he could potentially hit for more power than fellow Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes.  Scouts characterize Soler’s arm and bat speed as plus and say that his makeup is great.  Baseball America has said that Soler would have been a top-five pick if he was eligible for the 2011 MLB Draft.

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