Things on the Jorge Soler rumor front have been fairly silent of late, but Nick Carfado of the Boston Globe touched on the Cuban prospect this morning in his Sunday column. Carfado reiterates that about eight teams including the Red Sox “would love to land Soler”. According to reports, this list of at least eight includes the Red Sox, White Sox, Cubs, Blue Jays, Orioles, Phillies, Yankees and Marlins. Carfado added that, once Soler gets his citizenship issues cleared up and officially becomes a free agent, interested teams may be in for “sticker shock”.
Carfado noted that some teams are viewing Soler as a better value when compared to fellow Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes. Soler is seven years younger than Cespedes, and while he may not offer the same high batting average some expect Yoenis to regularly reach, the teenager reportedly has the potential to hit for more power. Carfado also said teams were attracted to Soler over Cespedes because he is viewed as having more upside and teams like that they can mold him in their minor league system for a longer period of time.
Once the Cespedes negotiations began picking up, the Cubs reportedly turned their attention to Soler. This made Chicago the initial favorite to sign the 19-year-old, but since then the Yankees and Phillies have also been tabbed as serious pursuers of Soler. Teams continue to watch the prospect work out in the Dominican Republic, where he is residing until his citizenship issue is cleared up.
Vague numbers have been thrown around this winter regarding Soler’s potential contract. The Cubs were reportedly willing to go as high as $27.5 million for the teenager. While this may seem ridiculous, Carfado heard from two general managers that Soler will indeed go for more than five years and the $15-20 million most thought he’d receive.
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