Cuban Free Agents Cream of the Prospect Crop
Cuban free agents have taken over Major League Baseball in recent years. Players like Aroldis Chapman, Yoenis Cespedes, Yasiel Puig, Jose Abreu and others have burst onto the MLB scene as stars.
This season we will see Rusney Castillo play with the Boston Red Sox for a full year and Yasmany Tomas and Yoan Lopez will be with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cuban invasion isn’t even close to done, either. MLB.com recently listed the top Cuban free agents on the market, none of which should be there much longer.
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Yoan Moncada is the highlight of the Cuban free agents, and now he’s tried out with the New York Yankees twice. The 19-year old is likely the highest priced Cuban free agent who will sign.
Right after him is Hector Olivera, who is about to turn 30 years old. The late bloomer comes right before Yadier Alvarez, a teenage hard throwing righty. Along with him is Andy Ibanez.
Moncada is a switch hitter and is easily the best get a team could get of the remaining Cuban free agents. The 6’0 210 pound infielder is likely a best fit for shortstop but he can play basically any infield position.
It seems likely he will end up with the Yankees.
Alvarez is just 18 years old and already 6 foot 3 despite his small frame of 175 pounds. His fastball tops out at 98 miles per hour along with a very advanced slider and a developing changeup that gives him three above average pitches in his arsenal.
He’s young and potentially a few years away from being on any big league roster, and it seems like the Diamondbacks are making a push to add their third Cuban potential star.
Olivera could start right away being a more developed and polished player. However, a long-term deal might be something that teams shy away from. At 6 foot 2 and 220 pounds he’s big, powerful, and has been a power guy in Cuba for years.
The Dodgers seem like a likely candidate to sign the infielder.
Ibanez is 21 years old and has potentially the brightest future out of any of these players. He is been compared to <a href=”Placido Polanco” target=”_blank”>Placido Polanco and that’s not a bad thing for the second baseman.
He could sign before Moncada does if a team decides they want to be more prepared. There’s a chance he could step in right away. Thus far, it seems as if the loser of the Moncada sweepstakes could sign him (Dodgers or Yankees) but the San Diego Padres also have interest.
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