Maybe it’s because Corey Seager and Alex Guerrero aren’t quite enough organizational infield depth to have, so the Los Angeles Dodgers seem to think a $62.5 million insurance policy in the form of Cuban defector Hector Olivera is a necessary investment. Or perhaps management is just confused about the possibility of the nucleus of their team being coined ‘Little Havana’ in 2015 and beyond with the actual neighborhood bearing the name in Miami, FL.
The expected signing of Olivera will represent the fifth time in the last three years the Dodgers have dipped into the Cuban talent pool. On top of Guerrero, the club has OF Yasiel Puig under contract through 2019, SS Erisbel Arruebarrena and RHP Pablo Fernandez. All in, that works out to $165.5 million invested in Cuban talent. While there is no denying the above-average ability of most defectors from the small island country who make an MLB roster, is the Dodgers’ spending sustainable?
The above figure is a lot of money to pay five players — only one of which who is actually proven his MLB worth in Puig — with next to no experience playing baseball in North America. It also raises the question of why the Dodgers did not land Yoan Moncada in the offseason? The Red Sox guaranteed a $31.5 million signing bonus to him and are on the hook for $63 million overall.
An extra $500,000 for the Dodgers to land the player shrouded in less controversy should have been a no brainer. Especially since their projected payroll for 2015 is an astounding $273.4 million, before even considering Olivera’s cap hit. So again, what’s another 500K? Then there is the fact that Olivera turns 30 in April. Moncada may not be pro-ready from day one like Olivera suggestively is, but at only 19-years of age, he probably has a far higher ceiling than Olivera.
Even deeper analysis shows that Guerrero, a player who played mostly in Triple-A last season, is slated to make more than Puig in 2015. $286,000 more to be exact. This makes little sense to most, apparently excluding Dodgers head executive Andrew Friedman. The ex-Tampa Bay Rays architect seemed to initially bring his frugal ways to Los Angeles, but all that looks to be changing. Guerrero is blocked by Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick from playing time in the middle infield spots, both of which players Friedman traded for this offseason.
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Last year the Dodgers had a logjam in the outfield. Now, with Juan Uribe, Justin Turner, Guerrero, Rollins, Kendrick and the inevitable arrival of Seager on the table, where on earth will Olivera play? The Dodgers cannot dress a designated hitter for ball games, either. Uribe, Rollins and Kendrick are all free agents after the coming season, but that will still leave five players (Turner, Guerrero, Seager, Olivera and Arruberrena) vying for three roster spots in 2016.
Of course, the entire Olivera contract is pending a physical. But if they wanted the sure thing, Moncada would have been the better play for the Dodgers to add a high profile Cuban player.
Noteworthy as well is given the recent developments towards signing international free agents for large sums of money typically leaves small market teams out of the running to acquire their services. ESPN’s Keith Law believes all this attention on IFA contracts will cause commissioner Rob Manfred to eventually implement a single draft with an international scope, or supplement the current MLB amateur draft system with a second foreign-born player draft.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have a ton of money tied up in players from Cuba even if Olivera does not pass hi physical. Most of them, aside from Puig, come with question marks. Friedman’s legacy in L.A. is not written in stone yet. But if a World Series is won by the Angels sometime in the next four seasons before one is credited to the Dodgers, it will probably be a result of Friedman’s failed ‘Little Havana’ experiment.
Vin Scully is certainly hoping this won’t be the case, as his franchise has not won a championship since 1988.