Cuban outfield prospect Jorge Soler could sign any day now. A number of teams have been linked to Soler, who must sign by July 2 if he aims to maximize his earning potential and avoid the spending restrictions that will soon take effect. Here’s the latest on Soler:
- The Phillies have maintained a stealth pursuit of Soler and have made him an offer, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports (on Twitter).
- Some competing executives see the Cubs as the favorite for Soler, Heyman tweets.
- The Dodgers are no longer engaged on Soler, Yahoo’s Tim Brown reports (on Twitter). ESPN.com's Buster Olney reported late last week that the Dodgers were among his most aggressive suitors.
- The Blue Jays are said to be in the mix for Soler, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Heyman notes that the Cubs and Yankees also appear to be involved.
Guest 4520
Down to Yanks and Cubs. Theo will not let Cashman beat him.
Billy
He has many times before so we’ll see.
MB923
Cashman has “beaten” Theo before with players they both were interested in though. Damon, Teixeira, Russell Martin to name a few.
I do think he’ll land with the Cubs though.
FacelessGeneralManager
Dont underestimate the mystery team. They are good at keeping secrets.
Guest 4514
Lol. Yes they are but not even a whisper of a mystery tea this time around. Plus, it is going to take a lot to get Theo and Cashman to back off. I think we will know by the end of the day who gets his services.
Bryan M.
I would say the Cubs are the front runners at this point.
NYPOTENCE
Based on what, have you been actively negotiating with Soler? I think not
iains
Sneaky Anthopoulos laying in the weeds
Kevin Miller
I believe the Yankees will get him. They miss Montero and their minor league system needs a robust signing like this to reenergize the Yankees offensive side of the farm.
Justin Rogacki
How soon will he hit the bigs?
Guest 4519
Year or two.
baseball52
I’d say more than that. He’s projected as a Low-A player. Probably 2-3 years.
Guest 4518
I don’t think you would have a $5-$10 million a year player in he minors after year 1 1/2 or 2. He will start out in low A ball but ascend quickly ( especially with the Cubs ) through the system.
StiebSlider
Adeiny Hechavarria
Guest 4515
$2.5 million a year is vastly different than what will be ( more than likely ) $8 million a year. Plus, if he was in the Cubs system he would already be up playing 2nd.
Matthew DeClercq
This is the type of player Anthopoulos (Blue Jays) would go after.. 4 year cost effecient deal.
stl_cards16
cost effecient? This is a rather expensive “prospect”. He is probably at least 2 years away from being in the majors. This is in no way cheap.
Matthew DeClercq
im comparing it to a long term 10 year contract such as fielder or poulos that Anthopoulos would never go after. how expensive could he be? we would have been ranked 38th if he was draft eligible
Jon Stark
is that an attempt at pujols or have I missed a new meme?
Matthew DeClercq
Just stating a fact that Anthopoulos wont go longer than a 6 year contract
stl_cards16
Probably looking at $25MM+ and that will only cover the first four years. He would still be under control for 6 years.
ThinkBlue10
Of course the dodgers aren’t in the mix anymore…
Rickey O'Sunnyvale
He wouldn’t fit in a Kemp/Ethier/Hamilton outfield anyway.
David X
I see what you did there.
dylanp5030
The most expensive outfield ever!!!!^
Cachhubguy
What happened to him announcing before tomorrow……..yesterday?
Ptk123
Think they said later it would be within the next 24-36 hours.
Kevin Miller
Yankees will get him.
Guest 4517
I don’t think Theo is going to let this one go to the Yanks plus the Cubs are desperate for talent.
Cachhubguy
Yanks and Cubs in a bidding war. Solar power is going to be expensive.
Guest 4516
I say 4/$35-$40 in the end. Far cry from the 6/$27 as first reported months ago.
NYBravosFan10
I hope the Braves are still in on this guy rather than dropping out at the last minute like usual
jwick18
same here… may have nothing at all to do with it but after they used first two picks on pitchers i felt the braves were in on soler
Runtime
I don’t see why the Jays would be in on this guy… they are loaded with quality OF prospects…
johnsmith4
Plus-plus raw power and plus arm. Other three tools are good as well. Baseball America considers him to be about 42 in the Top 100 at age 20 which suggests he can be in Top 10 by age 22.
Would look nice in LF.
phillipmike
Many say he has legit power probably 70 or higher on a scale of 20 to 80. Never count your chickens before they hatch. Just becaue you have have OF doesnt mean they are guaranteed to to become MLB players and/or be any good.
If you believe in the talent of any player and the price is reasonable then you must take a serious look. When signing prospects it always comes down to getting talent period; just like BPA in the draft.
Guest 4513
On a scale of 20 to 80? Who measures on that scale? What’s next, 9 to 15?
stl_cards16
Don’t read scouting reports much, eh?
Guest 4512
No, I don’t whatsoever.
I cannot see any reason to not use a “standard” scale. The lowest number is obviously going to be the starting point, likewise the highest number the top.
Seems to me that it’s just being difficult and pretentious for absolutely no reason.
MuskokaBoyInOakville
that’s a scale commonly used in baseball
Guest 4511
Well, I guess you do learn something new every day.
EnPutiza
Just a hunch, but I really don’t think he goes to the Yanks, BJ’s, or Chi. Some mystery team will jump out of the woodwork and sign him. I don’t feel he will sign for the kinds of numbers people are throwing out there. I think people will be surprised when the final numbers come out.
Matthew Dolter
buccos sneak in and grab him with spending capped on the draft now huntington needs a place to spend the extra money that usually gets spent on the draft
Bobby
I think you’re absolutely right!
EnPutiza
Whelp…so much for “gut feelings”. But def alot less than people thought. 9-30 mil.
Rob V
My money is on the phillies. Lack of quality youth in the organization, they’ve been high on him from the get-go, endless pockets with a new TV deal coming soon, PR is down right now, so this will excite the fan base a bit, one that’s in mourning right now. Plus, RAJ loves to be the mistery team. Not to mention a huge need in OF.
Phillies_Aces35
Phillies could use the boost considering we’re pretty much out of blue chip prospects. Historically, we never spend on the international market so I don’t want to get my hopes up.
EDIT: Figures… still would like to know how aggressively the Phillies were bidding.
jwick18
phillies have maintained stealth but its on mlbtraderumors hmmm