SATURDAY: The Jays have officially announced the deal.
FRIDAY: The Blue Jays have agreed to a multi-year contract with Cuban infield prospect Lourdes Gurriel Jr., reports MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez (via Twitter). Gurriel, the younger brother of Astros infielder Yulieski Gurriel, is considered one of the top available international prospects and will receive a seven-year, $22MM contract from the Jays, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post (Twitter link).
That $22MM figure may seem like a relative bargain given Gurriel’s upside, but it’s worth noting that many Major League contracts of this nature allow the player in question to opt into arbitration once he is eligible (e.g. Jose Abreu, Yasiel Puig, Aroldis Chapman, Raisel Iglesias). It’s not clear if Gurriel obtained that right, but if he did, then the $22MM serves as a floor for what he’ll earn over the life of this deal, but he’d ultimately have the potential to earn quite a bit more when all is said and done.
Gurriel, a Wasserman client, was declared a free agent several months ago but waited to sign until after the completion of his 23rd birthday in order to be exempt from international spending limitations. Unlike his older brother, he’ll require some more time in the minor leagues before surfacing at the big league level. Gurriel is a career .277/.362/.426 hitter in Cuba and slashed an outstanding .344/.407/.560 in 245 plate appearances in his final season in Cuba — the 2015-16 campaign.
About 60 to 70 scouts representing more than 20 teams turned out at a showcase for Gurriel last month, during which he worked out at both shortstop and center field (though he’s also capable of playing second base and third base as well). He ran a 6.65 in the 60-yard dash and drew positive reviews on his physique and strong arm, though some scouts felt he needed more work against live pitching. Baseball America’s Ben Badler has penned scouting reports on Gurriel in the past (subscription required and recommended), giving praise to his bat speed, quality approach at the plate and strike zone management skills. Per Badler, Gurriel could eventually emerge as a high-OBP player with enough pop to hit 20-plus homers in a season.
Exactly where Gurriel fits into the Jays’ long-term plans remains to be seen. The Jays have shortstop Troy Tulowitzki, second baseman Devon Travis and center fielder Kevin Pillar all under club control through 2020, though Gurriel could eventually crack into the Majors in the corner outfield or in a super-utility role, spelling all three of the aforementioned players while also serving as an insurance policy for the injury-prone Tulowitzki and Travis.
Oh my god what a huge get for the Blue Jays.
Is it indeed a “huge get?” We shall see. remember, people thought Hector Olivera was a huge pickup, too
Yeah, but he was a lot older at the time and was expected to be a big contributor right from the start. Gourriel will likely get 1 – 2 years in the minors if he needs them.
Let’s hope that Gourriel falls into the Abreu-Cespedes-Puig etc. group and not the Castillo-Arruebarruena-Olivera-Guerrero etc. group who were all wasted money.
I read on twitter that he would start at AAA Buffalo from Arden Zwelling (verified writer for Sportsnet). If that’s the case, he could be up by mid-season.
I doubt it, they left Pompey in AAA all year
According to scouts, if he does get a call up it’ll be in September. But don’t be surprised to see him spend the year in AAA.
If Gourriel plays well and there is a spot for him, there’s no reason he couldn’t be up next year. Pompey wasn’t having a great year, which is why he didn’t get called up when Bautista was injured (the first time, before they added Upton). Of course, it doesn’t actually look like there will be a spot for Gourriel, barring injury, so it may be a moot point.
Good depth but we got Travis and Tulo up the middle for many years to come still
if the Jay’s think he is MLB ready it could spell a trade of one of those two. likely Travis since it would be hard to move Tulo
I don’t know if the article has changed since you read it, but it directly says that he’ll require time in the minor leagues.
also, even if he was MLB-ready why would it spell a trade of one of the two?
having good quality bench options is a good thing.
Donaldson is gone in two years, so 3B is avail, likely for Tulo until he’s done.
‘Many years to come’ and Tulo are not synonymous. Jays really screwed themselves acquiring him in many many ways.
I don’t think calling talent like this depth is accurate.
That was an unexpected surprise. The international scouts have been doing a great job lately with him and Vladdy Jr
Shouldn’t you wait to see if he ends up being good to say whether the scouts did a great job? Or do you mean they did a great job on selling the front office to sign him?
I just mean they did a great job in getting them since they were both highly ranked prospects
then what does that have to do with scouts? that’s just righting checks.
Fine the FO then
Well, the scouts have to convince the FO to write the cheques.
Just what I was thinking. Vlad and Lourdes Jr
Ok warming up to Shapiro now. Great signing!
This is a bit of a surprise. Great news!
Wow to say I’m surprised is an understatement.
I don’t understand how they got him at only $22M. Why weren’t more people interested?
The Trump effect?
Jk
He can opt out under arbitration, so he’s penned to earn a bit more if he chooses or if he’s that good
Most likely* it hasn’t been confirmed my bad
His resume isnt advanced as most that have come through. When he started he was so young that he struggled mightily. He ended up having 1 amazing season. So there were significant questions. Plus offensively he sounds like a project and he’s 23.
Very nice signing ..and a very good prospect
a small financial investment for a guy who could be everyday in a year.
Or the next Puig
This feels like Lunhow whiffing on another pristine international talent over a few million dollars. You can’t convince me Abreu wouldn’t have been a difference maker these past two years. I’d argue this officially makes a trend, let’s not turn this into a pattern Lunhow…
He just spent $47 million on Yulieski Gurriel and had a $5.15 million deal with Cionel Perez before Perez failed his physical, and you’re worried about a trend of the Astros *not* signing international talent? They can’t sign everyone.
I think you missed my point. I know he’s trying and having some success’ on the international market. But whiffing on Abreu over 3M (iirc) and here it’s puzzling. Part of the reason it’s puzzling you hinted at: it’s not that were unwilling to spend. Drawing a line in the sand over a couple million when your willing to spend 10s of millions doesn’t jive in my opinion. Especially when your FO identifies them as top shelf talent.
where does he fit in Houston exactly. the Astros already have too much young Infield talent. Gurriel altuve, bregman, correa and you want to complain. give your head a shake.
There has to be a line somewhere. If their internal valuation of what they thought he was worth was surpassed, then it’s hard to criticize them for not throwing money they don’t think he was worth at him, even if it’s “only a couple million” to you (and you don’t know that a couple million more than what they were willing to offer would’ve been enough anyway).
Fit is irrelevant we all know sports is about talent accumulation. Having too much is a good problem to have.
Stormy, you’re right it very well could’ve been a reasonable line in the sand. And on principle I can’t fault it.
Abreu preferring Houston and the small gap was widely reported. Here it’s an assumption but I don’t think it’s a bad one when you consider: His preference was to be with his brother, he was supposed to get a much larger contract based on comps and reports and we know Lunhow was interested. If his interest stopped well short of the 22M then I’m wrong about the younger Gurriel.
I think Occams razor supports my logic but maybe he really liked Toronto or we thought he was worth 20 pennies on his brothers dollar. So we can’t know but this, at least to me, appears like the 2nd time in 3 years we’ve whiffed on what we considered top tier talent over what’s relatively not much money.
That said I’m not suggesting Lunhow has done bad or I would prefer anyone else at the helm. But perennial playoff contender and world Champs are separated by small decisions like this imo.
ThePriceWasRight – but the point is if they’re going after him anyways then where he fits etc is of no concern because they presumbly would have determined that before trying to sign him. therefore it would be a moot point.
if they really were completely jammed at all positions then they wouldnt bother wasting time to go after him.
Luhnow is in Win Now Mode. There are a plethora of prospects in the farm system and throwing money at this young man doesn’t fit the plan for this year. Luhnow is in talks for Miggy (don’t really want the burden of that contract), EE, and McCann. It’s just not a fit at the moment. I would be ecstatic if he signed him but at the same time I know what he’s doing.
…I’m not sure you know what Occam’s razor is
abreu was basically blind bidding.
a lot of talent evaluators don’t even have Lourdes as an everyday player, more along the lines of rusney castillo
Wish the Phils went for this guy. seems like a pretty good deal. only $3.14 average a year.
Yeah. I was hoping the Angels would be in on him too. Maybe he wasn’t as strong of a player as we thought…
He averages that if he’s not good. If he’s good he opts into arb and costs a lot more. But yes it’s a good signing for the potential.
What are the odds that Travis or Troy ever get injured? They’re Ironmen.
Devon Travis is not Ironman. He was out for the start of the season and had a DL stint in the late regular season, and got hurt in the playoffs too. It feels like Tulo gets hurt every year also, especially with Colorado.
do you not get sarcasm
His market must have been weaker than expected. Sounds like the positive vibes after his workout weren’t quite an accurate description of how clubs felt about him. My guess: He has a lot more minor league work ahead of him than has been reported.
According to Sportsnet he was practicing in the outfield in his showcase. If he can play there I can see him going to RF when he is ready for the big leagues. Maybe this is a Bautista replacement.
I have been wondering if the Twins would be interested in Travis and other pieces for Dozier. I feel this would fit into their plans as Travis is young, controllable and can hit. Dozier would fit nicely into the Jays lineup as well especially if EE and Bautista go elsewhere. Eddie Rosario is another interesting name to me for the Jays as he is left handed and puts the bat on the ball. Just a couple thoughts, but I love this get for the Jays. If this kid pans out the Jays have a nice group of young talent on the way (Guerrero Jr, Alford and now Gurriel)
I seem to be mistaken on Rosario’s ability to put the bat on the ball. Still only 25 though and from the limited amount I’ve seen him play he seems to be solid defensively. I have to agree with TheBoatman, Shapiro and Atkins have done a GREAT job since taking over. Let’s hope it continues.
Yeah, the Jays’ farm has very quickly rebounded after the 2015 deadline deals sank it and is starting to look like a top-10 system again with a lot of high-upside talent.
How come it always seems the Tigers are never in on a Cuban player. I know they went after Cespedes and Rusney Castillo, but since then, not a squeak in the international market. Although, we do get a lot of our prospects from signing them out of Venezuela.
Cleveland too, wish they’d go after a player like this and shift him to third. Shapiro signs him in Toronto but never would’ve with the Tribe. SMH
They do. He’s in their minor league system his name is Yandy Diaz. You will see him next year at the big league level. He’s a way better hitter and gold glove type defensive player.
*Shapiro did in Cleveland it just didn’t get the headlines.
Difference is Diaz is a prospect/project that may not even make the majors, Gurriel is the top international free agent out there.
Have you ever seen Diaz play? He is not a gg player by any stretch of the means. He is a an offensive player with upside due to his plate control and vision. He does have ok range but thats pretty much it. Him and gold glove will never be in the same sentence. That’s why he has been playing of. He is actually sligtly above at 2b but still is not winning any awards at all. In fact the Indians may have only 3 or 4 guys in the top 50 that project really good defensively. Study up bro.
$22 million over 7 years? Even if he doesn’t pan out, this isn’t a bad investment. I mean, if he turns out to be a bust, it’ll still be a slightly not as bad investment than Rusney Castillo.
Nice pick-up, regardless of his future performances. It enhances the farm system, thus the ability of the team to make future trades.
I like what I see from the new regime so far. I have the feeling that we will see more outside-the-box moves from the Jays this offseason (e.g. this move and the Liriano trade).
He probably won’t be on the team on opening day. Does his deal kick in once he’s on the 25 man roster?
No it’s a MLB contract starts next year.
Gotta be careful with those international signings. Not always a sure bet. They should wait for him to earn his spot on the 25 man roster at spring training before considering moving probably travis
When do we get a year by year financial break down.
Would have to imagine it’s back-loaded
($750k in 17, $1.25m in 18………..
So long Devon Travis!
If anything, it’ll be so long Tulo or Donaldson. I doubt they sign this guy just to move another good young talent like Travis. Gurriel is primarily a SS and I’m sure that’s where they’re thinking of having him play, whether that means moving Tulo in another year or moving Donaldson next offseason and shifting Tulo to 3B.
You don’t shift defence like Tulo’s anywhere…
What level of the minors is he likely to start at? And is he someone we will see summer ’17 or 2018?