An MMO Fan Shot by The Metssiah
So it’s official, the next potential Cuban stud Yulieski Gourriel has been declared a free agent by Major League Baseball and is now free to sign with any team. The guy is 32 and he’s touted as arguably the top player in the International market. Not just the top talent in Cuba, but in the world.
Also for the record, I checked with MLB and the Mets do qualify as “any team” so they technically are eligible to sign him despite never getting involved in the market for Cuban players or International free agent talents in general. I’m not talking about the International market for amateur players. The Mets do a ton of scouting and signing of amateur International players that are subject to the bonus pool restrictions and signing process. I’m talking about international talents that are over 23 and are exempt from the definition of an amateur player.
Typically to be exempt from amateur status you need to be 23+ and you need to have played in a league recognized by MLB as a pro league for a prescribed period of time. Because of his age and experience in the Cuban pro league, Gourriel is not subject to international spending limitations. The Mets can just sign him on the open market like any old free agent. And they should sign him.
Gourriel bats right-handed and has played 15 seasons between Cuba and Japan. He has a career hitting line of .335/.417/.580 with 250 home runs in 5,491 plate appearances. Last season, he hit .500 with 15 home runs and 51 RBIs in 49 games for the Industriales of the Cuban League. He is considered a plus defender at his natural position of third base. Do the Mets need a third basemen? Can somebody help me with this one? Last I heard David Wright has been frozen in carbonite to help him maintain his posture and Wilmer Flores is booting grounders at third base left and right.
Signing international guys is never cheap. The Dodgers signed Hector Olivera to a 6-year, $62.5M deal at 30 years old. Yasmany Tomas signed a 6-year deal with Arizona worth $68.5M at 24 years old. Rusney Castillo signed a 7-year, $72.5M deal with the Red Sox at 27. Alex Guerrero signed a 4-year $28M deal with the Dodgers at 26.
Signing these players do pose some risks and they’re not all slam dunks. Guerrero just got released by the Dodgers and was a total bust (although they never really gave him a chance to play full time). Rusney Castillo is in the Red Sox minor league system and has struggled at the ML level. That being said, he has so many talented players in front of him in the Sox organization, that it’s hard to call him a bust until he gets a real opportunity to play regularly. Tomas has been decent for the D-backs with a .270/.309/.411 line so far at the ML level. Olivera got arrested for a domestic violence incident after being traded to the Braves.
But there are also some key success stories. You can’t ignore the success of Yoenis Cespedes, Aroldis Chapman, Jose Abreu and even Yasiel Puig in the majors. They have essentially been winning lottery tickets for their respective teams. Puig’s production has declined since his breakout 2013/14 seasons and Chapman has turned out to be a jerk off the field but their talent is undeniable.
My point in all this is the Mets should have the resources to take a risk on a promising Cuban player that fills a position of need. Because of his recent long layoff, some spring training like seasoning at Triple-A would be required according to Baseball America who add he’s MLB ready. Speculation is that he’ll get a 3-4 year deal with a $10-13 million average annual salary.
Maybe he won’t have a big impact in 2016, but we need a replacement for Wright in the long term. What proven major league free agent third basemen is going to join the Mets to be Wright’s understudy? Do we really want to give up a bunch of prospects for some stopgap solution like Danny Valencia or Aaron Hill? Do we want to give up Zack Wheeler for Jonathan Lucroy or overpay for someone having a career year like Yangervis Solarte?
Look, we may need to do one of those things anyway to compete this season, but there’s nothing prohibiting the Mets from signing a Cuban talent and pursuing trade opportunities for short term solutions in the infield. Plus who better to help Gourriel get acquainted to life in the majors than Yoenis Cespedes, someone who’s made the adjustment from Cuban ball/life to the MLB.
I’m sick of watching other teams sign these Cuban studs. If the Mets don’t sign him, he’s just going to wind up on the Dodgers, Yankees, or some other team that isn’t afraid to open their wallet and take a risk. If the Wilpons have actually loosened the purse strings, then let’s see it. Sign another Cuban please.
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This MMO Fan Shot was written by MMO reader The Metssiah who you could follow at @TheMetssiah. Have something you want to say about the Mets? Share your opinions with over 30,000 Met fans who read this site daily. Send your Fan Shot to [email protected]. Or ask us about becoming a regular contributor.
