2:15 pm: Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reports the Soler decision could come within the next 24-36 hours, according to executives interested in the Cuban outfielder. Heyman has been told final bids are due today.
10:19 am: Outfielder Jorge Soler is expected to agree on a four-year deal before tomorrow, an industry source told George A. King III and Mike Puma of the New York Post. Meanwhile, the representative for Soler is calling to ask teams if their bids are final, sources tell Buster Olney of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
The Yankees, Cubs, Braves, and Dodgers have been among the most aggressive teams in their pursuit of Soler, according to Olney. The Yankees are said to have bid heavy on Soler while other teams view the Cubs as the favorite, Olney tweets. King III and Puma note that the Yankees don’t have a Plan B if they lose Nick Swisher in free agency and Soler would certainly cost less than chasing Josh Hamilton.
Plenty of other teams have been linked to Soler, including the Astros, Pirates, Indians, Red Sox, Phillies, and Blue Jays. The Mets and Marlins, meanwhile, aren't pursuing the outfielder.
I don’t think anybody expects Soler to be major league ready for at least another 2 years. Not sure what the Yankees are expecting
well if it is atleast 2 years they can always bring back jones for another year. plus they can always find someone in FA cheap for a year until the kid is ready. and who cares anyway getting younger is the plan and thats what they need to do.
Would be nice to see the Yanks get a bit younger and flex the spending muscle. I guess we will see by tomorrow. GO YANKS!
Don’t really buy the Soler as Swisher’s replacement idea either. I don’t think anyone expects him to be ready to take a Major League job right away but then again a lot of people thought Cespedes would take a year of seasoning before he made the Majors and he’s done pretty well thus far considering.
I don’t buy it either, but I think we need an infusion of youth. We have seen it time and time again where young players get called up and jolts the team. Could Soler be that for us next year, possibly…never know. But given how the Yankees operate, they will probably get some cheap older bat to play right and wait another year on Soler :P.
Soler fits right in with the 2014 cap for the Yanks, I think they take their best shot at him.
Brewers
Come on Bravos, do it up!!!
Tomorrow will be a good day for the Cubs. I say 4 years at $8 million a year. Be in the majors in a year.
Pretty sure about 15 teams would double that offer for him.
Read it again. He said 4 years AT 8 million a year. So in total he is saying 32 million.
15 teams would offer $16MM AAV for an unproven commodity? Even Cespedes didn’t warrant that. Your logic is flawed.
I would go as far as 4 years $10 million a year for him. That is about the top amount on a 4 year deal.
Soler is 20 and hasn’t played much competitive baseball the past year. He will also be adapting to a new country and a longer baseball season. I think a 2014 late season call up is more realistic. Makes sense for a rebuilding team like the Cubs, but not for a team looking to have him in the majors soon. Still think the Dodgers new ownership makes a splash.
The possible quick strike of Lin signing by Boston now makes sense for 2m.. especially if Soler signing gets absurd.. As in 25-30m range…
I hope Boston passes up if it is in that area also and 4-5 years.
They would sill have control of the player even after the 4 year contract do they not? Sort of like Hechavarria with the Jays?
Yes. It’s the large amount of money (if 25-30m) His probably requiring extended MiLB time and Boston doesn’t really have a pressing need.. CC, Ells, Bradley a couple years away to throw that much money at another 20YO Cuban project.
They gave 20YO Iglesias 8m a couple years ago and his defense is well past ready to help the team, but with his bat it is another question and could see a team possibly giving this Soler kid 20-25m if they are desperate for help, but not if a team has options already available is my reasoning.
Yes they have normal control over the player. Hechavarria’s 4 year major league contract only means that while he’s working in the minors, he’s burning options. The Jays still have control for 6 years once he makes the majors. The only caveat is, that the player makes arbitration salaries off of higher values. Where a normal player would make 450k (ish) annualy through year 3, a player like Soler will make a higher salary going forward, so his first arbitration year would be decided off of a salary of like 3-7 million.
Would not be shocked if Kasten made a big splash for the Dodgers on Soler. The scary thought is that it might take a four year – $40 million dollar deal to get Soler and that is a lot of money to give a guy who has not played competitively in nearly a year.
He’ll get max 25.
If Soler Soler is getting $25-$30 mill over 4 yrs, then I do think the Dodgers have a chance to be the winning bidder.
Dodgers need to restock the farm system and Soler would be a quick way to add a real toolsy piece to the system.
if we wish hard enough for our team to sign him it’ll come true!!
no. let’s just wait til they announce the signing.
Not mentioned in the recent bidding. Maybe the A’s surprise again?
I think he goes to the Astros. Sounds like a good start! Correa/Soler. I hope miraculously that he ends up with the Mariners since they didn’t go after Darvish and want hitting for the future.
I fully expect the Cubs to give him some absurd offer.
I expect the Cubs to give him a big, reasonable offer, like 4/$32. I expect some small-market team like the Pirates to give him the absurd, 5/$45 offer.
The Yankees will offer the biggest ( if not the Dodgers ) around 4 years and $50 million but he will go with the Cubs for 4 years $40 million.
Why on earth would he not sign with the Yankees or the Dodgers if they offered him the most money?
As A Pirate fan I feel like those expectations aren’t happening!!! As if the Pirates have any history of spending huge on international players.
Please be the Braves PLEASE!!!
But, he’s not from Georgia.
If I could like that comment another 3 or 4 times I would….
Neither was Salcedo.
Yanks 5 yrs 25 mil a year. ” Soler agrees to a contract of 5 yrs @ 30 million a year to play for the nationals ” <<<< wouldnt that just be ironic. nats are getting better, and they make a big signing for a player to play longside of Harper and Werth and they move morse to 1B haha.
How would the Nats signing Soler be “ironic”?
Maybe the irony here is that he clearly has no clue what irony is.
I love how the Yankees are going after him because he will cost less than Josh. DUH!!!! He will also produce less than Josh! Josh is going to be 4 years $100 million and give you .330/25/100 ave/hr/rbi. Soler is at least one year in the minors if not two.
Yes, but Soler is much younger and has tremendous upside. Plus, the Yankees are already one of the heavyweights in Baseball and really don’t need offense at the moment. Could change though.
After signing Cespedes, I’m 95% sure the A’s won’t be in it. Would be cool though, but probably won’t happen.
To me, Soler would have made a lot more sense for Oakland than Cespedes did.
This is the first I’ve heard implying the Yankees’ plan A is to re-sign Swisher. People have been saying they’d let him walk and then deal with re-signing Granderson after next year’s option on him expires. I’d take 3-4 more years of Swisher over Hamilton or Soler any day. Soler will take too long to develop on that size of a contract and Hamilton is a threat to become an albatross at any moment.
Swisher for 3 years/$45MM w/ a club option!
The only way Hamilton’s contract becomes an albatross is if it’s for over 5 or 6 years. The team that offers 7+ will regret it if he takes it.
and that’s exactly what I expect him to get. After an MVP season like this? he has a very good chance of getting 7+
Watch it be a completely random team like the Twins or the Mariners who sign him
Well, the A’s did get Cespedes.
it would actually be a good sign for the mariners, they can’t lure FA hitters to their stadium, so why not try for a young guy. They need power desperately, and this kid has got it.
From Ken Rosenthal “One exec’s view of Soler bidding is that Theo won’t allow #Cubs to lose. New restrictions on draft and int’l spending do not apply to Soler.”
I wonder how much Epstein will help the Cubs with draft restrictions in place now.. not able to spend 10m+ each year IOW..
He hasn’t had time to rebuild the cubs scouting dept for sure and next season the lessons learned by other teams to skirt the 1st season of the CBA rules will be applied by most every team that spends, hurting him again..
I just wonder how much success he actually has in Chicago anyway now. That new CBA was a huge blow to him and the Cubs, probably more than any other team around.
I thought us Cubs fans were the only people being this insane about him. He is going to start in Low-A Ball. Some of you are comparing him to Josh Hamilton??? There’s a better than 50% chance he doesn’t make the major leagues, and a 95% chance he doesn’t become the star some of you think he’s destined to become. That being said, I still want the Cubs to get him.
there’s a 100% chance you based those percentages on no real data regarding him.
Let’s say he would have been the 7th pick in the draft this year. Go look how many 7th picks made the big leagues and how many have been stars. So what do you think is more likely, he never makes the big leagues, or he’s a Josh Hamilton?
out of those two options? i choose neither.
i’d go with option C: he makes it to the big leagues.
assuming he’s first round talent (and I think most, if not all, would agree) there’s a good chance he will eventually reach the big leagues. And that’s just lumping all first rounders and assuming they have the same potential/skills. some players are way more likely to reach the big leagues based on their ability than other, regardless of where and when they were drafted.
They didn’t compare him to Hamilton. They said he would be a much cheaper option than pursuing Josh. Just like i’ve heard many times that BJ Upton is a much cheaper option to go after than Hamilton. They’re comparing dollars, not ability.
But the suggestion that 20-year-old prospect, who will almost certainly need *years* of adjusting and developing in the minor leagues (coming from Cuba to the States is, itself, a gigantic adjustment that takes time) is some how an alternative to pursuing a 32-year-old free agent established star is absurd. To the extent a team is thinking, “Hmm, do we go after Soler or do we go after Hamilton, because we should only go after one or the other,” I submit that that team is nuts. Which is also why I don’t think it’s happening.
Oh, hey there friend.
I agree.
you do realize that hamilton was only mentioned in these comments because the yankees will probably only spend money on one of them, right?
He had a very short stint in Cuba’s main legue last year. VEry small track record, and he isn’t THAT young anymore. I want him, but he’s way overhyped at this point.
Isn’t that young??? 20 years old is pretty young and if the Cubs aren’t looking for a potential phenom than what are they looking for?
It is young, but at the same time, he’s 3 years older than some of the guys we drafted. Again, I definitely want him, but I just think people are overhyping him.
Fair enough
both tulo and longo were 20 when they were drafted. braun was 21. personally, I think you have no clue what you’re talking about.
Well, if almost all scouts from every team have saw him and all concur he is MLB ready material, then I am ok with it.
I’m really puzzled about the Braves interest in Soler. With their budget restraints I have a hard time believing that they will pay 30M or so for a kid that might not ever even make the major leagues. Cespedes would have made more sense for the Braves than Soler. With Prado and McCann needing contract extensions and the need for a CF for next season (if Bourn leaves) I just don’t get the interest in Soler.
Can we get the idea that this kid might not make it to the MLB level out of our heads. All scouting reports from many different clubs have Soler as near MLB level now. Teams are not going to spend $25-$40 million over 4 years on ” maybe he will make it” talent. 5 tool MAJOR talent that projects as a 20-30 hr, ++ arm and defense in RF. this is very close the Bryce Harper talent and skills. Maybe a tad below Bryce but not by much. This is why clubs are drooling on themselves to sign him and also why his agent only wants a 4 year deal. At 24-25 he could go after the really big bucks after proving his talent to be true. If I was a GM and the owner told me to spend what I need to get him I would go to about 4/$40 max to sign him. I figure the $35-$40 million range will end up being the amount he gets.
I’ve read most of the scouting reports on him and I realize he is a 5 tool talent. However, according to the experts at Baseball America he needs to start in A ball. That is LONG way from being “near MLB level now”.
2 years max away but more like 1 year in minors. Not too long at all.
Yeah, I could see that.
btw, this is from Kevin Goldstein:
“If Jorge Soler signs a four-year deal, that does NOT make him a free agent in four years. Standard control after MLB debut would apply.”
I didn’t realize that, so yes, a 25M+ contract for him does make a lot of sense. I thought a four year contract meant that he was a free agent in four years.
I thought so too but now after you just said that, that makes more sense
Dodgers are now out. By most accounts it is down to Yanks and Cubs.
I am a yankees fan, but there’s something that makes me weary of the yanks signing him. If they do, I guarantee we’ll be hearing John Sterling say “That’s some Solar Power!!!” for years.
Honestly I have no interest in Hamilton. He is a great player who could absolutely destroy in Yankee Stadium, but I want this team to get some younger blood mixed in with this veteran lineup. We will need it.
You are going to be surprised what he gets. Soler will not come cheap. I think he will get more then 25 million.
-Edited-
I can see a total deal around 25MM, but his average annual salary will likely be less than Cespedes because he isn’t nearly as close to the majors.
That’s silly
No its not. The Cubs already reportedly signed him for 4 year 27 million which turned out to be false. There are a lot more teams bidding then before now. You have the Yankees, Cubs, Braves, and Dodgers all those teams will pay a lot of money for Soler. In fact a fair few of the team felt that he was a better investment then Cespedes because he is younger.
Looks like you were wrong on this one.
per year, fellas. that’s the joke. read it again
You won’t laugh tomorrow. Kid will get some major money.