Cuban infielder Hector Olivera’s representatives are telling teams their client will receive a contract of at least $70MM, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports (all Twitter links). If in fact Olivera receives $70MM, Rosenthal says, that would suggest that at least the top bidding team is unconcerned about a recent report (which Olivera’s camp denies) that Olivera has UCL damage — paying $70MM to a player who will soon be 30 with the idea that he won’t play the first year of his contract seems overly ambitious.
Rosenthal suggests that if the injury means Olivera has to miss time, one team that could wait on him is the Dodgers, who have no obvious spot for him in 2015 but could have several infield openings the following year, including second base, which is currently occupied by Howie Kendrick. Olivera officially became a free agent yesterday. He has been connected to the Mariners, Braves, Yankees, Padres, Giants and Athletics as well as the Dodgers.
