Cuban infielder Alexander Guerrero has been cleared to sign with Major League Teams by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reported over the weekend (Twitter link). Dionisio Soldevila of ESPN Deportes agrees, adding that an official signing could come at any minute (also via Twitter).
Guerrero has been most heavily connected to the Dodgers, though initial reports that the two sides had agreed to a seven-year pact were premature. The 26-year-old has also been connected to the Twins and Braves over the past six weeks. In his tweet above, however, Wolfson doubts that the Twins will be the team to ultimately sign Guerrero. Soldevila adds, in a separate tweet, that the Dodgers are still the favorite.
As Ben Badler of Baseball America pointed out in a subscription-only scouting report in early August, interested parties likely view Guerrero as an offensive-oriented second baseman. Questions about his range and first-step quickness will likely prevent him from sticking at shortstop in the Majors, according to Badler, who added that raw right-handed power was Guerrero's best tool.
