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Alexander Guerrero Could Sign Soon

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Cuban infielder Alexander Guerrero could sign with a major league team soon, agent Scott Boras tells Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times.  Boras doesn't expect things to take long with the 26-year-old since the teams that have looked into him are already quite familiar with what he can offer.

“The Dodgers had him work out at their complex five or six times,” Boras said. “There are four or five other teams that have seen him five or six times.”

Guerrero appeared to be close to a five-year, $32MM deal with the Dodgers earlier this month but things dissolved quickly due to reasons that are still unknown.  Soon after, the infielder signed on with the Boras Corporation and opened things up to all 30 major league teams.  Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports heard that the Dodgers are reportedly no longer interested in paying Guerrero $32MM and might not pursue him at all, but Boras told Hernandez that Dodgers international scouting chief Bob Engle visited his client in the Dominican Republic last week.

Boras compared his client's power at the second base position to Dan Uggla and likened his MLB readiness to fellow client Hyun-Jin Ryu.

“There are just a couple of major league middle infielders in the free-agent market that have 10-home-run power, let alone 20-home-run power, which I think he has,” Boras said. “He’s a valued asset in the free-agent market.”

Rosenthal On CarGo, Dodgers, Price, Mujica

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FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal has a new video up outlining potential hot stove moves this offseason. Let's take a look:

  • The Rockies' ownership doesn't have much interest in trading Carlos Gonzalez or Troy Tulowitzki, though Gonzalez would be more likely to be traded if the club does decide to make a move. The Rangers, with their stocks of young pitching and middle infielders, could be a partner. If on offer in such a deal, Jurickson Profar could handle second base for the Rockies, and could shift to shortstop if the team eventually moves Tulo off of the position. We heard last week that the Mets have interest in CarGo.
  • The Dodgers are expected to trade one of their "big four" – Matt Kemp, Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier or Yasiel Puig – according to rival executives speaking with Rosenthal. Puig is, of course, the least likely to be moved.
  • The Rays are expected to consider trading David Price over the winter, with Rosenthal again suggesting the Rangers as a team to keep an eye on, noting that Texas had two scouts on hand to watch a recent Price start in Minnesota. The Cubs could also be interested, though their farm system is stronger in position players than it is in pitchers.
  • One major league exec suggests that the pressures of impending free agency and closing for a contender have affected the Cardinals' Edward Mujica. A longtime setup man, Mujica was suddenly positioned on the verge of a "major payday" after taking on the Cards' closer role, Rosenthal says.

Fred Claire On Dodgers’ Past And Present

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From 1969 until 1998, Fred Claire was a fixture in the Dodgers' front office and for the final eleven years of his time in L.A., Claire manned the club's baseball operations as General Manager.  An awful lot has changed in the 15 years since Claire and the team parted ways and the longtime exec took the time to talk to MLBTradeRumors about the current state of the club and his experience at the wheel of one of baseball's most storied franchises.

Of course, the majority of Claire's tenure with the team took place under the ownership of the O'Malley family.  He had a most unusual trip to the top of the blue ladder which began when he was covering the team as a beat writer in 1969.  When someone in the team's PR department was let go, Claire jumped at the opportunity to link up with the club and he was on his way to a rapid ascent up the ranks.

His baseball knowhow and overall leadership ability put him in position to take over as GM for Al Campanis in 1987, but his time with the club came to an abrupt and bizarre end in 1998.  Without Claire's knowledge or consent, the team's new owners – NewsCorp and subsidiary FOX Television – decided to deal franchise cornerstone Mike Piazza and veteran Todd Zeile to the Marlins for Gary Sheffield, Charles Johnson, Jim Eisenreich, and Bobby Bonilla.  If the decision to trade a future Hall of Famer without considerable thought wasn't bad enough, the new owner's decision to cut one of the most experienced executives in the game out of the equation was a whole lot worse.

"It was damaging from the standpoint that the whole decision making process and the structure was so altered.  You need to know the responsible person and you need to have the foundation of the decision making process and here the trade was being made by someone who had no background in baseball itself.

"It was basically a trade being made over a TV deal and I thought that was totally unacceptable and that's why when I was called and told that trade needed to be announced I said there would be two announcements.  One would be the trade and then after that I would announce my resignation," Claire said.  

In an ironic twist, there would be no need for Claire to rush his resignation letter.  The "TV executive" who authored the Piazza deal wasn't aware of Sheffield's no-trade clause, which delayed the deal until later in the week.  As one might imagine, Claire says the outfielder's no-trade provision was known to everyone in baseball, except for the person who made the deal on L.A.'s behalf.

When Claire made it known to the press that he had nothing to do with trading the catcher to Florida, the Dodgers let him go.  Fifteen years later, the club has changed hands twice and is now backed by an ownership group with the biggest war chest in all of baseball.  Claire never got the opportunity to work with a seemingly bottomless bank account the way that current GM Ned Colletti is, but it's not something that keeps the soon-to-be 79-year-old up at night.  

Before the Guggenheim Group took control of the Dodgers, Claire joined forces with a different bunch – spearheaded by onetime Dodgers batboy Ben Hwang – looking to buy the club.  Ultimately, the group headed by another familiar L.A. face won out, but Claire is happy to see the club restored back to prominence after a rough stretch of time under the ownership of Frank McCourt.  While things seemed pretty bleak under the much maligned former Dodgers owner, Claire always had confidence that the team would bounce back. 

"I was in baseball long enough and saw the changes that can take place.  After all, in 1986 and 1987, before we won in '88, if you go back and look at that, we were 16 games under .500 in both of those seasons and next year won the world championship.  I always realize that in this game, you can break through..I never felt that I was troubled by what was happening by Frank's ownership in the later years when all the things came up about making payroll and the other things that were taking place.

"That was troubling because it was a very unsettling period for the Dodgers but certainly when the commitment was made by the Guggenheim Group and Magic and company, I never had any doubt that they would back up their words.  They paid an enormous sum for the Dodgers and I knew that they made this investment with the intent of backing it up in every way," said Claire.

Under current management, it's safe to say that the Dodgers won't have a hard time coming up with the checks every other week.  Some have panned the Dodgers for being a team of tremendous excess, but the team's former GM is quick to note that you can never have too much depth when talking about a 162-game season.

"When you have that type of payroll or that type of financial capability, as far as winning goes, it is clearly a significant advantage because you're able to overcome things that happen with your team.  The Dodgers had three pitchers that they planned on for this year in Josh Beckett, Chad Billingsley, and Ted Lilly who haven't been able to perform due to injury and that's a significant amount of payroll.  But, they still had the means to overcome that thanks to their total payroll."

While Claire did not take another front office position after his lengthy run with the Dodgers, he has remained quite involved in the world of baseball.  Claire's current pet project is AriBall.com, an analytics site he launched with the site's namesake and longtime friend, Ari Kaplan.  With the site, Claire has stayed as engaged as ever with the game and its constant evolution.

Quick Hits: Beckham, Lind, Tejada, Sveum, Ravin

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Tim Beckham, the first overall pick in the 2008 Draft, entered the Rays' game as a pinch-hitter against the Rangers Thursday night and singled in his first big-league at-bat. It marked a milestone for the infielder, who crawled through the minor leagues, never hitting all that impressively at any level, before posting a line of .276/.342/.387 in 2013 for Triple-A Durham. All of the 20 players drafted immediately after Beckham made it to the big leagues before he did. (Many, of course, were drafted out of college; Beckham came out of high school.) Remarkably, as Baseball America's John Manuel notes (via Twitter), Beckham is the first player drafted by the Rays since 2007 to make it to the big leagues with them. That's surprising, given how vital young players are to a low-payroll team like the Rays and how successful they've been in recent years. Here are more notes from around the Majors.

  • Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos has implied to first baseman Adam Lind that there's a good chance the team will pick up Lind's 2014 option, but nothing is certain yet, SportsNet.ca's Shi Davidi reports. "You know Alex pretty well, it’s pretty much the explanation I anticipated," says Lind, who will get either $7MM to play for the Jays or a $2MM buyout. The Jays also have options on Lind's services for 2015 and 2016. Lind has hit .282/.352/.486 so far this season. The team isn't required to make a decision about his option until shortly after the World Series ends.
  • Mets manager Terry Collins wants Ruben Tejada to take command of the shortstop position next season, Anthony DiComo and Chris Iseman of MLB.com write. "My message is real simple: this job is his," says Collins. "But he's got to show everybody that he wants it desperately." That doesn't rule out the possibility that the Mets could pursue a shortstop from outside the organization. The offseason free-agent market isn't a strong one, but a trade might be a possibility. Tejada has hit .202/.259/.260 in 227 plate appearances this season.
  • The Cubs aren't ready to say whether Dale Sveum will remain their manager in 2014, but the notion that the Cubs would fire Sveum is "laughable," says Rick Morrissey of the Chicago Sun-Times. Morrissey raises the possibility that the Cubs hesitation on Sveum may have something to do with big-name managers like Joe Girardi and Ron Gardenhire being free agents this offseason. He argues that Sveum shouldn't be blamed for the struggles of Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro this season, suggesting that the pair might simply not be as good as the Cubs and their fans hoped.
  • The Brewers claimed pitcher Josh Ravin off waivers from the Reds today, and MLB.com's Adam McCalvy compares Ravin to Joe Nathan, noting that Ravin can throw in triple digits (Twitter link). Ravin wouldn't be the first player to find success as a reliever in the Majors after an unimpressive minor-league career, but Joe Nathan is a lofty name to drop when discussing a 25-year-old who posted a 5.82 ERA with 6.7 BB/9 in the minors this year.
  • Dodgers lefty Onelki Garcia is now represented by BHS Sports Council, CBS Sports' Jon Heyman reports (via Twitter). Garcia posted a 2.90 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in the upper levels of the minors in 2013, and he made his big-league debut last week.

Quick Hits: Jimenez, D’Backs, Cubs, Dodgers

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Ubaldo Jimenez has managed to turn things around as of late and is looking more like the pitcher that the Indians expected to have when they traded first-round picks Drew Pomeranz and Alex White for him more than two years ago.  His resurgence is incredibly well-timed, as he’ll be a free agent this winter.  What does he attribute the turnaround to?  Jimenez says that he’s no longer obsessing about getting his velocity back to where it once was and is instead focusing on mixing up his pitches, writes MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian.  Here’s more from around baseball..

  • Diamondbacks GM Kevin Towers took responsibility for the team’s .500 record and acknowledges that neither he nor skipper Kirk Gibson are safe, writes Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com.  Towers didn’t get into specifics about his offseason plan to improve the roster, but he sounds pretty content with the offense as it stands.
  • Cubs skipper Dale Sveum doesn’t have a vote of confidence yet from team brass, but he understands that the process comes with the territory of being a big league manager, writes Carrie Muskat of MLB.com.
  • The Dodgers announced the signing of a relatively unknown Japanese prospect in 19-year-old right-hander Takumi Numata this week and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com attempts to profile him based off of the crumbs of information that are available.  
  • Raul Ibanez and Kendrys Morales are the last two people to blame for the Mariners’ woes this season, writes Geoff Baker of the Seattle Times.  Barring obvious bat improvements at DH and first base/outfield front, Baker says there’s nothing wrong with having both impending free agents return to the team in 2014.

Bidding For Alexander Guerrero “Wide Open” Again

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3:43pm: The Dodgers are no longer willing to pay Guerrero $32MM and may not pursue him at all, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Rosenthal notes that the team's position may merely be strategic; they could be backing off that number simply so Boras doesn't use that as a baseline when negotiating with other clubs.

3:15pm: Just over a week ago, it seemed that Cuban infielder Alexander Guerrero was close to signing a five-year, $32MM contract with the Dodgers. SInce that time, however, the 26-year-old has left his former agent, Rudy Santin, in favor of the Boras Corporation. Boras described the bidding as "wide open," writes Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, who reports that the Red Sox, Reds, Rangers and Giants all have interest in Guerrero and are fighting the Dodgers for his services.

MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez tweeted yesterday that Sanchez is looking for an overall better deal than the previously rumored agreement. Dodgers GM Ned Colletti wouldn't comment when asked by Heyman about the situation, stating that he wouldn't publicly discusss contract negotiations.

The Rangers seem a curious fit for Guerrero, with Elvis Andrus, Ian Kinsler and Jurickson Profar all already in the fold. The Reds would have to use him at shortstop or perhaps third base due to the presence of Brandon Phillips, despite the fact that many scouts have predicted Guerrero will have to transition to second base to play in the Majors. Boston has Dustin Pedroia at second base, and Xander Bogaerts projects as their long-term answer at shortstop. The Giants, too, are a curious fit with Marco Scutaro under contract, Brandon Crawford at short and Pablo Sandoval at third base.

Guerrero hit .290/.402/.576 with 21 home runs in 328 plate appearances in his final season inSerie Nacional. As Matthew Pouliot of NBC Sports pointed out last January, Guerrero OPSed .997 or better each year in Cuba from 2009-11. Heyman points out that Guerrero could have an impact on Robinson Cano's market this offseason if bidding drags on and teams believe Guerrero to be superior to other second base options, as Guerrero will naturally be more affordable than Cano.

NL West Notes: Balentien, Giants, Tanaka, D’Backs

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Wladimir Balentien smashed his 56th home run for the Yakult Swallows on Sunday to break Sadaharu Oh's Japanese single-season record and some within the Giants organization have wondered if they could find a way to acquire him, writes Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  There's one problem, however - Balentien signed a three-year deal with the Swallows before this season, which means he will not be a free agent until the end of 2015.  “He wants to come back.  That’s what he told me two or three weeks ago. His dream is to come back and play in the major leagues," said Giants hitting coach Hensley Meulens. “We’ve talked about him, but nobody knows how to go about it, to get out of the contract."  While the idea has been batted around, Schulman cautions that the  conversations have been theoretical and have not involved GM Brian Sabean.  Here's more out of the NL West..

  • The Dodgers have scouted Japanese right-handed pitcher Masahiro Tanaka, a source tells Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com.  Earlier today we learned that the rival Angels are also looking at the Rakuten Golden Eagles standout.
  • Diamondbacks left-hander Matt Reynolds learned that he'll require Tommy John surgery after his MRI was reviewed, according to Jack Magruder of FOX Sports Arizona (via Twitter).  The 28-year-old, who posted a 1.98 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 30 relief outings this season, will probably go under the knife with Dr. James Andrews next week.
  • Keith Law of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) runs down the players that have exceeded his expectations this season, highlighted by the MVP-caliber play of Diamondbacks standout Paul Goldschmidt.

Cafardo On Cano, Angels, Rangers, Cruz

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In today's column, Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe writes that there is growing resentment towards the one-game playoff.  “I would like to see it changed to two of three,” said the Red Sox’ Jonny Gomes. “At least then you feel as if you lose, you had three games. I like the fact the two wild cards play, that part is fine, and I understand the drama of the one game, but it’s not fair. You see what’s happening now. These teams are fighting and clawing to get one of those two spots, then let the teams who make it have a fair chance to advance.”  Here's more from Cafardo..

  • Most industry sources believe the Dodgers won’t be interested in Robinson Cano, but Cafardo says that the Angels and Tigers are worth keeping an eye on.  Cafardo also heard someone theorize that the Mets could pull a fast one and get in the mix for Cano.  There's no evidence of that happening, but it would keep the star second baseman in his desired long-term location.
  • There are still no signs that the Rangers will trade Elvis Andrus or Jurickson Profar this offseason, but dealing Ian Kinsler could be a legitimate option, with Andrus or Profar playing second base in 2014.  However, the 31-year-old's contract is an issue as he has four years remaining at $57MM with an option for 2018.  He's not having his sharpest season either, hitting .273/.340/.403 versus a line of .272/.350/.460 heading into 2013.
  • Speaking of Texas, it wouldn't be shocking to see the Rangers re-sign Nelson Cruz despite the 50-game PED suspension.  Cruz has been the missing cog in the Rangers’ recent slump and also happens to be popular in the clubhouse.  Even with Alex Rios, Texas will still be in the market for  a DH/outfielder this this winter and it could be as simple as re-signing Cruz.
  • Alfredo Aceves is now home in Mexico after leaving Fort Myers, Florida and is unlikely to ever don a Red Sox uniform again.  One American League GM blasted the pitcher for his behavior but said that he'll likely get another chance somewhere because of his talent.
  • If Carlos Beltran does not re-sign with the Cardinals, Cafardo posits that he would be the ideal DH/occasional outfielder for the Orioles. 
  • Tigers shortstop Jhonny Peralta is “likely going to be someone’s third baseman” next season, one Detroit teammate said.
  • Cafardo wonders if Cal Ripken could emerge as a candidate to replace Davey Johnson as manager of the Nationals.  Of course, Ripken is tied to the local competition, but he has made it clear that he wants to be a skipper.  Meanwhile, Buck Showalter is on solid footing with the Orioles and it would allow Ripken to stay in the area. 
  • Not a huge surprise, but Cafardo doesn't believe the Red Sox will exercise Matt Thornton's $6MM option for next season.

Free Agent Profile: Ricky Nolasco

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As the team most likely to take on the $5.5MM remaining on Ricky Nolasco's contract, the Dodgers were seen as the trade market frontrunners leading up to their July 6th acquisition of the pitcher from the Marlins.  The Marlins failed to receive top-tier prospects, and even threw in international pool money for the Dodgers.  None of that came as a big surprise, not just because the Marlins like to save money, but because as ESPN's Keith Law put it, Nolasco was a "durable fourth starter type" who had a 3.85 ERA at the time.

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Free agency has a large "what have you done for me lately" element, and it seems that Nolasco's 2.07 ERA in 74 innings with the Dodgers has changed the conversation about him from salary dump to coveted potential top ten free agent.

Strengths/Pros

Nolasco won't turn 31 until December.  Comparable free agents like Ervin Santana and Scott Feldman are the same age, and these pitchers are young enough to justify a three-year deal.

One of Nolasco's biggest strengths is avoiding the free pass.  Since 2011, he's walked only 2.05 batters per nine innings, which ranks 14th among starting pitchers with at least 400 innings.  Five free agent starters have done better, the youngest of whom is Dan Haren, who turns 33 next week.  On a related note, Nolasco has authored four seasons in his career with a K/BB ratio above 3.5, including this one.  Only three free agent starters have a better K/BB ratio than Nolasco this year.

Nolasco also scores points for durability, as he'll have made at least 31 regular season starts in each of the last three seasons.  Only four other free agent starters will be able to make the same claim.  Says agent Matt Sosnick, "It's been my experience that guys get paid for being healthy consistently every year."

You may not buy into it, but Sosnick will also make the claim that finally getting out of Miami rejuvenated his client's career.  Nolasco's 2.07 ERA since July 6th ranks fifth in all of baseball, putting him in company with teammates Zack Greinke and Clayton Kershaw and former teammate Jose Fernandez (Jarred Cosart sneaks in there as well).  Sosnick adds, "When he pitches at home in front of his family in L.A., he's basically unhittable."

One key advantage Nolasco has to a comparable free agent starter like Santana is that Nolasco is ineligible to receive a qualifying offer, having been traded midseason.  In December 2012, after Nolasco became the Marlins' highest-paid player following a series of trades, Sosnick told ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, "If he had his druthers, he would pitch for somebody other than the Marlins in 2013 and beyond."  Opening the season with the Marlins, however, ultimately gave Nolasco's free agent value a boost, as he doesn't have to worry about having draft pick compensation attached.

Weaknesses/Cons

There is a good case to be made that Nolasco is simply a 3.80 ERA type who had a nice 12-start run.  My ERA estimator of choice, SIERA, has him at 3.71 this year, as opposed to his actual 3.14 mark.  Nolasco has allowed 8.2 hits per nine innings in 2013, after allowing 10.4 in 2011-12.  Limiting hits isn't a skill if the pitcher can't do it year in and year out, despite Sosnick's "unhittable" comment.

Nolasco's strikeout rate this year is a workable 7.3 per nine innings, but it was 6.2 per nine from 2011-12.  He's currently sporting what would be the best home run rate of his career (0.77 per nine innings), but it's owed more to only 8.8% of his flyballs leaving the yard, rather than to a more reliable higher groundball rate.  Nolasco is a flyball pitcher, and moving forward should be expected to give up more home runs and hits perhaps with a lower strikeout rate.  

As far as the "getting out of Miami" boost to Nolasco's numbers, his groundball rate is up a tick, and he's in front of a better defense.  Still, the best bet is to pay for the innings and a 3.80 ERA.

Personal

Nolasco grew up rooting for the Dodgers in Rialto, California, and described the trade as a "dream come true" in a statement.  Nolasco, whose full name is Carlos Enrique, is close with his brother Dave, a former Brewers minor league pitcher.  During the offseason, Ricky can be found in the desert almost every weekend, camping with friends and driving sand rail dune buggies.

Market

Nolasco's statement upon his trade to the Dodgers also included the line, "I couldn't be more excited to play in front of my family and friends in Dodger Stadium during the season, and hopefully for many more seasons to come."  In other words, "I'm very interested in a contract extension, by the way."  The most likely scenario has to be a contract extension with the Dodgers before Nolasco hits the open market.  Nolasco has pitched well for the Dodgers and wants to stay, and he's got an extension-friendly agent in Sosnick.  Nolasco's apparent eagerness to pitch for the Dodgers may reduce his leverage, but he has already banked about $34MM in his career, mostly from a 2010 extension with the Marlins totaling $27MM.  He definitely came out several million ahead on that deal, as the Marlins might have eventually non-tendered him otherwise.  Already having a large measure of financial security restores some of Nolasco's leverage.

If the Dodgers and Nolasco can't find common ground, perhaps he'd first turn to other California teams like the Angels and Giants.  American League teams, however, could be wary of Nolasco, as he's an NL lifer.  The Phillies and Mets may be on the lookout for starting pitching, as well as the Indians if the AL isn't an issue.  The Giants, Rockies, Rangers, Padres, and Orioles had trade interest in Nolasco during the summer.

Expected Contract

An agent recently told me he focuses much more on years than average annual value, because teams and agents generally know the likely AAV range before they even begin negotiating.  Nolasco should have no problem finding three years; the big question is whether the Dodgers or another team will offer four.  Sosnick will probably begin there, explaining why his client is on par with Edwin Jackson and Mark Buehrle, and one of the best in a weak market.  Jackson, Buehrle, and Nolasco are all durable 200 inning types, but Jackson hit the market at 29 and brought the allure of a 93-94 mile per hour fastball.  Buehrle was two years older than Nolasco, but also had better career numbers.  Plus, Buehrle's four-year, $58MM contract was something of a fluke — the Marlins were reportedly the only team offering the fourth year, as they were in the midst of a new ballpark spending spree.  Then again, it only takes one team to guarantee that fourth year, making the Jackson contract Nolasco's likely ceiling.

An innings guy these days will probably require an AAV in the $10-13MM range.  Ultimately I believe Nolasco will sign a three-year, $36MM deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dodgers Nearing Deal With Alexander Guerrero

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6:17pm: The two sides are nearing a five-year, $32MM contract according to the latest update from Sanchez (on Twitter).

2:46pm: The Dodgers and Cuban infield prospect Alexander Guerrero are closing in a multi-year deal worth $32MM, industry sources tell Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.  The deal is expected to be between five and seven years and an official announcement is expected this week.

Guerrero probably projects as a second baseman in the majors since his range and first-step quickness aren't strong enough to stick at shortstop, according to Ben Badler of Baseball America (subscription required).  The offensive-oriented infielder doesn't figure to be a premium talent, but his raw right-handed power has impressed clubs.

The Twins, Red Sox, and Braves have also been in the mix for Guerrero, but the Dodgers have long been the favorites to sign him.  The 26-year-old also garnered interest from the Reds along the way, but it's not clear how serious they were or if they were still in the mix towards the end.

In his final season in Cuba, Guerrero hit .290/.402/.576 with 21 home runs in 328 plate appearances for Las Tunas.  For the last five seasons, Guerrero has posted solid offensive numbers, though the Cuban league is known for inflated offensive numbers.  Badler says that Guerrero is likely ticketed for Double-A or Triple-A to start out.

Guerrero was cleared to sign with Major League Teams by the United States Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) over the weekend.  He defected from his native Cuba in January and has been a known quanitty for some time, so the Dodgers were quick to strike a deal once it was possible.

It remains to be seen what impact, if any, the signing will have on the Dodgers' pursuit of a second baseman this winter.  Of course, the Dodgers are viewed as the biggest threat to sign Robinson Cano away from the Yankees over the offseason.

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