Meet a Prospect: Osiel Rodriguez

The international signing period opened up on July 2^nd like it does every single season, and much like every single season the New York Yankees were linked to and have signed many of the top available international free agents on the market including the focus of today’s post, Osiel Rodriguez. Rodriguez was ranked as the 5^th best IFA available by Baseball America while MLB.com had Osiel ranked as the 9^th best prospect in the class, either way the Yankees have potentially a great new arm to add to their farm system, so let’s meet him. This is Meet a Prospect: The Osiel Rodriguez Edition.

Rodriguez is a 6’3”, 205 lb. 16-year old right-handed starting pitcher out of Cuba that the New York Yankees have signed with the start of the international signing period for the 2018-2019 season. Rodriguez is a raw talent, obviously as most teenagers are, and may have to work on his “unorthodox” and “violent” delivery, but if he can harness his potential and drop his repertoire to about three or four pitches he could be an ace going forward. Currently the right-hander possesses a fastball that can touch 97 MPH, a plus slider, a curveball, changeup and splitter.

Here is what MLB.com had to say about Rodriguez:

The right-hander’s fastball has been clocked at 97 mph and the pitch usually hovers in the low to mid-90s. There is some concern about a drop in velocity at times, but evaluators attribute the decrease to normal fatigue or being overworked on the showcase circuit. A strike-thrower, Rodriguez has a good mound presence and demeanor. He changes his arm slot and throws several different pitches at different angles, which has proven to be both a blessing and a curse as far as scouts are concerned.

Rodriguez has signed with the Yankees for $600,000 so let’s welcome him not only to the organization, but to the Yankees family as well. I look forward to seeing you grow and prosper as a minor league player with the Yankees. The Yankees just got the top pitcher in the international market guys, get excited!

Meet a Prospect: Osiel Rodriguez

The international signing period opened up on July 2^nd like it does every single season, and much like every single season the New York Yankees were linked to and have signed many of the top available international free agents on the market including the focus of today’s post, Osiel Rodriguez. Rodriguez was ranked as the 5^th best IFA available by Baseball America while MLB.com had Osiel ranked as the 9^th best prospect in the class, either way the Yankees have potentially a great new arm to add to their farm system, so let’s meet him. This is Meet a Prospect: The Osiel Rodriguez Edition.

Rodriguez is a 6’3”, 205 lb. 16-year old right-handed starting pitcher out of Cuba that the New York Yankees have signed with the start of the international signing period for the 2018-2019 season. Rodriguez is a raw talent, obviously as most teenagers are, and may have to work on his “unorthodox” and “violent” delivery, but if he can harness his potential and drop his repertoire to about three or four pitches he could be an ace going forward. Currently the right-hander possesses a fastball that can touch 97 MPH, a plus slider, a curveball, changeup and splitter.

Here is what MLB.com had to say about Rodriguez:

The right-hander’s fastball has been clocked at 97 mph and the pitch usually hovers in the low to mid-90s. There is some concern about a drop in velocity at times, but evaluators attribute the decrease to normal fatigue or being overworked on the showcase circuit. A strike-thrower, Rodriguez has a good mound presence and demeanor. He changes his arm slot and throws several different pitches at different angles, which has proven to be both a blessing and a curse as far as scouts are concerned.

Rodriguez has signed with the Yankees for slightly above $1 million so let’s welcome him not only to the organization, but to the Yankees family as well. I look forward to seeing you grow and prosper as a minor league player with the Yankees. The Yankees just got the top pitcher in the international market guys, get excited!

Yulieski Gourriel Is Worth The Risk

Lost in the hubbub of Major League Baseball International signing period was that Yulieski Gourriel is expected to make his decision on where he will sign soon. The Yankees did their due diligence and had a private workout with him. Not much has been said about how it went down but if the Yankees wanted to sign him the have a few things going for them. Alex Rodriguez is Gourriel's favorite player, the Yankees were his favorite team growing up, he and Aroldis Chapman are friends. Additionally, if he is looking for comfort factor New York is probably second only to Miami regarding the Cuban population.

Gourriel has long been a star of the Cuban National Series and Cuban National Baseball Team. He has been highly sought after by not only playoff caliber teams this year but also teams looking to build for the future. He profiles as a player who can play third base, second base, and the corner outfield as soon as he gets the call to the show. With some work, he could also probably play first base as well. Given his age (32) he is probably looking at a 4-5 year contract around 10-12 million a year.

Cuban players are getting harder to scout as more players defect. Gone are the days when there was only one marquee Cuban free agent (a la Orlando Hernandez or Jose Contreas) on the market. It seems like there are always a few established players as well as some projects signed every year. Signings can be anywhere from great (Jose Abreu, Yoenis Cespedes, Aroldis Chapman), okay (Yasiel Puig) to bad (Rusney Castillo, Hector Oliviera, Yasiel Sierra and everyone the Dodgers have signed except for Puig).

The Yankees last attempt to sign a Cuban player was Yoan Moncada who ended up signing with the rival Red Sox either because they offered more money or because Felix Lopez got involved. That is a long story, you can read about it here. Signing Gourriel would reestablish the Yankees in the Cuban market. Recently the Dodgers and Reds have been heavy players. It won't send the Yankees back to the "Evil Empire" days but players may actually see the Yankees as a legitimate destination instead of just another workout.

More important however is the fact that Gourriel seems like he can help the team now and in the future. He will likely need some time in the minors to knock off the rust but once he reaches the big leagues he could serve the Yankees as a super utility player a la Ben Zobrist. He would also bring right-handed pop to the Yankees lineup. I couldn't find projections for Gourriel so here is Ben Badler's scouting report from a couple of years ago.

Gourriel has all the attributes to be an above-average offensive player. He has plus bat speed and squares up all types of pitches with good hand-eye coordination and barrel control. He wraps his barrel behind his head, angling the bat toward the pitcher, but he gets the barrel into the hitting zone quickly and has good plate coverage. He stays within the strike zone and uses the whole field, and with plus raw power on the 20-80 scale, he offers a balance of being able to hit for average, get on base and hit for power.

Dairon Blanco: The Latest Cuban to Defect That New York Won't Sign

The New York Yankees have been reluctant to sign big named and high cost talent out of the Cuban market for whatever reason despite the recent successes of multiple defectors in the Major Leagues of late. For this reason you can't really blame me for my pessimism every time a "can't miss" Cuban star defects from their native island country with the hopes of reaching the United States and the Major Leagues. The latest can't miss guy to leave the Castro regime is outfielder Dairon Blanco.

Blanco is just 23-years old so he will fall within the international signing rules and restrictions set forth by the league whenever they deem him to be eligible to sign as a free agent. Blanco is a speed demon, Ben Badler of Baseball America gave him an 80-grade on his speed recently, that played center field in the Serie Nacional and could also do so in the Major Leagues with some work. Obviously, like most Cuban stars, Blanco comes as a work in progress that needs a little work, especially on the defensive side of the ball.

His bat seems to hold it's own which may be evident by his Serie Nacional career .303/.369/.409 triple slash with 52 steals in four seasons. Blanco doesn't strike out a ton and is a high average hitter with speed which almost every team can find a spot for on their roster that isn't in dire need of power as well.

Obviously Blanco won't be approved to be signed before the international signing period ends on July 2nd but he could absolutely be in play for the next round of signings. The Yankees are under spending restrictions for one more signing period after this one meaning unless Blanco wants to sign for $300K or less he won't be coming to the Bronx unfortunately. Shocker there.

Top Cuban Prospect Ruben Paz Leaves Cuba for MLB

The flow of Cuban talent from their native island country to the United States has not slowed down since President Obama and the Castro regime have opened up negotiations and talk between the two countries. If anything the flow of Cuban prospects and players leaving the dictatorship country is increasing and Cuba lost another this week in Ruben Paz. Paz was widely considered to be Cuba's top prospect and one of their top players still left in the country and now he is presumably on his way to the Major Leagues.

Paz would have likely been the Serie Nacional Rookie of the Year for this season had he not left at age 21 with his talent and speed on the base paths. In the Serie Nacional 2015-2016 season that just ended Paz hit an impressive .361/.411/.476 in 76 games for Las Tunas. Paz is a right-handed batter with a simple swing that produces hits to all fields although the power has not come along yet for the 21-year old.

Paz is not a finished product nor is he a sure fire thing, especially after the outfielder hit three home runs and stole only three bases in 10 attempts last season while striking out 38 times with just 17 walks. Paz is a prospect and should be treated as so. He will be treated as so as far as paying him since he has less than five years in the Serie Nacional. Paz will be subject to international bonus pool spending limitations if and when he reaches the states.

Why should this post be showing up on a Yankees blog? Because we all know it usually takes a year or two for this whole process to get sorted out. First Paz has to establish residency in another country before being cleared as a free agent by Major League Baseball. Then you have the private workouts and all the hoopla around the outfielder before he finally signs and only signs to start out in the minor leagues. By the time he gets all that done and behind him the Yankees restrictions in the international market may be over.

As of right now the Yankees cannot spend more than $300K on a single prospect on the international market but in two signing periods, one which ends this July, the Yankees can offer a then 23-year old rookie with a ton of promise whatever amount of money they want. Just how they like it.

Yankees ST: Tampa Bay Rays @ New York Yankees 3/24

The Tampa Bay Rays are fresh off their game with the Havana national team and are fresh off the plane from Cuba to face off with the New York Yankees inside George M. Steinbrenner Field. The Yankees will send CC Sabathia to the mound looking to take the next step towards securing the Yankees 5th starter spot out of spring training.

The game will be played at 6:35 pm ET but unfortunately the game cannot be seen or listened to live anywhere at this time.

Yankees Spring Training Open Thread 3/22

What happened down at Yankees spring training camp today? Let's get caught up!

The New York Yankees and the New York Mets are currently facing off head-to-head as a part of the Grapefruit League while the Tampa Bay Rays are in Havana, Cuba. Along with the Rays are the President of the United States Barack Obama and former Yankees legends Joe Torre and Derek Jeter.

Jacoby Ellsbury was reevaluated today and the plan is to still get back into a game on Thursday. In Joe Girardi talk that means Friday, maybe Saturday.

Nathan Eovaldi pitched 60 pitches in a minor league game today while Ian Clarkin also pitched in a minor league game. That's one more game than last spring for Clarkin. Luis Torrens hit a home run in the game so his shoulder looks good thus far.

Slade Heathcott was optioned to Triple-A. I guess Ellsbury really is fine.

Quick Hit: Sabathia Teaches President Obama How to Pitch

The Tampa Bay Rays along with a few ambassadors from Major League Baseball and the United States are prepping for a historical trip to Havana, Cuba to take on the Cuban national team. This will mark the first time a MLB team has set foot on Cuban soil since the Baltimore Orioles did it in 1999. The Rays are heading down along with former Yankees Joe Torre and Derek Jeter but the man who may throw out the first pitch is none other than Barack Obama, the President of the United States. Obama, a southpaw, didn’t play much baseball growing up as a kid in Hawaii and Chicago but thankfully for him he got some advice from key MLB players including our very own CC Sabathia.

The Associated Press asked a collections of MVP’s and former Cy Young Award winning All-Stars to critique Obama’s last ceremonial first pitch and Sabathia had some advice for the President. “He looked good, I mean up until his windup and everything” said Sabathia. The Yankees lefty also went on to say “get the ball down in the zone.”

David Price also suggested a “free and easy” relaxed delivery to Obama and warned him “don’t bounce it.” Madison Bumgarner, the San Francisco Giants ace, suggested something easier said than done for some. “Just throw a strike.” My own suggestion to the President? Don’t pull a 50 Cent. 

Quick Hit: Derek Jeter to Join MLB, the Rays and President Obama in Cuba for Exhibition

Major League Baseball is preparing a historical and significant trip to the island country of Cuba this month and they are bringing some big shots with them. When it was announced that the Tampa Bay Rays would face off with the Cuban National Team in Havana on March 22 of this season the President of the United States Barack Obama almost immediately threw his name in the hat and booked a seat along for the ride with the league and the Rays and now a notable baseball legend is coming as well. His name is Derek Jeter.

Derek Jeter will join a group headlined by Cuban greats Luis Tiant and Jose Cardenal as a part of the first exhibition in Cuba since 1999.This will mark Jeter's first major public appearance since he retirement in 2014 and speculation has already begun as to why Jeter wants to go. The main speculation is that Jeter wants to one day own a MLB team, but again that is simply speculation. Jeter will be joined by MLB personnel including former manager Joe Torre. 

This was already going to be epic but that just got taken up by about ten notches, at least. 

Quick Hit: Aroldis Chapman Seeks US Citizenship

The New York Yankees closer was recently suspended for 30 games under MLB and Commissioner Rob Manfred’s new domestic violence policy but that is not stopping Aroldis Chapman from seeing his ultimate goal come to fruition, to become a legal citizen of the United States of America.

According to the New York Post Chapman has begun the long process of becoming a US citizen and started down that road last year. Chapman told the Post “I am in the process right now. Eventually, when I become a citizen, if it happens, it’s going to be something great. It’s a nice opportunity for me to become a U.S. citizen.”

This is in my very humble yet very bias opinion the greatest country in the world and I love it when people live out and fulfill the American dream. Good for Chapman on his potential citizenship and good for anyone else who does or tries, it’s just a small part of what makes this country great.

MLB Hopes For Rule Changes on Cuban Market

The relationship between the United States and Cuba are hopefully on the mend and the relationship between the Cuban government, their players and Major League Baseball may be as well. In years past Cuban-born players simply defected from their native country, established residency elsewhere in the world and waited a year or longer to get unblocked by the United States before pursuing their MLB career. MLB wants this to change and have proposed news rules that will specifically affect the Cuban amateur and professional player market.

Currently there is an embargo on Cuban imported goods and players which forces the players to establish residency elsewhere and keeps the league from setting up similar deals like they have with the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization in Japan and the Korean Baseball Organization in Korea. It would be unlawful for teams to send some sort of monetary compensation back to Cuba so the league is looking for a bit of a loophole in the way of non-profit entity creations that will help develop baseball on the island of Cuba. 

In theory the team that acquires a Cuban-born player would donate money to this fund as compensation for the player. The difference between this non-profit fund and simply sending the money to the team is that this is non-taxable income and this would not directly or indirectly head to the Castro's and the Cuban government. It is unclear whether the United States Treasury Department will agree to this or approve the deal, stay tuned. 

Tampa Bay Rays Will Visit Cuba on March 22nd

The Tampa Bay Rays, along with a little help from President Barack Obama, will visit the native land of Cuba later this month to play the first exhibition MLB game on the countries soil in quite some time. Major League Baseball has announced that the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team will play an exhibition game between the two teams on March 22, 2016 inside the historic Estadio Latinamericano in Havana, Cuba.

The last time an MLB team was in Cuba was 1999 when the Baltimore Orioles took on the Cuban national team in Havana. This meeting will mark the first between the two countries since the U.S and Cuba announced plans to normalize relations between each other.

This is a historic event and an exciting event for all fans of the game. Frankly, I can’t wait!

Making the Case for Yulieski Gourriel

The next big thing from Cuba is headed to the United States and could be ready as early as sometime in the 2016 season. Yulieski Gourriel is his name and he is bringing his younger and equally as talented brother Lourdes Gourriel with him. The Yankees are a long shot to sign Lourdes since he will be subject to international spending caps and limitations set by the league but the 31-year old Yulieski will not, he will be a true free agent. While the Yankees spending spree a couple years back will likely keep them from Lourdes only their own limitations will keep them from Yulieski, especially after he announced his preference to play for the Bronx Bombers. 

Yulieski wants to play here, you absolutely cannot put a price tag on that. Having a player that wants to be here in the Bronx rather than what many refer to as “hired mercenaries” shows up not only in their on the field play but in their clubhouse presence and off the field presence as well. This is not talked about enough and this may be more important than anything assuming the talent and production is there to boot so that’s why I listed it first. 

With that out of the way let’s get to the talent and the need that Yulieski would potentially fill in the Yankees organization. Yulieski is a third baseman by trade, a position the Yankees lack in behind Chase Headley,  and has put up a healthy .333/.415/.576 triple slash in his career with 235 career home runs in just 849 games. His bat is strong and his glove may be better as many scouts call him a “plus-defender” while gushing over his makeup, instincts, first move ability and mechanics. Some scouts have even gone as far as to call Yulieski a .300 hitter with 40+ doubles power due to his speed. That’s not a free agent, that’s a game-changer. 

The Yankees may not have the room now but they will have the room for Yulieski going forward. Mark Teixeira will need as much rest as possible at first base and Headley can handle first base with relative ease opening the door for Yulieski. Also Alex Rodriguez will need to play in less than 150 games next season to keep him fresh and healthy opening the door for DH at bats for Gorriel as well. Next season, 2017, the Yankees can take their time with the injured Greg Bird and have Headley play first base while having the Cuban-native play third base until Bird is deemed healthy and ready to return to the Bronx after a shoulder surgery that caused him to miss the entire 2016 season. 

This also sounds good on paper but we all know how the league and the endless paperwork can slow these things down. We have seen the process of declaring a Cuban-defector a MLB free agent take a few months up until a year with a seven month average eliminating any chance of Gourriel, plural, competing at all this season. Gourriel is already drawing comparisons to Adrian belter and Bobby Grich though so this may be a risk worth taking for the Yankees. This makes the team ultimately better and younger while allowing the organization to slowly dip their feet back into the Cuban waters and the Cuban market before a potential international draft is imposed. This is important, maybe one of the most important potential free agent signings of my time, and the Yankees need to get this done. It makes too much sense not to and that’s what worries me. 

The Next Wave of Cuban Imports & Stars

The New York Yankees cannot sign an international free agent for more than $300,000 during the current IFA signing period and the next IFA signing period due to the fact that the team blew past their league-mandated restrictions during the 2014-2015 signing period. Just as an FYI the international signing periods go from July 2^nd to July 2^nd so the current signing period ends on July 2^nd, 2016 and the next signing period ends on July 2^nd, 2017. After this date the Yankees will be allowed to spend again and you have to wonder if the next two latest Cuban defecting imports will be available before that date or after that date.

The top two prospects left in Cuba reportedly defected the country recently and will look to latch on with major league teams in the United States. Yulieski Gourriel was an infielder playing in Cuba before him and his younger brother, Lourdes, slipped away from their hotel in the Dominican Republic and defected from their native country Cuba. Yulieski has been one of the most highly sought after Cuban players after showcasing his talents during the World Baseball Classic in 2006 which his brother wasn’t considered to be a slouch either drawing rave reviews from many around the Cuban game and MLB scouts alike. Yulieski is not attached to the international spending cap and prefers to play for the Yankees while his brother will have to be fit into the international spending cap handed down by the league.

Yulieski is now 31-years old and was recently seen playing for the Yokohama Dena Baystars for $1 million as well as playing for the national team in Havana. Yokohama terminated his contract this spring after Yulieski told the team he was injured and needed to recoup and rehab back in Cuba. Yulieski and his brother Lourdes went on to play for Team Cuba in the Caribbean Series but their team fell to Mexico just short of the finals. It was after the series and their exit that they defected.

Whether they will establish residency, presumably in the Dominican Republic, and be declared free agents during this signing period, the next or the next remains to be seen. This takes quite some time unfortunately and can be delayed for a slew of reasons so whether or not the Yankees have a shot at either of these latest Cuban imports remains to be seen. You would think that they would come in a package deal though so stay tuned as this all gets figured out. 

What Will MLB Look Like in 10 Years?

Think about this for a second, as we sit here waiting on the snow to melt and the calendar to change and the 2016 regular MLB season to kick off just how much has changed in the last 10 seasons? How did Major League Baseball look back in the 2006 season when the Yankees were just beginning their downslide out of the Dynasty and when Joe Torre was just starting to feel the hot seat in the dugout? What was the state of the Yankees like when George Steinbrenner was aging and was finally willing to give some of the power back to Brian Cashman rather than fiddling with the day to day operations? Look at the Yankees lineup, only one man stands here on both lineup cards in Alex Rodriguez. Imagine how different this team will look and how different the landscape of Major League Baseball will look in another 10 years or so.

Commissioner Rob Manfred took over the top job in the sport from Bud Selig a little over one calendar year ago and look how much he has changed already. Instant replay has not only been enacted but expanded as well. Protective netting is going up around all 30 MLB ballparks to protect the fans, pace of play is being tweaked and pitch clocks are being used in the minor leagues. There’s also talk of adding the DH position to the National League, expanding the brand into Mexico, London, Cuba and other hot spots across the globe and streaming of MLB games is even going to become a thing in China of all places in 2017. The game and the brand is changing while the sport remains the same but what about in another 10 years?

Will we even have or need umpires? Honestly in 10 years we probably will but who is to say we will before my life comes to an end? With all the cameras and technology flying around the ballpark these days what’s the need?

You want to talk about MLB International, where do you think the games will be played in another 10 years? Whether regular season games or exhibition games as a part of spring training schedules I can totally see games being played all over Europe, South America, Canada, Asia, hell why not even Australia? The game is more global than it’s ever been and there are no signs of slowing down.

How does one grow a global game in a global market? International free agents help but within 10 years I feel like we will absolutely have an international draft that will happen after the regular season. You will still have your amateur draft in June but after the season while the Winter League games and leagues are being played there will be an International Draft as well.

Any game, any time, any device on any part of this green planet. If you thought MLB TV was great wait until you see the future. No more being blacked out because your local FOX station didn’t pick up your local game and no more using the whole “I was out of the country” as an excuse to miss a game. Everything will be at your fingertips and the Jetsons will be jealous.

Finally I think we may be seeing steps, even baby steps, in the self-driving vehicle department. Audi has already released a self-driving and self-parking car and many brands have cars that can parallel park themselves but how does this affect baseball? You ever try to park at the parking lots right up there close to the stadium? Easy way to drop 50 bucks or more for top games, I know I paid $40 in Atlanta to see the Yankees last year and that was with a mile and a half walk at least. With cars that can drive and park themselves new stadiums may opt to have parking farther away from the stadium and fill the closer sections with merchandise stands and concessions.

Will any of these happen? That I obviously cannot predict, I’m far from a prophet, but these are some of the things I can see happening in the sport in the next 10 years. I hope I’m still here ranting and raving and blogging about it then to tell you all I told you so. To the future, Marty!

Could the Game Truly Go International?

Could Major League Baseball truly go international and have a team outside of the United States? This may be harder to answer than I make it out to be but truly I believe the game could with a little creativity and lots of security. Already Major League Baseball has a team in Canada and with the growing love for the game in South American countries such as Cuba, Venezuela and Mexico to name a few a team could end up there in the near future in my opinion.


Revenue in MLB rose to just under $9 billion during the 2014 season without tapping many potential markets outside of the United States and around the globe and it continued to soar sky high is 2015 as well. The move outside the United States would have to start slow and start small with a team right over the border in Mexico, Monterrey maybe or even Mexico City, and security would be a nightmare to begin with but if MLB could make this work then the sky is the limit for the league. With the popularity of baseball in countries like Japan, Korea, Cuba, Australia, Columbia, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and even smaller countries like Curacao the game could explode internationally and truly set itself apart from the rest of the sports world.

It’s a dream now as we stand here in 2016 but this, in my opinion, is and should be the long term goal and vision for the game. Call me progressive and call me a dreamer but its coming ladies and gentleman so prepare yourselves for it.

Yasiel Sierra Makes So Much Sense for the Yankees

The New York Yankees have made it very clear that they want to add a starting pitcher to the team this winter if at all possible and they don't want another aging veteran with a ton of question marks. This team, no matter what method or terminology they use, is rebuilding and re-tooling at the same time and they want a young pitcher, preferably a pitcher with less than three years of Major League service time. What about a pitcher with zero years of MLB service time and what about a seasoned rookie that doesn't need to be groomed? What about Yasiel Sierra?

I know what you're thinking, he's Cuban so the Yankees probably won't be signing him. That may be true but for a long time after Hideki Irabu the Yankees didn't sign a Japanese-born pitcher until Kei Igawa. Then for a long time after Igawa the Yankees shied away from that market until Masahiro Tanaka became available. New York is overdue to sign a Cuban-born star and they may be more willing to now more than ever after acquiring one from the Cincinnati Reds in Aroldis Chapman. With every pitcher though there are pro's along with con's.


Sierra is just 24-years old and is a year removed from being privy to the international bonus pool rules that MLB has enacted. The Yankees cannot sign anyone for over $300K in the international market but since Sierra is 24 he is a true free agent after MLB cleared him and declared him as so. Sierra is no different than say a Wei-Yin Chen except for the fact that his price tag will likely be substantially less and he will not be attached to any draft pick compensation.


Baseball American ranked their Top 20 players still in Cuba last April, so they may be a bit outdated at this point, and Sierra was ranked 13th overall. Sierra is said to have plus stuff and pitched both as a starter and a relief pitcher in Cuba. Sierra moved to the bullpen full-time in late 2014 and struggled a bit posting a 6.10 ERA with 55 strikeouts and 31 walks in 70 relief innings.

Sierra is projectable despite what his stats say and he has a fluid motion and delivery. He seems very teachable to me and he has been facing international competition his entire career. There is a video that Ben Badler of Baseball American posted and most of it is him facing off against collegiate talent representing Team USA. As you can see in the video, SEEN HERE, he is dominating these hitters and making them look silly with a four-seam fastball, a two-seam fastball, a splitter that he has since scrapped and a changeup. Sierra moves his arm slot around a lot but a lot of Cuban pitchers do that to keep opposing batters off-balance, something I did not know until I did my research on Sierra.


Sierra would make a lot of sense for the Yankees rotation and organization going forward. It would bring in the Cuban market and some of the market that is pissed off at Aroldis Chapman and bring them back to the Bronx. He's got a rubber arm and has shown a lot of durability during his time in Cuba and can bring some of that to the Bronx with him. Whether Cashman will sign him or not remains to be seen, well more or less it will depend on whether Hal Steinbrenner will allow it financially, but he checks a lot of boxes for the Yankees this offseason.

The Latest Cuban the Yankees Won't Get

The New York Yankees went hard on the international market during the 2014-2015 signing period and that resulted in over $30 million being spent, many young and talented players being added to the farm system, and spending restrictions being imposed on the team for the next two signing periods. The Yankees basically went all-in on that signing period leaving them unable to sign any international free agent for more than $300K this signing period and next (the signing periods go from July 2 to July 2 every single season). New York has had success signing major players to lower financial deals, see Jorge Mateo as a good example of this, but the team has also priced themselves out of many major international free agents with this strategy. One name you may not know now but you will know soon is Lazaro Armenteros, but you won't be knowing the next Cuban phenom because he's wearing a Yankees uniform.

The latest and greatest Cuban defecting phenom to come over to the United States will not land a deal with the New York Yankees due to those spending restrictions. Armenteros is 16-years old and will likely be the best player to sign a deal in 2016, period, says Bob Nightengale of the USA Today. Armenteros, or Lazarito as he's being called these days, possess a "rare combination of dazzling speed, raw power and outfield arm strength" that projects him to be a strong corner outfielder in the Major Leagues. That's all nice and good but Lazarito has also been compared to the likes of Willie Mays and Bo Jackson already, and that's nothing to ignore.

Lazarito has opened the eyes of not only MLB scouts but those in Japan as well. An unconfirmed team in the Nippon Professional Baseball League has already offered him $15 million to play there at just 16-years old although Lazarito has remained vigilant that he wants to showcase his talents in Major League Baseball. He will showcase his talents for MLB teams on January 8th in San Cristobal while he waits for Major League Baseball to decide whether he is eligible to sign during this signing period or whether he will have to wait for the next signing period that starts on July 2, 2016 to sign. The Yankees could only offer him $300K in both signing periods regardless.

MLB must decide when Lazarito will be eligible because the phenom missed the May 15th cutoff date to officially register for the international signing period. Lazarito was busy defecting from his native country Cuba during the cutoff. Regardless of when he is allowed to sign his showcase is the talk of the town among MLB scouts. There is expected to be at least 150-200 scouts on hand for the audition even though legally they aren't allowed to be there. This will be the first time scouts have seen him professionally in almost 18 months.

Baseball WILL Unify the United States and Cuba

For basically my entire lifetime the United States and Cuba have had little that the two countries actually agreed on. During the Cold War the Russians sided with Cuba, or vice versa but who is really counting at this point, while the United States countered with embargoes on the island country. These two countries, especially under former leader Fidel Castro, have never seen eye-to-eye and have never seemingly wanted to see eye-to-eye. Well until recently when President Barack Obama began lifting embargoes and restrictions on the country in hopes of easing the tension between the two countries diplomatically. President Obama may have opened the doors for a whole new set of possibilities between the two but it will be Major League Baseball that will unify the people of these two countries.

Recently Major League Baseball sent a goodwill tour to the country of Cuba in hopes of beginning a relationship and friendship between the league and Cuba. The US sent some of their own All-Stars, Clayton Kershaw being one of them, but also sent stars that defected from Cuba in Jose Abreu and Yasiel Puig to name a few. It was a great gesture by the league and it resulted in both the Cuban flag and the United States flag being flown side-by-side inside the Estadio Victoria de Giron. A stadium that features a massive scoreboard with a photograph of Fidel Castro on it. Castro’s youngest son, Antonio, like much of the Cuban population, has a passion for baseball and he may understand more than anyone what a working relationship between MLB and the Cuban government could mean not only for the sport and the game but for the working relationship between the two countries.

These two countries speak two entirely different languages, but one common theme is baseball. These two countries are led and run two entirely different ways. One is a democracy and one is likely still run by a dictator, Raul Castro, but one common theme is baseball. The vast majority of Cubans love the sport of Major League Baseball and MLB is the national past time of the United States. It’s these baby steps and good gestures built on mutual respect and willingness to work together that can and I think will lead to a prosperous working relationship between the two countries outside of baseball.

Let’s be frank, Cuba needs MLB just as much as MLB needs the country of Cuba. We need each other and this is just the beginning I think of great things that we are all going to be seeing. All because of the sport of baseball, the unifying power.

MLB Hopes for Spring Training Games in Cuba in 2016

Major League Baseball started a mission to not only expand the sport of baseball but to expand the brand of Major League Baseball last year when Commissioner Rob Manfred took the reins of the sport from Bud Selig. Manfred has done just that and was aided a bit by the announcement from President Barack Obama that the United States and Cuba would begin discussing certain things with Cuba including lifting the embargo and working on diplomatic ties between the two countries. Immediately the MLB fan base wondered how this would affect the slew of players defecting from Cuba and coming to the United States to play MLB and how it could potentially affect games and/or franchises being there, even if it were just spring training games to start.

Major League Baseball acted quickly when learning of the news and now hopes to have spring training games in Cuba as soon as March of 2016. MLB has already sent ambassadors to the country including former Yankees manager Joe Torre and will also send a three-day goodwill tour there to begin talks for games and such in Cuba. The league has already gone as far as to say that the Tampa Bay Rays would be one of the teams selected to play in what would be a two-game series in Havana, Cuba’s capitol.

MLB hasn’t played a game in Cuba since 1999 when the Baltimore Orioles played two games against the Cuban national team. Cuban born players Jose Abreu and Yasiel Puig have joined the tour back to their native countries and will conduct clinics for children and a charity even with Caritas Cubana, a non-profit organization that provides assistance to the elderly, children, people with disabilities and people battling HIV and AIDS, while back in their native countries.

I cannot explain how excited I am for this. No words.