Cuban Second Baseman Hector Olivera Defects

[ace3113]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/hector-olivera-leaves-cuba/

 

Hector Olivera Leaves Cuba

 

Second baseman Hector Olivera, one of the top players in Cuba, has defected to pursue a contract with a major league team, Baseball America has learned.

 

Olivera, 29, ranked as the No. 6 player still in Cuba by Baseball America last month, although that evaluation comes with a huge level of uncertainty given Olivera’s recent health history. Olivera had been a star on the Cuban national team, including at the 2009 World Baseball Classic, where he ranked behind only Aroldis Chapman, Yoenis Cespedes and third baseman Yulieski Gourriel as the top Cuban prospects at the event. The next year, Olivera won the MVP award at the Intercontinental Cup.

 

However, Olivera missed the entire 2012-13 season and hasn’t played in any international tournaments since then, including the 2013 WBC. While it’s difficult to verify medical information on Cuban players, according to Cuban media reports, Olivera had thrombosis in his left biceps, a condition that blocks blood flow and can be serious.

 

Olivera returned this past season in 2013-14 (which ended in March) to play for Santiago De Cuba in Serie Nacional and still performed as one of the top hitters in the league, batting .316/.412/.474 in 273 plate appearances with seven home runs and more walks (38) than strikeouts (25). He didn’t play much in the field, however, spending 29 games at second base with the rest at DH.

 

At his best, Olivera (listed at 6-foot-2, 195 pounds) had been one of the most well-rounded players in Cuba, showing a combination of hitting ability, power, speed and size. In 2011-12, Olivera hit .341/.462/.626 with 17 home runs, 44 walks and 22 strikeouts in 214 plate appearances, ranking third in the league in slugging behind only Jose Abreu (now with the White Sox) and Alfredo Despaigne, and he ranked fourth in OBP.

 

He also won the home run derby at the 2012 all-star game and has displayed impressive power for a middle infielder. He showed his hitting ability with a batting average .315 or better in nine of his 10 seasons in Cuba and recorded more walks than strikeouts in his last eight seasons. During the 2007-08 season, Olivera stole 21 bases in 22 attempts, although he hasn’t been much of a threat on the bases since then, even before he was sidelined.

 

Olivera turns 30 in April and has played more than five seasons in Cuba, so he will be exempt from the bonus pools. He will need to establish residency in another country, obtain a specific unblocking license from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the United States Department of the Treasury and be declared a free agent by Major League Baseball before he can sign. While there’s no clear timetable for that, given the track record of recent Cuban defectors obtaining their paperwork, it’s possible that Olivera will be able to sign this offseason, although that’s not a certainty.

[xposbrad]

Jays are going hard after him and Tomas. I expect we sign both, because management is committed to winning and sick of letting the other clubs get all the good international players.

[reedjohnsonfan]

Thanks. He's a must target. Should be at least better than Izturis.

[G-Snarls]

Please please please for once land a solid international FA player

 

We just so happen to desperately need a MIF

[G-Snarls]

Fix the turf! Make this new turf with a massive Tampa style dirt cutout. (f*** the Argos I don't care)

 

Move Reyes to 2B

 

Trade for a quality shortstop or buy one on the international market (There are Cuban infielders defecting at an alarming rate, almost as if living in Cuba sucks or something)

 

Sanchez to the rotation

 

Keep Melky

 

Replace Thole with the Greek

 

Navarro catches 3/5 days instead of 4/5 and is DH vs LHP

 

Morrow 4.5M closer

 

The playoffs will be f***ing simple to make

 

cff

[KingKat]

Jays are going hard after him and Tomas. I expect we sign both, because management is committed to winning and sick of letting the other clubs get all the good international players.

 

I don't know about signing both but at least with another player on the market, there's a better chance of landing at least one.

[eastcoastjaysfan]

Jays are going hard after him and Tomas. I expect we sign both, because management is committed to winning and sick of letting the other clubs get all the good international players.

 

Fantastic bait post right here.

[G-Snarls]

Just finished reading though. He's been mostly playing at DH. Is he even a legit 2B option any more???

[KingKat]

Just finished reading though. He's been mostly playing at DH. Is he even a legit 2B option any more???

 

He was playing 2B due to an injury though not necessarily because he wasn't a good defensive player. The medical and scouting reports would be super important on this guy and you probably wouldn't want to pay top dollar either.

[Angrioter]

The Cuban version of Rocco Baldelli

 

I pass!!

[GeorgiaPeach]

Maybe if we fed him well he would improve

 

6'2" 195???

[shortstop]

so AA will pretend like he's interested to get points with Toronto fans, not sign him & say it was too rich an offer by team X.

 

though the truth might be he is legitimately interested & he deems the $'s too high, at some point, you can't keep saying your going to the dance but never walk in through the front door. Eventually, as in already, people just know you're not coming.

[Deadpool]

30 is pretty old for an IFA, is there much precedent for guys that old coming out of Cuba and signing deals?

 

I'd be down, but it wouldn't be someone I'd pay huge for (based on age, medical concerns and lack of a track record in the MLB...)

[burlingtonbandit]

What his defence like? Also, do you think there will be a discount on him since he has cloudy medicals and is already 30 years old? Might be a guy to take a shot at if the price is only like 20 million

[Arkadium]

This is one we don't want.

 

I like how you say that with conviction as if you want us to think you know what you're talking about.

[Deadpool]

What his defence like? Also, do you think there will be a discount on him since he has cloudy medicals and is already 30 years old? Might be a guy to take a shot at if the price is only like 20 million

 

Ideally you could get him on the same sort of contract we got Melky on after his short-lived part time web development job, not sure how that would pan out, though.

[TDotttt2005]

I'd like to know what happened to the whole 'Because we cant necessarily compete on payroll with the Yankees/Bosox/Dodgers, we're going to be creative to add high end players' mantra that AA had when he was given the GM job. While the dollar amounts are still high, Cuban players like Cespedes, Abreu, hell even Hech etc. have been bargains at their dollar figure, and its the type of high risk/high reward moves he said he'd pursue to get us to compete.

 

Has he abandoned that just like Ricciardi did when Rogers opened the purse strings? How many times has he said in interviews when asked about payroll "Well, we have room to be creative to do something". Playing Waiver Wire Roulette with the likes of Nolan Reimold, Cole Gillespie, and Darin fing Mastrionni doesnt count as being creative.

 

As a Jays fan, we shouldn't waste our time reading the scouting reports on guys like Rusney Castillo, Tomas, Olivera, since, like all the other Cuban prospects and MLB top tier free agents, the Blue Jays cannot have these nice things.

[xposbrad]

There is no sense of urgency, we still have 198 years left in the 200 year window. AA revised the number.

[G-Snarls]

I'd like to know what happened to the whole 'Because we cant necessarily compete on payroll with the Yankees/Bosox/Dodgers, we're going to be creative to add high end players' mantra that AA had when he was given the GM job. While the dollar amounts are still high, Cuban players like Cespedes, Abreu, hell even Hech etc. have been bargains at their dollar figure, and its the type of high risk/high reward moves he said he'd pursue to get us to compete.

 

Has he abandoned that just like Ricciardi did when Rogers opened the purse strings? How many times has he said in interviews when asked about payroll "Well, we have room to be creative to do something". Playing Waiver Wire Roulette with the likes of Nolan Reimold, Cole Gillespie, and Darin fing Mastrionni doesnt count as being creative.

 

As a Jays fan, we shouldn't waste our time reading the scouting reports on guys like Rusney Castillo, Tomas, Olivera, since, like all the other Cuban prospects and MLB top tier free agents, the Blue Jays cannot have these nice things.

 

Aroldis Chapman

 

Yu Darvish

 

[burlingtonbandit]

I'd like to know what happened to the whole 'Because we cant necessarily compete on payroll with the Yankees/Bosox/Dodgers, we're going to be creative to add high end players' mantra that AA had when he was given the GM job. While the dollar amounts are still high, Cuban players like Cespedes, Abreu, hell even Hech etc. have been bargains at their dollar figure, and its the type of high risk/high reward moves he said he'd pursue to get us to compete.

 

Has he abandoned that just like Ricciardi did when Rogers opened the purse strings? How many times has he said in interviews when asked about payroll "Well, we have room to be creative to do something". Playing Waiver Wire Roulette with the likes of Nolan Reimold, Cole Gillespie, and Darin fing Mastrionni doesnt count as being creative.

 

As a Jays fan, we shouldn't waste our time reading the scouting reports on guys like Rusney Castillo, Tomas, Olivera, since, like all the other Cuban prospects and MLB top tier free agents, the Blue Jays cannot have these nice things.

 

Thats AA's biggest mistake IMO. He went from making smart low risk high reward moves to "well we have a big payroll so we can operate like a big payroll team now". Well the "operate like a big payroll team" usually means throwing lots of money at established players who are on the decline in their careers.

 

Another AA quote I don't like is the "well we can afford to wait to get more information on a player" when referencing not signing players when they still have time. Well it looks like that strategy worked well with Bautsita and EE and now they have are going to have to pay Melky a lot more money now then if they would have signed him in June.

[ace3113]

Seems like a Martin Prado type of hitter. If the medicals check out and he can play second base, he'd be a very nice add. Save some money from Rasmus (7M), Janssen (4M), possibly McGowan and Morrow (if options declined), and throw some of it at this guy.

[GD]

Seems like a Martin Prado type of hitter. If the medicals check out and he can play second base, he'd be a very nice add. Save some money from Rasmus (7M), Janssen (4M), possibly McGowan and Morrow (if options declined), and throw some of it at this guy.

 

Guys are getting raises next year so it doesn't matter that those guys are coming off the books

[TDotttt2005]

Guys are getting raises next year so it doesn't matter that those guys are coming off the books

 

But..But...Beeston says the payroll is going up.

[ace3113]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/hector-olivera-showcase-report/

 

I know it's unlikely but I'm still hoping we go after this guy. Big upgrade at second base from anything we have.

 

Hector Olivera Showcase Report

 

When it comes to 29-year-old Cuban second baseman Hector Olivera, three words come up often that aren’t common to hear in the scouting community:

 

“I don’t know.”

 

For the scouts who followed Olivera on the Cuban national team from 2008-10, they loved what they saw. He was an elite performer in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, he had average to plus tools across the board and excelled during international competition. Then he missed the entire 2012-13 season, reportedly due to a blood disorder, and hit well upon his return to Cuba last season (2013-14), though he played just 29 games at second base and mostly served as the DH for his Santiago De Cuba club.

 

That combination of talent and uncertainty drew hundreds of scouts to a two-day showcase at the Giants’ academy in the Dominican Republic last week. The first day of the showcase featured Olivera running the 60-yard dash, fielding grounders in the infield and taking batting practice. The next day, he faced live pitching, and recorded three hits in seven or eight at-bats.

 

The Padres, who Baseball America sources have tied to Olivera previously, had general manager A.J. Preller and international scouting director Chris Kemp in town to watch the showcase. The Padres have been aggressive and remain one of the favorites to land him, and perhaps his most likely landing spot.

 

The Giants had a big crowd on their home turf, including assistant GM John Barr, vice president of pro scouting Jeremy Shelley, special assistant Felipe Alou, senior scouting advisor Ed Creech and international crosschecker Joe Salermo. The A’s and Braves were two other teams that sources said had a notable presence at the event. Sources believe all of those teams could be in the mix to sign Olivera.

 

As for what happened on the field, scouts said Olivera looked good, perhaps a little tired on the second day, but he appeared to be in good physical condition, with more weight (6-foot-2, 220 pounds) than he had during his prime years on the national team, but carrying it in a good way. He ran the 60-yard dash in around 6.7 to 6.8 seconds, depending on the stopwatch, showing slightly above-average speed. He’s not flashy at second base, but scouts said he looked like a steady defender. Olivera also took groundballs at third base, and while he’s shown a plus arm in the past, he didn’t seem to be airing it out quite as much at the showcase.

 

Olivera has a quick bat and showed a tick above-average power, hitting the ball hard to all fields and generating loft with his swing. Like a lot of Cuban hitters, he wraps the bat in his setup, but he has a history of making consistent contact in games and scouts have lauded his hitting approach and strike-zone management.

 

Olivera has residency in Haiti but is still waiting for the specific license that Major League Baseball requires Cuban players to have to be able to sign. There’s no clear timetable for that, although given that he was first reported to have left Cuba in September, he should be able to sign by Opening Day. He’s expected to have private workouts next for clubs.

[Spanky99]

f*** Jonn...yer dumn!

 

Thanks Ace, read on MLBTR that he had a showcase, much appreciated.

[burlingtonbandit]

How much money is this guy going to command? Seems like he's worth it if we can sign him for 10 million.

[Angrioter]

Hector Olivera Showcase

http://www.baseballamerica.com/international/hector-olivera-showcase-video/

[flafson]

His hitting looks pretty good.

[ace3113]

Speculation is we have about 10M left to spend (more if we get rid of Navarro), and that seems to be what many project Olivera's contract to be. We could even backload the contract so it's a lower payroll hit for this year.

[burlingtonbandit]

Speculation is we have about 10M left to spend (more if we get rid of Navarro), and that seems to be what many project Olivera's contract to be. We could even backload the contract so it's a lower payroll hit for this year.

 

If we keep backloading these deals the team will have no money to spend in the next 2 seasons. The Canadian Dollar at around 80 cents is going to limit the money the team can spend in 2016 and beyond.