The Cuban Defectors Thread

[Hairyducked Idiot]

It does kind of seem like homegrown is becoming more prominent. The FA classes for the next few years are just hideously awful. Between that and the new CBA, money is becoming less and less meaningful, which I suppose is the point. And it makes me want to spend it now even more.

[neely crenshaw]

It seems unlikely that we would have Rizzo and Abreu, unless they decided that Abreu could play OF. It doesn't make much sense to turn a great defensive 1B into a below average OF and then have what is probably an average to possibly below average 1B. You make yourself weaker at 2 spots- which might balance any offensive gain. Probably make more sense to have a below average LF, and a great 1b.

Heck they got Soriano to be functional, and you can sub defenders as situations dictated to limit the problems.

 

It would be nice to have a real middle of the order bat in our lineup.

[RammyFanny]

Bruce Levine ‏@MLBBruceLevine 2m

 

Theo Epstein.:Any International player who Is in their mid twenties and unrestricted will Be of interest to all 30 clubs.

[davell]

Alfredo Despaigne, Cuba's other bigtime hitter, had been loaned out to a team in Mexico recently. Said he was offered 50 mill plus by the Yanks, Pads(huh), and others, but turned it down out of loyalty to Castro.....

[Hairyducked Idiot]

Bruce Levine ‏@MLBBruceLevine 2m

 

Theo Epstein.:Any International player who Is in their mid twenties and unrestricted will Be of interest to all 30 clubs.

 

That sounds an awful lot like "we're going to be outbid."

[Little Slide Rooter]

Bruce Levine ‏@MLBBruceLevine 2m

 

Theo Epstein.:Any International player who Is in their mid twenties and unrestricted will Be of interest to all 30 clubs.

 

That sounds an awful lot like "we're going to be outbid."

 

Sounds like a polite alternative to "of course he's of interst to us; whaddaya think, I'm an idiot?."

[Have a seat, Neifi]

Did anyone else listen to yesterday's Baseball America podcast? Ben Badler and John Manuel spent a good 45 minutes discussing Abreu. Nothing really earth-shattering or that hasn't been discussed previously in this thread, but here are a few highlights from what I recall of Badler's take:

 

Abreu is absolutely not an option anywhere but 1B or DH, both due to size and general lack of athleticism. Made the comp to Miguel Cabrera in that Miggy is far more capable of faking it at 3B than Abreu ever would be in any position besides 1B.

 

In terms of recent Cuban hitting prospects, Badler would rank Abreu right alongside Cespedes, albeit slightly below him in sheer hitting ability.

 

If Abreu were graded purely as a 1B prospect, both Manuel and Badler would put him far and away the top 1B prospect in baseball and easily the closest to the majors. Manuel here actually said he'd rank Vogelbach as his second-best 1B prospect in such scenario, even ahead of Jonathan Singleton. (You could infer that Manuel would thus rank Vogelbach his top minor-league 1B prospect, for whatever that's worth.)

 

Concern about slowish bat speed due in part to his double foot tap and the generalization that Cuban hitters tend to struggle with velocity, which in turn tends to result in Cuban hitters developing long, loopy swings to take advantage of their power potential rather than develop shorter, more quick-through-the-zone-type swings you see from US-born players who develop swings so as to adapt the high-velocity arms here in the states.

 

Had some question about Abreu's projectability due to his feasting on "sloppy" breaking stuff over the plate, which he'd see far less of in the US.

 

Speculated that the Rangers and Red Sox seem the most obvious fits for Abreu based on their financial flexibility, history with Cuban defectors, and obvious need at 1B. As far as NL clubs, both Manuel and Badler guess that the Nationals and Pirates also make sense (though these are merely guesses). Neither mentioned the Cubs, which isn't terribly surprising given our current 1B situation.

 

In terms of league-wide interest, Badler expects that Abreu will receive more money than the recent Cuban positional prospects due largely to their success, but that the volume of teams involved will be fewer. Badler's point here was that Abreu isn't Puig or Soler; he's not an OFer you can just stash at LF or RF depending on your positional need. A team in search of Abreu absolutely has to have a clear hole at 1B or DH to really make it worthwhile.

[Sammy Sofa]

I'm really starting to hate NL baseball.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

DH in the NL is only a matter of time. And I can't wait to taste the tears.

[Guest]

Alfredo Despaigne, Cuba's other bigtime hitter, had been loaned out to a team in Mexico recently. Said he was offered 50 mill plus by the Yanks, Pads(huh), and others, but turned it down out of loyalty to Castro.....

 

He's extremely close to the Castro regime, which is the only reason Cuba was willing to loan him to a team in Mexico.

[Guest]

I'm really starting to hate NL baseball.

 

Its funny, half the reason i became a big cubs fan is because as a kid i preferred national league baseball and my hometown team was an AL team.

 

Now i cant wait for the nl to adopt the DH.

[Sammy Sofa]

I'm really starting to hate NL baseball.

 

Its funny, half the reason i became a big cubs fan is because as a kid i preferred national league baseball and my hometown team was an AL team.

 

Now i cant wait for the nl to adopt the DH.

 

So many of the things I loved about the Cubs as a kid (NL team, WGN, Wrigley Field, rooftops, day games, etc.) are now things that I can't stand because they're holding the team back.

[Andy]

Lots of people who should go root for the Yankees so their team won't have obstacles anymore ITT

[Sammy Sofa]

Go sit on your old timey horse [expletive] and spin.

[davell]

The more I think about this, the more I think we'll be in bigtime on Abreu. 2014 isn't likely to be the year we head into a year expecting playoffs, as it is. Signing him gives us options: Rizzo could possibly play LF, he could be dealt after Abreu were signed. Theo keeps stating we're in talent acquisition mode, if this is a huge talent, at the age parameters we like, you sign him and let things work out afterwards. Hell, all the teams after him would likely want or need Rizzo at that point anyway. We may lose out due to HAVING Rizzo, for all I know, but I really feel we'll be in the mix here and it wouldn't shock me if we got him.

[Andy]

Go sit on your old timey horse [expletive] and spin.

Get off my lawn!

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

@JeffPassan 33m

 

Source: Cuban star Jose Dariel Abreu will be represented by agents Barry Praver and Bart Hernandez. Plans to have showcase in September.

[Have a seat, Neifi]

@JeffPassan 33m

 

Source: Cuban star Jose Dariel Abreu will be represented by agents Barry Praver and Bart Hernandez. Plans to have showcase in September.

Praver is/was agent for Zambrano, Marmol, and Soler, IIRC.

[Tangled Up in Plaid]

 

Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reports that Cuban infielder Alexander Guerrero has narrowed his list to four teams.

Wolfson says the Twins are "very much in the mix," while the Red Sox, Dodgers and Braves appear to round out the infielder's top four. The Reds have also checked in on Guerrero but don't appear to have made the final cut. A report out of the Dominican Republic last month said that the Dodgers had signed him to a seven-year, $32 million deal, but obviously that was premature. It's possible the deal Guerrero winds up getting will be around that mark, though.

 

Who is this guy?

[Guest]

 

Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reports that Cuban infielder Alexander Guerrero has narrowed his list to four teams.

Wolfson says the Twins are "very much in the mix," while the Red Sox, Dodgers and Braves appear to round out the infielder's top four. The Reds have also checked in on Guerrero but don't appear to have made the final cut. A report out of the Dominican Republic last month said that the Dodgers had signed him to a seven-year, $32 million deal, but obviously that was premature. It's possible the deal Guerrero winds up getting will be around that mark, though.

 

Who is this guy?

 

Here is where we discussed him when it seemed like the Dodgers had signed him.

[Layoutman]

Temper the enthusiasm for NL DH until Abreu is signed or Vogelbach is much closer to the bigs. Although seeing T Wood hitting everyday would be fun.

[MWV]

Temper the enthusiasm for NL DH until Abreu is signed or Vogelbach is much closer to the bigs. Although seeing T Wood hitting everyday would be fun.

Career .542 OPS. Is this a joke I just don't get?

[Cubswin11]

This is the second time in like a week that someone has suggested finding ways to get Travis Wood more at bats, is this actually a real thing people think would be smart to do? His worth at the plate is all relative to the worth of his position where it's literally acceptable to hit .000 for the year and you aren't in danger of losing your job.

 

Just because Travis Wood is a good hitting pitcher doesn't mean he's a good hitter (I understand 99% of the people on here know this).

[Rex Buckingham]

This is the second time in like a week that someone has suggested finding ways to get Travis Wood more at bats, is this actually a real thing people think would be smart to do? His worth at the plate is all relative to the worth of his position where it's literally acceptable to hit .000 for the year and you aren't in danger of losing your job.

 

Just because Travis Wood is a good hitting pitcher doesn't mean he's a good hitter (I understand 99% of the people on here know this).

 

It's the same guy making the posts... Thinking about using the ignore feature on him.

[Clem Fandango]

ESPN did a piece on Abreu with scouting opinions...

 

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/page/onenationmlb09172013/sizing-cuban-slugger-jose-dariel-abreu

 

Interesting bits...

 

Multiple scouts used the term "slider-speed bat" in reference to Abreu. Translation: He might be challenged against pitchers who can crowd him with fastballs on the inner half of the plate.

 

One talent evaluator said Abreu could step into a big league lineup tomorrow and hit .260 with 25 home runs. That's not far from what Cespedes is doing in Oakland this season. Another expressed concern that Abreu looks "confused" against breaking balls and thought he could benefit from a little seasoning in the upper minors. Once Abreu gets the hang of major league pitching, the consensus is that he has the strength to hit 30 homers by accident.

 

"His swing is thick and sort of stiff. His front arm gets kind of rigid, and it's more a strength swing than a real quick bat. But he's a smart hitter, and he's not just up there swinging out of his butt. He's crafty. I think he'll make the adjustments."

 

Abreu is a below-average runner and a base clogger. His arm is adequate, and most scouts think he has the attributes to be a serviceable defensive first baseman. It's probably a stretch to think he can make the switch to third base or a corner outfield spot.

 

"He's deceptive," said an NL scout. "He's a better athlete at first base than he looks like. He's fine with balls in the dirt and a little quicker and more agile than you'd expect. He could be a solid first baseman, I think."

 

"Hitting-wise, he reminds me a lot of Dayan Viciedo," said a scout. "He's just not as athletic. This guy has more power than Kendrys Morales. But Morales is a better hitter for me."

 

I like him fine, but I wouldn't sell the ranch to get him. The problem is, [Yoenis] Cespedes and [Yasiel ] Puig can go 0-for-4 and they can still win you a game because they can run and throw. Abreu isn't that guy. He's more an Edgar Martinez-type. He has to hit or you've got nothing. He's all bat.