It comes as no surprise that a number of teams are thought to have submitted their initial bids to free-agent Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler's agents this past Thursday. Next to fellow Cuban Yoenis Cespedes and Japanese phenom Yu Darvish, Soler was the most talked-about international player this past winter.
Close to a dozen teams have been linked to Soler, though ESPN's Buster Olney reports that the most serious suitors after the first round of bidding are the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. Those teams are expected to submit new bids this weekend.
But they might not be the only ones.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are believed to have submitted a bid, but, according to Rob Biertempfel of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, they have established their ceiling for Soler and will not enter the realm of the four-year, $36 million contract that the Oakland A's gave Cespedes.
Some had speculated that Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno would make a big push for the talented outfielder, but Angels GM Jerry DiPoto squashed that talk quickly. "I don't know who his agent is. Tells you how involved we are," he told Mike DiGiovana of the Los Angeles Times.
Like the Angels, the New York Mets are not in on Soler either, according to MLB.com's Anthony DiComo. That makes sense. Even with the settlement in the Bernie Madoff scandal, the Mets top priority is getting third baseman David Wright signed to a long-term extension.
While there are no reports of bids being made by these teams, it's fair to assume that the Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, Philadelphia Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays, who have all been said to have varying degrees of interest, could have submitted bids this past Thursday as well.
Of the four most serious suitors as identified by Olney, I'd have to give the Atlanta Braves the lowest chance of signing the 20-year-old Soler. While the Braves aren't a small market club, their pockets simply aren't as deep as the other three teams.
The Dodgers' interest raises an interesting question. If they were to sign Soler, what would that mean for the future of current right fielder Andre Ethier? GM Ned Colletti spoke with the new ownership group about an extension for Ethier shortly after it took over, and the team and Ethier's agents have been talking during the season.
The Yankees' interest isn't surprising, though should they stay true to their goal of fiscal responsibility, signing Soler could mean the departure of incumbent right fielder Nick Swisher this offseason as a free agent.
Which leaves us with the Chicago Cubs, who back in March were rumored to have a deal worth $27 million in place, something GM Jed Hoyer told the Chicago Tribune's Dave van Dyck was "bogus."
Despite Hoyer's dismissal of that rumor, I think the Cubs will ultimately wind up with the five-tool outfielder.
They are unquestionably in a rebuilding process, with no real expectation of contending in the next few years, so there's no need to rush Soler to the majors. Neither David DeJesus nor Reed Johnson is much of an obstacle for Soler to get by once he's ready for prime time, though both are capable of holding down the fort until he's ready.
Epstein and Hoyer have yet to make a move that truly energizes a fanbase. Signing Soler would do the trick.
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