The Seattle Mariners have officially signed Cuban outfielder Guillermo Heredia to a contract. The Mariners originally agreed to sign Heredia in February and have now finalized a one-year deal worth $507,500.
Heredia will reportedly get a $500,000 signing bonus in the deal. He did not play professionally last season and has not played "competitive baseball" since 2014. Heredia previously played six seasons with Matanzas and posted a .285 batting average with 23 homers and 121 RBIs in 374 games. He is currently with the Mariners while they are at training camp in Peoria preparing for the upcoming 2016 season.
The 25-year-old was not able to participate in any training with the team until his contract was finalized. The Mariners made room on the roster for Heredia after placing Jesus Sucre on the 60-day disabled list. Sucre is expected to be out for the 2016 season after having ankle surgery in the offseason. Heredia had to wait for his paperwork to clear with the U.S. government and Major League Baseball before being able to sign officially with Seattle.
Heredia defected from Cuba last year and worked out for teams in Miami while hoping to land a contract. Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto went to one of those workouts and felt that Heredia had the talent to play in the majors. Heredia is considered by some scouts to be ready to play in the majors after his experience with Matanzas, but it's likely that he will open the season in the minor leagues. Baseball America writes that Heredia was previously a switch-hitter but now only bats right-handed.
"He's a speed-defense first," manager Scott Servais said. "He's a plus defender. There was some switch hitting, but I don't know if he's still doing it."
The Mariners have plenty of outfield depth already with Nori Aoki, Leonys Martin, Seth Smith, Franklin Gutierrez and Boog Powell on the roster. The team is expected to be a contender in the American League West this season after undergoing a major roster overhaul this offseason. Dipoto made a number of trades and signings this offseason to help improve talent across the roster.
Players like Adam Lind, Aoki, Martin, Wade Miley, Nate Karns, Steve Cishek, Joaquin Benoit and Steve Clevenger are all new to the team this season. Heredia may not make an impact for the team this season in the majors, but he offers depth for Seattle in case of injury.
