In an interesting development, two Cuban baseball players went missing over the weekend and reportedly did not show up for their team's games on Sunday or Monday. Second baseman Jose Fernandez and catcher Lazaro Herrera are suspected to be heading to the United States.
Fernandez, 26, has defected, according to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports, and is seeking an MLB contract. It is assumed Herrera is doing the same, but there has been no update on him. This comes as MLB teams are signing an increasing number of Cuban players and at much higher prices. The most well-known Cuban defectors in the MLB are Yoenis Cespedes (Boston Red Sox), Yasiel Puig (Los Angeles Dodgers), Jose Fernandez (Miami Marlins), Aroldis Chapman (Cincinnati Reds), Leonys Martin (Texas Rangers), Jose Abreu (Chicago White Sox), Rusney Castillo (Boston Red Sox) and Yasmany Tomas (Free Agent).
A number of MLB teams are currently hoping to sign Tomas, the most recent Cuban defector, to a lucrative contract. The power-hitting outfielder is expected to receive a deal in the $100 million range, which likely has more and more Cuban players seeking MLB contracts. The Cuban national team showed their valuable players during the 2013 World Baseball Classic, during which the team went 4-1 before being eliminated in the second round at the hands of the Netherlands.
Fernandez was a member of that team, and based on his statistics, it's no wonder he's considered an MLB-caliber player. The left-handed hitting second baseman batted .524 (11-for-21) in the WBC with seven runs scored, three doubles and six RBIs. He had the best average and the most hits and runs scored on the entire team throughout the tournament. Fernandez is ranked only behind third baseman Yulieski Gourriel (30) and outfielder Alfredo Despaigne (28) as the best player in Cuba, according to Baseball America.
Ben Badler of Baseball America also adds that Fernandez is batting .315/.415/.426 in 65 plate appearances this season. Last season, the second baseman batted .326/.482/.456 in 314 at-bats and was second in the league for on-base percentage. Unfortunately, statistics for Herrera are unavailable at this time.
It depends how quickly it takes for these two men to be cleared by the United States government, but we could see them (or at least Fernandez) in the MLB in 2015. Tomas, the most recent defector, left Cuba in June to pursue the MLB and was not cleared by the U.S. government until September. The MLB then declared him a free agent less than a month later and he has still yet to sign with a team.
Keep up with ESPN's MLB Rumors blog to get the latest updates on the development.
