After it was reported on Wednesday that Jung-ho Kang's agent, Alan Nero, was confident a deal would get done soon, it appears the two sides are moving closer to fulfilling that goal. As for other international players, another Cuban defector is holding a showcase for scouts this month.
According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, Kang and the Pirates are close to a deal and it's expected to be for four years. On Wednesday the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette quoted Nero saying "the process has been very positive," indicating that a deal could be agreed upon before the Jan. 20 deadline. The Pirates won the rights to exclusively negotiate with the shortstop on Dec. 20 when his Korean club, the Nexen Heroes, accepted their $5,002,015 bid.
The two sides have a 30-day window to reach an agreement or else Kang will return to the Heroes and the bid will go back to the Pirates. However, it looks like Kang will be in a Pirates uniform come 2015, it's just unclear how he'll be used. Scouts believe he's more of a second or third baseman in the MLB, but Pittsburgh's infield is already set with Neil Walker (2B), Jordy Mercer (SS) and Josh Harrison (3B). It's speculated Kang may take over at second base because the team has yet to sign Walker to an extension as he enters his second year of arbitration eligibility. Pittsburgh may look to move him because he's due for a big raise after slashing .271/.340/.467 with 23 home runs and 76 RBIs in 2014.
However, at this point it's unknown what Pittsburgh with do with Kang, but we do know they'll look to use him as much as they can offensively. The 27-year-old batted .356/.459/.739 with 40 home runs and 117 RBIs in 117 games with the Heroes.
Jon Morosi of FOX Sports just noted a deal should be completed by the middle of next week.
Hector Olivera is another international infielder garnering interest from MLB teams. The 29-year-old defected from Cuba back in September in hopes of landing a contract with a major league club, but he hasn't been cleared to sign yet. Ben Badler of Baseball America reports Olivera will hold his first open showcase on Jan. 21 and 22 at the San Francisco Giants' academy in the Dominican Republic. The middle infielder missed all of the 2012-2013 season with a blood disorder and only had 273 plate appearances in 2013-2014.
"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," writes Badler.
Due to the high demand for middle infielders who can provide a good source of offense, Olivera should be scooped up fairly quickly once cleared.
