Major League Baseball declared Cuban infielder Hector Olivera a free agent late on Friday. Despite a report that the 29-year-old may have a partially torn UCL in his throwing arm, there are teams interested in signing him at a fairly large price.
As for the injury speculation, Olivera's representation said the infielder has conducted a number of private workouts and passed four physicals, indicating he's healthy and ready for the 2015 season. He's expected to land a deal of at least $50 million and perhaps in excess of $70 million, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
Olivera was once considered the top offensive player in Cuba before injuries and a rare blood disease forced him out of action between 2011 and 2013, during which he played in only 133 games. In 10 seasons in Cuba's Serie Nacional with Asvispas de Santiago, the veteran infielder batted .323/.407/.505 with 619 runs scored, 96 home runs, 433 RBIs and 55 stolen bases.
According to Ben Badler of Baseball America, the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Atlanta Braves are the favorites to land Olivera and it's been reported the Braves have already made him a $50 million offer (which was then later refuted). However, it's also believed the New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics have interest in him, especially since these clubs missed out on Cuban prospect Yoan Moncada, who signed with the Boston Red Sox in February.
Although he's primarily a second baseman, Olivera played only 29 games at the position last season and spent the rest of his time at DH, so it's largely unknown how his defensive skill set will translate to the MLB. By looking at the list of aforementioned teams, it actually seems as if the Braves, Yankees and Giants were the most likely to land him based on their current infield situations.
The Dodgers have plenty of infield options at the major league level and in the farm system; the A's traded for a number of infielders this offseason, including Brett Lawrie, Marcus Semien and Ben Zobrist; and the Padres have spent a ton of money this offseason on top of having decent depth in the infield. Unless these clubs had other trades in mind to make room for Olivera, it's a bid puzzling as to why they would spend over $50 million on him.
Olivera has been overshadowed by other Cuban stars, such as Moncada, Yasmany Tomas and Yoan Lopez, but he's expected to contribute immediately once he signs with an MLB team.
