Cuban first baseman Ruiz close to signing

MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez has an update on Cuban first baseman Jose Julio Ruiz, who became a free agent after defecting and has reportedly drawn interest from the Blue Jays, Rangers, Red Sox, Giants, Rays, and Rockies. Ruiz’s agent revealed that the 25-year-old could sign as soon as this week and has been offered major-league contracts by multiple teams, but is trying “to find a team where he’ll have the best opportunity to rise the quickest.” Ruiz isn’t on the same level as fellow Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman, who signed with the Reds last month for $25.5 million, but he’s expected to get several million dollars and should be fairly close to MLB-ready. Ruiz is 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, but runs fairly well and has played some left field in addition to first base. He’s consistently posted big batting averages in Cuba, but hasn’t shown a ton of power.