Cuban infielder Alexander Guerrero is close to signing a $32 million contract with the Dodgers, according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.
Dionisio Soldevila of ESPN Deportes reported back in mid-July that Guerrero and the Dodgers had agreed to a $32 million contract--which he said was for seven years--but then Guerrero’s agent denied there was a deal in place ... to Sanchez.
And now a couple months later it’s nearly a done deal, with Sanchez reporting “an official announcement is expected this week” and the contract is slated to be “between five and seven years.”
Guerrero played a lot of shortstop in Cuba, but he’s expected to be a second baseman in the majors and with 36-year-old Mark Ellis headed for free agency the Dodgers have a clear path for him to take over the job in 2014. He was considered one of Cuba’s top all-around players and the 26-year-old put up some big numbers offensively.
Because of the spending limits put in place with the draft and (most) international prospects dropping huge money on Cuban players is one of the few areas beyond MLB payroll where the Dodgers can really take advantage of their huge revenue edge and they’re smartly doing exactly that.