The Chicago Cubs Sign A Pair Of Cuban Prospects

The Chicago Cubs have been heavily linked to a couple of Cuban prospects this winter. Cuban outfielders Yoennis Cespedes and Jorge Soler are the two names that have been heavily mentioned in association with the Cubs. President of baseball operations Theo Epstein and general manager Jed Hoyer spent a week in the Dominican Republic having first-hand views of both Cespedes and Soler. Cespedes has been touted as the best prospect to come from Cuba in a generation, while Soler–who is only 19–is believed to have the higher upside over Cespedes. Soler and Cespedes were not the pair of Cuban prospects the Cubs signed on Friday.

According to Baseball America, the Cubs have signed Cuban outfielder Yasiel Balaguert and Cuban right handed pitcher Carlos Martinez. Both Balaguert and Martinez are represented by the same agent, Jaime Torres, of the Cuban prospects that the Cubs signed last winter–outfielder Rubi Silva and catcher Yaniel Cabeza.

Neither Balaguert nor Martinez have the same level of potential as Cespedes or Soler, but both prospects to give the Cubs’ farm system more depth and a higher ceiling. Balaguert, 19, still has a lot of room for improvement offensively. Balaguert has been credited with having a quick bat and good extension, but struggles to put up much of an average. Despite having the body of top of the order hitter, Balaguert has average speed at best and most scouts project him as a corner outfielder for the long term.

Meanwhile, Martinez, 20, has mainly been used as a reliever while playing for Industriales in Cuba’s Serie Nacional. Martinez relies on his fast ball as both his curveball and changeup are considered to be a work in progress. The Cubs need pitching depth in their farm system, so Martinez will provided some of arms needed among the lower levels of the Cubs’ farm system.

These two signings may not have a major affect on the Cubs’ farm system, but these signings could be a pre-cursor to either Cespedes or Soler signing with the Cubs. I would imagine one of the factors that both Cespedes and Soler are considering when deciding what team to sign with is how comfortable they will be with their new organization. With the Cubs showing a renewed interest in international prospects, especially those from the Dominican Republic and Cuba, that may attract Cespedes and Soler to the Cubs’ organization. Whether coincidence or not, Balaguert was Soler’s teammate in 2o1o on Cuba’s junior national team that played in the World Junior Championship.