Bowden Believes Marlins Will Go After Cuban Defector Abreu

[Miamarlin21]

If and when apparent Cuban defector Jose Dariel Abreu is made a free agent, he is expected to command a substantial contract from a MLB club. Based on scouting reports and other contracts given to international free agents, ESPN's Jim Bowden suggests that the big slugger could land a deal in the six-year, $54MM range. (For a detailed discussion of Abreu's prospect value, check out this recent podcast from Baseball America's Ben Badler and John Manuel.)
As an "early guess," Bowden places the Marlins atop the list of Abreu pursuers. Reasoning that the club would be willing to overpay for a Cuban star after missing out on Yoenis Cespedes, Bowden writes that Miami is "expected to go all out on Abreu."
In addition to a host of other possible landing spots, Bowden says that the Nationals could also be in on Abreu. He opines that the club would not find it difficult to deal first baseman Adam LaRoche to clear a spot.

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2013/0...day-abreu.html

Will be a right-handed first baseman.

Some stats:

The 26-year-old hit .453/.597/.986 in Cuba's Serie Nacional in 2010-2011 before hitting .394/.542/.837 in 2011-2012 and .382/.535/.735 in 2012-2013. Also in 2013, he hit .360/.385/.760 in six games for Cuba in the World Baseball Classic.

Here he is from the WBC:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc78k4z4oCo[/ame]

[dim]

I'd go after him, but I also wanted to go after Cespedes and Chapman without having seen either of them play.

I don't see the Marlins "going all out" for this man child because of obvious reasons, but I'd be excited if they did.

If we do happen to get him (big if), I wonder what the plan is for Morrison. Can't send him back to the outfield, and you wouldn't get equal value in any type of trade. Morrison the 2nd baseman? J/K J/K

[Miamarlin21]

Well my thing is if LoMo finds power (which we all hope he does) he would be a great compliment for Stanton. The lineup is lefty heavy so having Abreu replace LoMo would be nice, but it may be too risky if he bombs. If he hits like Cespedes is in 2013 then I think I would pass.

[AdamRavs]

Use the money to lock Stanton up 1st.. Then get a proven bat to hit behind him

[marlinsfan24]

^Think you need to convince Stanton you want to build a perennial contender first.
--------------------

Over the past few years we've seen a trio of Cuban defectors receive big free-agent contracts and subsequently take the league by storm. Aroldis Chapman, Yoenis Cespedes and Yasiel Puig all came to the majors with a lot of hype, and thus far all have delivered on it.

Enter Jose Dariel Abreu. According to reports, the 26-year-old Cuban slugger has defected. He is reportedly in Haiti now, and he could be up for bidding right around the time free agency gets going in November. Expect a bidding war.

Abreu is considered one of the best hitting prospects in the world, and last season he led Cuba's Serie Nacional in batting average and home runs. Although he will be limited to first base or designated hitter, his offensive skills will make him an All-Star. I spoke to a few execs and scouts who have seen him play, and here is how his tools grade out on the 20-80 scouting scale.

Scouting grades
Hit: 70
Power: 70
Glove: 50
Run: 40
Arm: 50

Because he's older than 23, Abreu will not be subject to MLB's spending restrictions for international free agents, and because of the success of Puig, Cespedes and Chapman, I expect him to get a deal somewhere in the range of $54 million over six years, which would exceed Puig’s seven-year, $42 million contract.

Abreu will also be helped by the fact this is a lackluster free-agent class. Robinson Cano and Jacoby Ellsbury will be the two biggest names out there, but there is not a true power hitter to speak of.

Based on what I've heard from around the league, here's an early guess at the teams who are most likely to sign Abreu, ranked in order of likelihood.

Miami Marlins: After finishing second to the A’s on Cespedes, the Marlins are expected to go all out on Abreu, understanding they would really have to overpay to get him to Miami. With a young, strong nucleus in place, led by Jose Fernandez, Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich -- not to mention a strong Cuban population -- this would be the perfect fit for Abreu. It would also give Miami ownership a legitimate chance to start winning back the fan base.

Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox have been looking for a long-term solution at first base since they traded Adrian Gonzalez to the Dodgers last August. They also need to prepare for life after David Ortiz, and with room to spend the Red Sox could be the most logical big-market club to land him considering the Dodgers have Gonzalez, the Yankees have Mark Teixeira and the Angels have Albert Pujols.

Texas Rangers: After losing Josh Hamilton as a free agent last winter and with Nelson Cruz's recent suspension clouding his future with the club, the Rangers could use a power bat. They may decide to spend their money on Abreu, who has a lot more offensive production talent than Mitch Moreland.

Seattle Mariners: General manager Jack Zduriencik has been trying hard to land a big-name bat the past few years, failing in many attempts for players such as Justin Upton and Josh Hamilton. Abreu would be the perfect long-term fit for the Mariners and finally give them the cleanup hitter they've been looking for. Even if you believe Justin Smoak's resurgence is real, one of them could DH.

Oakland Athletics: GM Billy Beane has been very aggressive with non-traditional free agents the past few years, surprising many by signing the likes of Michael Ynoa, Cespedes and Hiroyuki Nakajima. And as long as Beane doesn’t have to give him a no-trade clause he’d love to put Abreu next to Cespedes in the A’s lineup. The A’s have been scouting Abreu heavily over the past four years and they think he has more offensive potential than Cespedes, who could be a key player in recruiting Abreu.

Washington Nationals: Never bet against Nationals owner Ted Lerner when it comes to an opportunity to get to a World Series. A Nationals team that couldn’t produce offense in 2013 would love to add another impact bat to put between Bryce Harper and Ryan Zimmerman. Adam LaRoche is only signed through 2014 and his deal wouldn't be hard to move if they signed Abreu. Signing him would be a game-changer for the Nats.

Colorado Rockies: With Todd Helton's career coming to an end, the Rockies would love to be able to replace him with Abreu and insert him between Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez in their lineup at Coors Field. The Rockies have been real quiet the past few years, which makes them prime to be a surprise player on Abreu.

http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/the-...e/post?id=7439

[Miamarlin21]

So if you do sign him to play first, Logan could bring in something decent, right? I would expect Tampa, Boston, Minnesota, Chicago (AL), Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Colorado all be interested.

[HUGG]

If they sign Stanton and then sign this guy, I'm gonna troll the shit out of Daft.


/none of it will happen

[lou]

So if you do sign him to play first, Logan could bring in something decent, right? I would expect Tampa, Boston, Minnesota, Chicago (AL), Pittsburgh, Milwaukee and Colorado all be interested.

They would get something pretty decent. Nothing crazy, but decent. I would imagine a summer 2014 MLB ready at minimum young catcher or middle infielder plus a good relief prospect. He isn't breaking the bank in arbitration and someone is going to notice his RHP split this year.

Which is why they should keep him. He's not the problem.

[Chewford]

If they sign Stanton and then sign this guy, I'm gonna troll the shit out of Daft.


/none of it will happen

Pretty sure that third thing you mentioned will happen.

[Namaste]

got heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee


M

[tjfla]

We were also the early favorites for Cespedes however our problem is that the FO/Loria seems to make one take it or leave it offer. That is how the A's beat us,we made an offer and his agent found a better one then we said good luck.

If we do get this guy,LoMo is as good as gone however we will have to lower the price on him alot. Teams called about him at the deadline and we were asking for Top Prospects in return.

[AdamRavs]

We were also the early favorites for Cespedes however our problem is that the FO/Loria seems to make one take it or leave it offer. That is how the A's beat us,we made an offer and his agent found a better one then we said good luck.

If we do get this guy,LoMo is as good as gone however we will have to lower the price on him alot. Teams called about him at the deadline and we were asking for Top Prospects in return.

Which is what they should of done for LoMo if you don't want to trade someone unless they massively overpay you hold on to him.

[MiamiHomer]

I hope they get him.

[tjfla]

Abreu is holding his showcase next week however it looks like we are gonna make a take it or leave it offer on him.

A name to watch tho for us is RHP Raicel Iglesias. He just defected from Cuba and we are very interested

[Party]

Will Jeff Loria be there to scout him personally?