Report: Cuban righty Yaisel Sierra declared a free agent by MLB
Cuban right-hander Yaisel Sierra has been declared a free agent by MLB and is now able to sign with any team, according to an MLB.com report.
By
Mike Axisa
•
1 min read
Cuban right-hander Yaisel Sierra has been declared a free agent by MLB and is now able to sign with any team, according to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez. Sierra defected back in April and had to go through the process of being cleared by MLB and unblocked by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Sierra, 24, participated in a showcase event earlier this offseason, which Sanchez says was attended by roughly 350 scouts and evaluators. Sierra impressed during the workout but was facing mostly high school kids. Here are his stats from his time in Cuba, via Baseball Reference:
| Year | Age | Tm | G | GS | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 19 | Holguin | 12.00 | 4 | 0 | 3.0 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 3.00 | 15.0 | 3.0 | 12.0 | 0.0 | 0.00 |
| 2011 | 20 | Holguin | 5.33 | 25 | 3 | 52.1 | 58 | 34 | 31 | 5 | 26 | 30 | 1.61 | 10.0 | 0.9 | 4.5 | 5.2 | 1.15 |
| 2012 | 21 | 2 Teams | 2.20 | 41 | 4 | 81.2 | 69 | 22 | 20 | 1 | 41 | 57 | 1.35 | 7.6 | 0.1 | 4.5 | 6.3 | 1.39 |
| 2013 | 22 | Holguin | 3.92 | 25 | 18 | 101.0 | 79 | 47 | 44 | 3 | 64 | 79 | 1.42 | 7.0 | 0.3 | 5.7 | 7.0 | 1.23 |
| 2014 | 23 | Holguin | 6.10 | 36 | 0 | 62.0 | 70 | 53 | 42 | 3 | 31 | 55 | 1.63 | 10.2 | 0.4 | 4.5 | 8.0 | 1.77 |
| All Levels (5 Seasons) | 4.23 | 131 | 25 | 300.0 | 281 | 160 | 141 | 13 | 166 | 221 | 1.490 | 8.4 | 0.4 | 5.0 | 6.6 | 1.33 | ||
Baseball America's Ben Badler says Sierra has a "lively fastball that sat 91-94 mph in Cuba and touched 96," and he pairs it with a slider that is above-average on its best days. Sierra used a splitter earlier in his career but has since settled on a changeup. Badler also notes Sierra has "poor command and pitchability," which limits his ceiling.
Here's some video of Sierra from his recent showcase event:
Because of his age, Sierra is not subject to the international spending restrictions imposed by MLB each summer. He's a true free agent who can sign a contract of any size with any team. That includes clubs like the Yankees, Cubs and Dodgers, who are saddled with spending limits after handing out huge international bonuses in recent years.
Cuban righty Raisel Iglesias signed a seven-year contract worth $27 million with the Reds last offseason, which seems like a decent enough contract estimate for Sierra. At the time of his signing, there were concerns whether Iglesias would remain a starter long-term or move into a relief role. He had a 4.15 ERA (95 ERA+) in 95 1/3 innings covering 16 starts and two relief appearances in 2015.
Although the big names are off the board, several quality free agent pitchers remain unsigned, including Scott Kazmir, Wei-Yin Chen, Kenta Maeda, Yovani Gallardo and Ian Kennedy. Sierra could be a lower cost option for a team that really believes in him as a starter long-term.
