Two very highly regarded Cuban National stars, Yulieski Gurriel and his brother Lourdes Gurriel, Jr., have defected from Cuba and intend to pursue MLB deals once they’ve established residency and are granted free agency by the commissioner’s office according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com.
Because each brother has more than five years as Serie Nacional players, they are exempt from International Free Agent signing guidelines, adds Sanchez.
Baseball America profiles them as follows:
Yulieski Gourriel, 3B, Age 31
“Gourriel has all the attributes to be an above-average offensive player. He has plus bat speed and squares up all types of pitches with good hand-eye coordination and barrel control. He wraps his barrel behind his head, angling the bat toward the pitcher, but he gets the barrel into the hitting zone quickly and has good plate coverage. He stays within the strike zone and uses the whole field, and with plus raw power on the 20-80 scale, he offers a balance of being able to hit for average, get on base and hit for power.”
Primarily a third baseman in his career, he is an above-average defender. BA says he would have similar value to Hanley Ramirez and David Wright in terms of age and offensive performance
Lourdes Gourriel Jr., SS, Age 22
“Lourdes Jr. is emerging as one of the league’s premier talents. Gourriel is a smart hitter with a chance to get on base at a high clip and drive the ball for power. He has plenty of bat speed to catch up to good fastballs and the plate coverage to make frequent contact. He can have trouble at times against slow breaking balls, but he has good strike-zone discipline and a patient approach, giving him a chance to be a plus hitter with a high OBP. Gourriel flashes above-average raw power with the swing path to generate backspin and leverage the ball for loft in games, making him a 20-homer threat.”
He’s played third base and in left field, but has emerged as a shortstop this season and his athleticism and body control for his size allow him to handle the position. BA adds that he’s an average runner, gets good reads off the bat and has a plus arm.
The Mets haven’t been players in the high-priced Cuban free agent market, but they appear to have turned a corner financially. I do believe they may now have the resources to get in the game provided that it’s the right player and they see a fit.