Cubs Win Soler Sweepstakes
By Benjy Lipsman in News on Jun 12, 2012 3:00PM
In the midst of rebuilding the team's roster, the Cubs made a big investment in the future by outbidding other teams to land Cuban defector Jorge Soler on Monday. The Cubs' winning bid guarantees the 20-year old slugger at least $30 million over nine years. While Soler's payday could climb once he makes it to the majors and is eligible for salary arbitration, the Cubs have ensured their new prospect is locked up until 2020.
The length of the contract takes some of the pressure off having to quickly promote Soler to the majors. A five-tool star, the young outfielder is likely to start his pro career with the Cubs single-A minor league club.
With their winning bid, the Cubs beat out other big spending teams like the Yankees and Dodgers to land another top prospect. A number of scouts and analysts compare Soler to a top-five pick in recent drafts. While $30 million is a lot more than draft picks would be guaranteed, Theo Epstein is using every channel available to re-build the club he took over this past winter. As for Soler, by signing now, he was able to maximize his haul before new rules governing the bidding of international players included in the new collective bargaining agreement take affect. Soler has drawn comparisons to the most recent Cuban phenom—Yoenis Cespedes. The 26-year-old signed a $36 million deal with the Oakland A's and is already in the majors, though he had considerably more playing time at the highest levels prior to defecting.
The big question now is whether the Cubs made a blue chip investment in improving the team's future, or whether they simply gambled away big money. It's likely to be a few years before anybody really knows.
The White Sox similarly signed a Cuban slugger barely out of his teens—though for a lot less money. Dayan Viciedo signed with the Sox in November of 2008, and has finally cracked the team's every day line-up this season, where he's currently hitting. 263 with 12 home runs and 29 RBIs. Given Soler's limited play at the highest levels of international competition, it's hard to say whether he can expect a similar path to "The Show." If he does, Epstein and GM Jed Hoyer may look like geniuses. If he doesn't, they'll have spent money that could have been saved to fill specific holes when the team's competitive again. But we won't know for sure for a few more years.