George King of the NY Post has the story. It’s a short piece, but one with some juicy nuggets throughout. So I’ll post it in its entirety and break in with comments:
According to sources, the Yankees remain the favorites to sign Cuban shortstop Adeinis Hechavarria.
However, they have company in chasing the 21-year-old who defected from Cuba last year.
“There are five teams that are interested,’’ a source said.
I would expect his agent to say nothing else.
The Yankees have long been the favorites to land Hechavarria for two reasons: They have the money, and they have spent more time than any team scouting him. They have seen him in open workouts in the Dominican Republic and he has been to their complex in the DR several times to work out. The most recent trip was last week.
“He has a body like (Alfonso) Soriano,” a talent evaluator said of Hechavarria. “And he can hit.’’
That doesn’t tell us much in terms of skills, but if his swing resembles Soriano’s then that would be something to get excited about. Soriano had very quick hands that generated plus power.
The Red Sox gave Cuban shortstop Jose Iglesias $8 million, and it’s believed Hechavarria is looking for a similar figure.
“He is very proud to point out that he was the shortstop and Iglesias the second baseman when they played on the Cuban (junior) team,” a Dominican scout said.
That means that he was considered to be the better defensive player by his coaches. Reports are that Hechavarria is considered to have more power than Inglesias as well. Given the large bonus the Sox gave Inglesias and the reports that he could play with the big league club as early as this season, that tells me he could be close to MLB ready.
Hechavarria could be the Yankees’ second baseman. With Derek Jeter set to sign a long-term deal at the end of the season and shortstop the only place he can play, the Yankees could trade Robinson Cano after next season and make room for Hechavarria.
Next season is the final leg of Cano’s four-year, $30 million deal. There are options for 2012 ($14 million) and 2013 ($15 million).
Really? I hope this is just speculation on King’s part. Robbie Cano was an elite performer at his position both offensively and defensively last year. It could just be an early shot in the coming Cano contract negotiation, where adding Hechavarria gives the team added leverage. But Robbie’s going nowhere.
“Things are going very well,’’ Hechavarria’s agent, Bart Hernandez, said. “We should have news soon. The market has been strong. I can’t put a timetable on it, we are engaged with teams.’’
Stay tuned. . .
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8 Responses to Yanks closing in on Cuban SS
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TIQ IQ
Dj is at the age in which he could regress both at the plate and on the field over the course of the couple seasons, so the farm really needs an internal option ready to go for 2013. Hechevarria may be proud of his defensive skills but the hitting is still mostly projection. Hechevarria would require a couple minor league seasons of batting experience before we can tell how he’ll fare against ML pitching. DJ in that time should remain the Yankees SS, but again… I wouldn’t offer anything longer than a 3 year deal.
Good points, the hitting is all projection at this point. And one other thing about him doesn’t add up. If his glove AND bat are both better than Inglesias, then why is he asking for the same bonus? Maybe it’s the economy, maybe it’s the timing of his availability. But if I had to guess, his agent knows something he’s not telling us. Something the Yanks are aware of as well.
Jeter’s time at short is coming to an end. If the Yankees have a shot at picking up someone that can be an all-star talent to man SS they should. Jeter in Left Field/Right Field while this kid plays Short, Posada to DH and Jesus Montero to Catch. Along with Cano, Teix, A-rod, Granderson and Swisher. This line up looks to kill when assembled.
1) Jeter
2) Hechavarria
3) Teix
4) A-rod
5) Montero
6) Granderson
7) Posada
8- Cano
9) Swisher
What year would the Yankees be playing that potential lineup? If you are talking 2012 Posada will be retired.
It’s fun to dream about the future and all but your crystal ball is a little cloudy. First off, the kid is young and will need some seasoning. Posada will be gone by the time Hech (if signed, if he progresses and moves up–two HUGE ifs) would even be considered for the job. a 40-year old Posada at DH is insane.Regarding Hecheverria: he’s 19, possibly 20 and the low-down is while he has solid power (potential), his bat is unrefined. It’ll take time to get that straightened out, again, if he ever figures it out. There’s no guarantee in this by any means.
Also, there are questions Montero can catch, and there are also questions on if that would be a good thing for his health. Again, significant questions here.
And you really think Jeter is going to sign a big deal and then move to the outfield to accommodate a young gun from Cuba? You’re dreaming (but we know that already). If he’s signed, he’ll play SS for as long as he possibly can, even if his defense isn’t up to par.
Put down the bong.
Yeah he’ll play for as long as he can but he doesn’t decide where he plays. If this kid is down in AAA tearing it up and Jeter has obviously lost a step, I fully well expect Cashman to step in and say that what’s best for the team is putting Jeter in left and having Hecheverria start at short. Sure, Jeter will stay there as long as he’s good (and he’s still crazy good) but I don’t think he’ll put up a fight when it’s obvious that he can’t do it anymore.
you could always do this gradually, he come up first and play mostly OF and some occasional time at SS/2B for example.
but we’re getting wayyyy wahead of ourself, lets see him sign first, then see him actually doing somethign in the minors, before we even have this sort of talk.
Before we start moving and trading proven players we need to see this kid play first.That said the Yankee farm system could use a big splash .The system has been drained the last couple of years and being ranked in the bottom third of all major league farms does not boed well for the future.