Studly 21-year-old Cuban prospect Adeiny Hechavarria has officially been unblocked by the authorities in Cuba (damn it’s good to live in the United States, huh?), and is free to sign with a team in America. The New York Yankees and the Chicago Cubs have shown the most interest in the shortstop.
Hechevarria, 21, is excellent in the field, but questions remain about whether he can hit in the bigs. Unlike the Cubs recent Cuban signing – Serrano for $250k – Hechevarria is expected to get big bucks on the order of $10 million.
That said, it would be interesting to learn where the Cubs’ strong interest comes from. Sure, a guy like Hechevarria might not be ready to play in the bigs for a couple years, but are the Cubs looking at him to play in the middle infield soon? Say, perhaps in a double-play tandem with Starlin Castro? Ryan Theriot is under the Cubs’ control for two more years after this season, but could be non-tendered after this or next season.
What such a signing would mean for the Cubs’ other stud shortstop prospect, Hak-Ju Lee, remains to be seen. Thought of as the future of the middle infield, together with Castro, Lee is still playing A-level ball, so his future is uncertain. But he’s said to be better defensively than even Castro.
One thing’s for sure – it would be nice to have these kind of questions to deal with.