And that was that. We dusted our hands off, started to type, then looked for the next newly discovered international prospect to burden with our hopes and expectations. But after the deal with the Cubs was supposedly done, more and more teams joined the mix. First it was the Yankees, then the Phillies were in. The Marlinswere in before they weren't.
On Wednesday morning, Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos and members of his front office watched the 19-year-old Soler -- along with Cuban pitcher Armando Rivero, outfielder Henry Urrutia and left-handed pitcher Omar Luis -- work out at the club's complex in Boca Chica in the Dominican Republic, according to an industry source. The Orioles are scheduled to visit Soler in the Dominican Republic on Sunday, the source added.
There's no rush to sign Soler, as it's not as if a team is desperate to shove the 19-year-old into the starting lineup, so he can afford to play the market a bit. Heck, he's technically not even a free agent yet. And with at least a fifth of the league buzzing around him, he could end up with a pretty sweet deal.
Now that Yoenis Cespedes is off the market, Jorge Soler is the last international free agent who will create a bidding war before the start of the new CBA.
