The Dodgers held a private workout for free agent Cuban infielder Yulieski Gurriel today, according to a source, and Gurriel posted a photo of himself at Dodger Stadium on his Instagram account. The 32-year-old infielder also has a workout lined up with the New York Mets and at least one other team, according to the source.
Gurriel was only declared a free agent eight days ago. He won’t sign anywhere today since Major League Baseball prohibits international free agents from signing before July 2, but he could become a factor for some team down the stretch.
In parts of 14 professional seasons, Gurriel owns a career .335/.417/.580 slash line. That includes 62 games in 2014 in Japan, where he slashed .305/.349/.536 with 11 home runs. Gurriel’s slugging percentage ranked fifth in NPB that year.
In 2015, his last full season in Cuba, Gurriel batted .500 (87 for 174) with a .589 OBP and .874 slugging percentage.
MLBtraderumors.com reports that a four-year, $40-44 million contract “seems like a fair estimate” of Gurriel’s floor — in other words, a bidding war would surely increase the money or term needed to sign him.
