Yulieski Gurriel and his brother Lourdes Gurriel Jr. have defected from Cuba and will seek major league deals according to a report from MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez.

The 31-year old Yulieski is the older brother and has been likened to Derek Jeter. He has played mostly third base in the past four seasons but has also played second base during his career. Over 899 games and 15 seasons he has compiled some impressive numbers: 245 home runs, 999 runs batted in, .333 batting average, .414 OBP, .991 OPS, 588 walks as compared to 426 strikeouts.

Yulieski up until now had made it clear he had no intention of defecting from Cuba. He and other Cuban stars, including his brother “are ready when they say we have permission to play,” he said. “We are ready for the lifting of the blockade. Then we can come play.”

Yulieski Gurriel
(Click on image to view video)

Like his brother, the younger Lourdes began play in the Cuban League as a 17-year old. In the last season and a half, he began to break out, hitting .314 with 16 home runs and 72 runs batted in over 97 games for Havana’s Industriales. He was used mostly as a shortstop in 2014-2015 but also saw some action at third base, second base and left field.

Lourdes, like most Cuban youngsters, has been waiting expectantly for the opportunity to play baseball in the United States. He too hadn’t been thinking of defecting and all of the dangers associated with it. The 22-year old has been following the negotiations between Major League Baseball and the Cuban federation with interest. Perhaps , he had hoped, he might become the first Cuban in six decades to be able to sign a big league contract while still living on his island.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
(Photo courtesy of baseballcuba.com)

Their progress to MLB may well take a slow and winding path. Because of the U.S. embargo with Cuba, any Cuban defector who wants to do business with an American company must first establish residency outside of Cuba and the United States. Once residency is established Cuban baseball players must then petition MLB for free agency. Upon being granted free agency they are then eligible to sign with major league teams.

Haiti has been a popular destination for defecting Cuban players most likely because of the closeness of the two countries across the Windward Passage. At this time it is not exactly known to which country the two brothers have defected.
How long it will take to jump through all the hoops to get signed by a major league is also not known but it usually takes several months with the length of time perhaps depending in which country they have taken up residence.

According to MLB guidelines, all international players born after Sept. 1, 1995, must register with the league’s office by the mid-May date in order to sign during the following international signing period that starts every July 2. It would seem to be a stretch for Lourdes to get registered by the May deadline. The good news is that exceptions are made if this deadline has been missed due to unforeseen circumstances and not considered to be the fault of the applicant. Omar Estevez – the 17-year old Cuban second baseman – who signed with the Dodgers last November was granted one such exemption.

In any event, it seems the 22-year old Lourdes Gurriel Jr. will not be available for the Dodgers to sign unless he is granted free agency before the end of the present international signing period which ends on June 15th. The Dodgers are not able to sign any international free agents for more than $300,000 during the next two international signing periods because they have spent far in excess of their $2,020,300 international signing pool during the present signing period and are paying 100% for their overage spending. It is highly unlikely that Lourdes will sign for $300,000 and it is also highly unlikely he will be declared a free agent before the June 15th 2015-16 deadline.

On the other hand, Yulieski – the older of the two at 31 – will be exempt from international signing guidelines and become a free agent once granted by MLB and will be able to sign when and with whom he chooses. That is, to highest bidder regardless of international bonus pool limits for teams.

Will the Dodgers be interested in the Cuban third baseman who turns 32 in early June with no major league baseball experience and most likely would start his professional career in the minor leagues?