Palladino: Cuban Free Agent Gourriel Would Look Great In Pinstripes
By Ernie Palladino
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The signing of Ike Davis may well prove an effective short-term stopgap for the Yankees' first base situation. But if they really want to get serious about joining the chase for a postseason spot, they should probably throw some dough at Yulieski Gourriel.
Who?
Exactly.
You won't find him among baseball's recent draftees. The 32-year-old Gourriel, who reportedly changed the spelling of his last name to Gurriel roughly two years ago, spent his illustrious baseball career toiling in Cuba, where he, like Yoenis Cespedes before him, became a national star while holding down the middle of the Cuban National Team's lineup until early this year.
That's when he and younger brother Lourdes defected after the Caribbean Series in February. And Monday, Major League Baseball declared Yulieski a free agent, available immediately to the highest bidder.
If the Yanks are smart and serious, they'll make a big play for him.
Put it this way. If they think Davis is going to turn into the ultimate solution for their offensive inconsistencies, they're wrong. He's had a lot of things going on since the Mets traded him to the Pirates in 2014. Hip problems created a lack of production and a major league fizzle just a couple of years removed from his 32-homer season of 2012.
Since then, he hit just 24 homers the last two seasons with the Pirates and Athletics when the Yanks plucked him from the Rangers' Triple-A club.
Perhaps Davis can add a few pops now that the hip has healed. And that will be all well and good. But landing Gourriel in what could turn into a spirited bidding war would serve the Yanks not only this year, but down the road.
Let's remember that the Yanks have never been shy about signing foreign free agents. They won the auction for Japanese right-hander Masahiro Tanaka in 2014, and that hasn't worked out badly despite some recent struggles. And who can forget Hideki Matsui, who signed up in 2003 after a decorated career in Japan. He became an instant fan favorite with 175 homers, many of them clutch, in his 10 years here.
We can just pass over Hideki Irabu as an outlier.
Given his Cuban stats, Gourriel it would make a lot of sense for the Yanks to go after him. He doesn't play first, so that would remain a sticky issue. But he does play second and third.
Starlin Castro has a good hold on second, but Joe Girardi could move Gourriel in at third and put Chase Headley at first. Or, they could use the right-handed slugger as a DH. Scouts also say he's athletic enough to adapt to a corner outfield spot.
That would entail keeping their heads above water until August, since Gourriel would need four or five weeks in the minors to adapt to American pitching. Given how the Yanks have performed so far, that will be a major challenge even with Davis and his potential power in the lineup. Sitting two games under .500 thanks to a three-game losing streak that followed a five-game winning streak, the Yanks have proven they are nothing if not inconsistent.
If their season continues like that, landing a guy who hit .500 with his Cuban team last year and projects long-term to .285 with 15 to 18 homers and 85 RBI in the majors probably wouldn't make much of an impact this year. But shelling out the approximate $144 million over four years it would take to sign him could well be worth the expense in the coming seasons.
Having saved plenty of money by eschewing free agency the past offseason, they should have enough cash to splurge on another promising import.
They need to make a big play for this guy.
Follow Ernie on Twitter at @ErniePalladino
