Will The Phillies Bid For 19 Year-Old Cuban Jorge Soler?
By Spike Eskin
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Rumors have been flying about Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, and the Phillies are the latest said to be interested in the 19 year-old.
The official bidding has not begun for the Cuban defector, because the go-ahead has not been given by the Office Of Foreign Assets Control, Jeff Passan reports. However, the Phillies, Yankees and Cubs have all been mentioned as possible suitors for Soler.
Is a Phillies signing a reality? "I think most of that money is going to Cole Hamels," Comcast Sportsnet's Jim Salisbury told 94 WIP's Angelo Cataldi and The Morning Team on Thursday. "He's a 19 year-old guy, they like him, they like him more than the Cespedes guy. The Phillies look at everybody. They do their due dilligence."
Signing Soler won't be cheap, as Oakland's signing of Yoenis Cespedes (4 years, $36 million) showed. "If he's going to cost 12 or 18 million like we're hearing, it just doesn't add up for me. It's not their style."
Listen to the entire interview with Jim Salisbury: