Cuban Pitcher Jan Ewing Cabrera Arrives in Dominican Republic, Hopes to Join MLB
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Right-handed pitcher Jan Ewing Cabrera has left Cuba and arrived in the Dominican Republic, Francys Romero reported Tuesday afternoon.
Per Romero, Cabrera is intent on signing with an MLB team, although a timeline for a deal has not been laid out.
Cabrera, now 19 years old, went 8-0 with a 0.24 ERA, 59.0 innings pitched and 80 strikeouts in his most recent U-18 season. He suited up for the National Baseball Series' Azucareros de Villa Clara in 2023, then the Cuban National Series' Cazadores de Artemisa over the winter.
He was a member of Team Cuba's national team in 2022 and considered to be one of the best prospects in his home country.
The top Cuban free agent this past winter was right-hander pitcher Yariel Rodríguez, who wound up signing a five-year, $32 million contract with the Toronto Blue Jays. The MLB Commissioner's Office declared an additional seven Cuban players as international free agents back in October.
It is too early in the game to know which teams will be interested in Cabrera when he does officially hit the open market, whenever that may be. The righty is still just a teenager as well, so he would likely need to work his way up through the minor leagues like any other prospect.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros and Oakland Athletics are among the teams that still have bonus pool money to spend on international amateur free agents. If Cabrera is looking to find a new organization before December, those are the teams that could have the flexibility to add him.
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