Former Cincinnati Reds Top Prospect Drawing Interest on Open Market
According to a report from Francys Romero, former Cincinnati Reds pitcher and former top prospect Vladimir Gutierrez is drawing interest on the free agent market.
Cuban free agent RHP Vladimir Gutierrez (28) has several MLB teams interested.
Gutierrez continues to train every day looking for a solid return in 2024.
The 28-year-old is 10-12 in his career with a 5.44 ERA. He did not pitch at all in 2023 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
MLBTradeRumors had more on him:
As he worked his way up the minors, he became a notable prospect in their system, with Baseball America ranking him one of the 10 best Reds’ prospects in three straight years from 2017 to 2019. His stock has dimmed since then, however. In 2020, before he had reached the majors, he received an 80-game suspension after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. He was nonetheless added to the club’s 40-man roster to keep him out of that year’s Rule 5 draft. He went on to appear in 32 games over the 2021 and 2022 seasons but required Tommy John surgery in July of 2022
Given his age and former prospect pedigree, he should get an opportunity this offseason. He's worked almost exclusively as a starter in his career, making 30 starts out of those 32 games. There's a chance that he could get a guaranteed rotation spot in some organizations, but some may want to give him a minor league deal with an invite to spring training.
He's struck out 117 batters in 150.2 innings lifetime at the Major League level.
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