Chapman: Yulieski Gourriel “Would Love” to Play for Yankees

Former Cuban star Yulieski Gourriel, ranked as the country’s best player by Baseball America last year, has made no secret about his love of the New York Yankees. He’s told the media on multiple occasions that it’s his dream to play alongside his favorite player Alex Rodriguez in pinstripes. The 31-year-old infielder defected in February after slashing .488/.569/.858 in 160 PAs during the 2015 Cuban National Series. In his 15 season professional career, Gourriel has hit .335/.417/.580 split between Cuba and Japan.

According to Brendan Kuty of NJ.com, Yankees closer and Cuban national Aroldis Chapman recently revealed that he had been contacted by his countryman, who inquired about his experience with the club. When asked what he told him about playing for the Yankees, Chapman responded, “Definitely the environment here is different from anywhere else. I’ve only been with two teams but for me this is the best environment I’ve been in. It’s a nice atmosphere here. The clubhouse, too.”

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Chapman had nothing by praise for his former teammate. “Besides being a good player, he’s a good person. He would share moments with us. He would hang out outside of baseball and he was just a good teammate,” Chapman told reporters.

Having a star free agent express his desire to play for your team certainly can’t hurt, but Yankees’ fans should temper their expectations. Gourriel has primarily played second and third base in his career, and the Yankees have significant commitments to Chase Headley and Starlin Castro on the books to play those positions. He has played some outfield in his career, and with his athleticism, it’s reasonable to expect him to be able to handle a corner spot. BA grades his arm as a 70, so that would certainly be an asset in right. On the other hand, New York has no shortage of outfield options both in the majors and the upper-minors at the moment.

Another reason that the Yankees are an unlikely landing spot is that at 31, this is probably Gourriel’s last chance to sign a big-money deal to provide for his family. It seems unlikely he would take much of a discount to play with his favorite team. It may play a small role in his decision, but as usual, money will almost certainly be the primary factor in where he ends up. With Hal Steinbrenner and the Yankees in cost-cutting mode, handing out a sizable deal to a player on the wrong side of 30 seems unlikely unless the team’s brass changes course dramatically in the next few months.

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It was reported in March that Yulieski and his 22-year-old brother Lourdes had begun the process of getting cleared for MLB free agency and were being represented by the Wasserman Media Group. It’s unclear exactly how long that will take, although it is possible both Gourriel brothers will be available to suitors by the end of 2016.