Cuban pitcher Yaisel Sierra is now officially a free agent

The elite starting pitchers may already be off the board, but there’s still significant talent to be had on the free-agent market. Another name was added to that list Monday, as Cuban pitcher Yaisel Sierra is now officially a free-agent. Sierra is now free to sign with any team.

The 24-year-old split time as a starter and reliever in Cuba, but has impressed scouts with his stuff. During an exhibition in October, Sierra retired all nine hitters he faced according to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com. There were roughly 350 scouts watching Sierra at that event. 

While there are questions about his role and eventual upside, it’s assumed Sierra can help a major-league club in 2016. Our own Jeff Passan ranked Sierra as the 32nd best free-agent, just behind Yovani Gallardo and slightly ahead of J.A. Happ and Marco Estrada. 

Due to his age, Sierra isn’t subject to international signing bonus pools. That means teams can spend as much as they want on Sierra, and they won’t be penalized in future signing periods. Because of that, many expect the bidding for Sierra to be significant. According to Sanchez, the deal could be similar to the $27 million contract signed by Cincinnati Reds pitched Raisel Iglesias last offseason. It also could exceed the four-year, $32 million deal given to Jose Contreras in 2002. 

Sierra isn’t coming off his finest season. In 62 innings, the right-hander posted a 6.10 ERA in relief. Most of his struggles came in the second half of the season, according to Baseball America. Despite those issues, Sierra should still draw interest. He’s reportedly hit 96 mph with his fastball, and has shown the ability to throw an above-average slider. He also works with multiple arm angles. 

Though Sierra wasn’t approved as a free-agent until Monday, teams have known he would be available for a couple months now. All parties involved have had months to prepare, so it’s possible Sierra could sign fairly soon. For teams that lost out on elite pitchers, Sierra could be a solid consolation prize. He comes with risks, but so does every other pitcher on the market right now.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik