Yoenis Cespedes Free Agency: The Top 15 Cuban-Import Careers in MLB History

With Prince Fielder signed, the most intriguing name still on the market is not Roy Oswalt or Edwin Jackson, but Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.

After dealing with some residency issues in the Dominican Republic, he was finally declared a free agent last Wednesday, and there are at least a handful of teams in the market for the slugger.

With his arrival in the big league now looking to be imminent, here is a look back at some previous Cuban imports, the 15 best Cuban-born players in big league history.

*Note: Players who played stateside before being drafted such as Yunel Escobar, Jose Canseco and Rafael Palmeiro were not included.

Future Top 15 Potential

A number of young Cuban-born players are just starting to make a name or themselves in the big leagues, and they could make their way onto this list in the not-too-distant future. Here is a quick look at some of them:

Jose Iglesias: The Red Sox shortstop of the future, Iglesias got a taste of the big leagues last season as a 21-year-old. He has the glove to be one of the top defensive shortstops in the league, but his offense still has a ways to go.

Leonys Martin: Signed to a five-year, $15.5 million contract with a $5 million signing bonus last winter, Martin saw some time with the Rangers late last season and could make a run at a starting outfield gig this coming year.

Dayan Viciedo: After tearing up minor league pitching the past two seasons, the White Sox dealt Carlos Quentin this offseason and opened up the starting right field job for their 23-year-old top prospect.

Yonder Alonso: Buried behind Joey Votto on the Reds depth chart the past few seasons, Alonso was dealt to the Padres this winter for Mat Latos, and he should be the everyday first baseman from the get-go in 2012.

Kendrys Morales: A monstrous first full season of .306 BA, 34 HR, 108 RBI in 2009 has been followed with two seasons lost to injury. Now, the 29-year-old will have Albert Pujols and Mark Trumbo to compete with for at-bats at first base.

Aroldis Chapman: Perhaps the most hyped Cuban signing of all-time, Chapman and his triple-digits fastball have been used to great success out of the Reds bullpen the past two seasons. Still, he will be a starter at some point, and that could be this coming season.

No. 15: Alexi Ramirez

Career Stats (2008-2011)

.279/.323/.421, 69 HR, 285 RBI, 300 R, 47 SB, 10.7 WAR

Signed by the White Sox prior to the 2008 season, Ramirez stepped right in as the team's starting shortstop and hit .290 BA, 21 HR, 77 RBI to finish second to Evan Longoria in AL Rookie of the Year voting.

The White Sox have him locked up through 2015 with an option for 2016, and if he continues to produce at his current level over the next several seasons, he should continue to climb this list.

No. 14: Chico Cardenas

Career Stats (1960-1975)

.257/.311/.367, 118 HR, 689 RBI, 662 R, 23.9 WAR

Signed as a 17-year-old by the Reds, Cardenas would become one of the team's most steady performers during the 1960s, as he was with the Reds from 1960-1968 and made All-Star appearances during that time.

After leaving Cincinnati, he spent three seasons with the Twins, where he posted some of the best numbers of his career. He spent four more years in the league after leaving Minnesota with three different teams before retiring in 1975 at the age of 36.

No. 13: Jose Contreras

Career Stats (2003-2011)

275 G, 175 GS, 77-67, 4.54 ERA, 869 Ks, 1,154.1 IP, 13.9 WAR

Looking to match the success they had in signing Orlando Hernandez, the Yankees again came to terms with a veteran Cuban pitcher when they signed the 31-year-old Contreras prior to the 2003 season.

After a strong rookie year, he struggled in his second season and was dealt to the White Sox for Esteban Loaiza, where he posted three straight seasons with double-digit wins and helped the team to a World Series title in 2005 with three postseason wins.

He has given his career a second wind with a move to the bullpen, appearing in 84 games over the past two seasons with the Phillies and posting a 3.44 ERA with nine saves in 70.2 innings of work.

No. 12: Tony Gonzalez

Career Stats (1960-1971)

.286/.350/.413, 103 HR, 615 RBI, 690 R, 26.2 WAR

Signed by the Reds, Gonzalez was traded to the Phillies in a five-player deal midway through the 1960 season.

He immediately became a staple in the Phillies lineup, and from 1961-1968, he posted an average line of .295 BA, 9 HR, 51 RBI, 61 R.

He was selected by the Padres in the expansion draft prior to the 1969 season, and he bounced around a bit before retiring in 1971.

No. 11: Jose Cardenal

Career Stats (1963-1980)

.275/.333/.395, 138 HR, 775 RBI, 936 R, 329 SB, 18.1 WAR

A big leaguer by the age of 19, Cardenal was signed by the Giants in 1961, and he hit .351 with 35 home runs that season as a 17-year-old minor leaguer.

He was dealt to the Angels before he ever really caught on with the Giants, and while he quickly established himself as a productive outfielder, he would continue to bounce around throughout his career playing for nine teams total in his 18 years in the league.

His five seasons stretch with the Cubs from 1972-1976 was the most productive of his career, as he posted an average line of. 301 BA, 12 HR, 65 RBI, 25 SB and received MVP votes three different times.

No. 10: Orlando Hernandez

Career Stats (1998-2002, 2004-2007)

219 G, 211 GS, 90-65, 4.13 ERA, 1,086 Ks, 1,314.2 IP, 21.1 WAR

Unlike many of the players on this list, "El Duque" did not make his way to the states until later on in his baseball career, as he was already 32 years old when he debuted with the Yankees in 1998. He went 12-4, 3.13 ERA, 131 Ks in his rookie season to finish fourth in Rookie of the Year voting.

He had two more prime years with the Yankees before falling off, and while he stayed in the league until he was 41, he will be best remembered for his postseason success, as he went 9-3 with a 2.55 ERA in 19 career postseason appearances.

No. 9: Livan Hernandez

Career Stats (1996-2011)

475 G, 474 GS, 174-176, 4.39 ERA, 1,928 Ks, 3,121.2 IP, 23.7 WAR

Hernandez took the baseball world by storm in 1997, going 9-3 with a 3.18 ERA in 17 regular season starts before taking his game to another level in the postseason.

He took home NLCS and World Series MVP honors in helping the surprise Marlins to a World Series victory over the Indians.

He never quite became the dominant ace he looked destined to be, but he has been a workhorse throughout his career with 10 seasons of 200-plus innings. He's also one of the better hitting pitchers of all-time with a career line of .222 BA, 10 HR, 85 RBI and a 3.9 oWAR.

No. 8: Camilo Pascual

Career Stats (1954-1971)

529 G, 404 GS, 174-170, 3.63 ERA, 2,167 Ks, 2,930.2 IP, 33.4 WAR

A regular out of the Senators bullpen by the age of 20, Pascual joined the rotation the following season, and after a disastrous 6.14 ERA in his first year as a starter, he got progressively better in the seasons to come.

By 1959, he was one of the best in the league, and for a six-year stretch starting that season, he went a combined 100-66 with a 3.04 ERA and made five All-Star appearances.

No. 7: Dolf Luque

Career Stats (1914-1915, 1918-1935)

550 G, 367 GS, 194-179, 3.24 ERA, 1,130 Ks, 3,220.1 IP, 40.2 WAR

Originally a member of the Boston Braves, Luque joined the Reds in 1918 and was a member of their rotation two years later, although he was far beyond prospect age at 29 years old.

Over the next 10 seasons with the Reds after joining the rotation, Luque won 138 games and posted a 3.09 ERA, with his best season by far coming in 1923, when he went 27-8 with a 1.93 ERA to lead the league in both categories.

He pitched until he was 44 and even picked up a World Series victory with the Giants at the age of 42.

No. 6: Bert Campaneris

Career Stats (1964-1981, 1983)

.259/.311/.342, 79 HR, 646 RBI, 1,181 R, 649 SB, 45.3 WAR

A speedster who was a catalyst for some very good Athletics teams, Campaneris ranks 14th on the all-time stolen bases list. He led the league in thefts six times during his career and topped the 50-steal mark seven times.

He played 19 seasons, the first 13 of which were for the Athletics, and was a six-time All-Star and one of the best all-around shortstops of the 1970s.

No. 5: Mike Cuellar

Career Stats (1959, 1964-1977)

453 G, 379 GS, 185-130, 3.14 ERA, 1,632 Ks, 2,808 IP, 29.9 WAR

The Reds signed Cuellar as a 20-year-old in 1957, and while he made two appearances for Cincinnati in 1959, he would not truly catch on as a big-leaguer until he joined the Astros in 1965.

After four decent seasons with the Astros, Cuellar was traded to the Orioles prior to the 1969 season with just 42 big league wins and already 32 years old.

However, his career took off from there, as he won the AL Cy Young in his first season in Baltimore and went a combined 139-75 with a 3.08 ERA in his first seven seasons with the Orioles before tailing off at the age of 38.

No. 4: Tony Oliva

Career Stats (1962-1976)

.304/.353/.476, 220 HR, 947 RBI, 870 R, 42.4 WAR

Signed as a 22-year-old in 1961, Oliva flew through the Twins minor league system and was AL Rookie of the Year in 1964 when he hit .323 BA, 32 HR, 94 RBI, as he also won the batting title and led the AL in hits, runs, doubles and total bases to finish fourth in MVP voting.

He would go on to win two more batting titles and four more hits titles, spending his entire 15-year career with the Twins.

An All-Star in each of his first eight seasons, Oliva spent the full 15 years on the Hall of Fame ballot earning as much as 47.3 percent of the vote.

No. 3: Minnie Minoso

Career Stats (1949-1964, 1976, 1980)

.298/.389/.459, 186 HR, 1,023 RBI, 1,136 R, 52.8 WAR

Originally signed by the Indians, Minoso came to the White Sox in a three-team, seven-player trade, a move that goes down as one of the best in team history.

He hit .326 BA, 10 HR, 76 RBI, 112 R with an AL-high 31 steals in his first season with the White Sox to finish second in Rookie of the Year voting and fourth in MVP voting.

He went on to enjoy a solid 15-year career, even making a comeback in 1976 at the age of 50 and then again in 1980 at 54. He went a combined 1-for-10 in five games, but it was a fun gimmick at the very least.

No. 2: Luis Tiant

Career Stats (1964-1982)

573 G, 484 GS, 229-172, 3.30 ERA, 2,416 Ks, 3,486.1 IP, 60.1 WAR

One of the greatest pitchers of all-time not currently enshrined in Cooperstown, Tiant was one of the top hurlers of the 1970s, winning 142 games in the decade while posting a 3.42 ERA.

In total, he won at least 20 games four times during his career and also took home a pair of ERA titles with marks of 1.60 in 1968 and 1.91 in 1972.

His 60.1 career WAR is the third highest total by any eligible pitcher not in the Hall of Fame, trailing only Kevin Brown and Rick Reuschel.

No. 1: Tony Perez

Career Stats (1964-1986)

.279/.341/.463, 379 HR, 1,652 RBI, 1,272 R, 50.5 WAR

A key cog in the Big Red Machine, Perez spent the first 13 and the last three seasons of his career playing in Cincinnati, where he was one of the best run producers in baseball history. His 1,652 career RBI ranks 28th best all-time.

It took him nine seasons on the ballot, but he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2000, and his No. 24 was retired by the Reds the same season.