Boston Red Sox: Will Boston Become a Player in the Jorge Soler Market?

Let the bidding begin. Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler is officially a free agent and is allowed to sign with any team, according to FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

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Source: Cuban outfielder Jorge Soler, 20, is now a free agent, eligible to sign with any club.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 2, 2012"

At the end of last year, Baseball America's Jim Callis wrote that Soler is an extremely talented right fielder with five-tool potential.

Signing Soler could be somewhat expensive, but Boston could use a young right fielder for their future. As Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein tweets, the Red Sox are one of the favorites to sign the Cuban outfielder.

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Cubs, Phillies, Red Sox, Marlins, Blue Jays. @NoSeeUmCreek: @Kevin_Goldstein Instead of asking abt every team, who are faves for Soler?

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"— Kevin Goldstein (@Kevin_Goldstein) June 2, 2012"

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Allegedly 20 years old, Chris Emma notes on Scout.com, "Soler will likely be added to a roster before the new collective bargaining agreement places new restrictions on signing international players, beginning on July 2."

Boston has Carl Crawford under contract until 2018 and Jacoby Ellsbury until 2014. The Red Sox do have a couple of good prospects in the minor leagues, such as Brandon Jacobs, Jackie Bradley and Bryce Brentz, but none of them compare to what Soler could bring to the table.

As we've seen this season, you can never have too many outfielders. With Ellsbury, Crawford, Cody Ross, Jason Repko and Darnell McDonald all on the disabled list, Boston has been playing with Ryan Sweeney, Scott Podsednik, Daniel Nava, Marlon Byrd and even Adrian Gonzalez in the outfield.

Signing Soler would show fans that the front office and GM Ben Cherington are really interested in making this team better. Even though Cherington's only been in the GM chair for a few months, we have yet to see any major moves. It would also be a huge addition for the future of the Red Sox, as Soler does have superstar potential.

Boston hasn't really been big on players in the international market since signing Daisuke Matsuzaka a few years back. They didn't bite on Yu Darvish or Yoenis Cespedes. Will they make an offer for Soler?

Goldstein also tweets that all bids for Soler have to be in by June 7, so we should have an answer within the next few days.