Cuban Star Prospect Oscar Colas Reportedly Seeking MLB Contract After Defecting

One of Cuba's most-hyped baseball players has defected and is expected to sign with a Major League Baseball team in the coming months. 

ESPN's Jeff Passan reports 21-year-old outfielder/pitcher Oscar Colas is seeking a deal with an MLB club after slashing .302/.350/.516 in Japan last season while touching 95 mph on his fastball as a left-handed pitcher. 

Colás could either agree to a deal during the upcoming international signing period or wait until July when the international bonus pool resets, per Passan, who notes most teams have a majority of their money currently committed. 

Whether or not he sticks as a two-way player in the majors is unknown, however the growing trend of allowing players to pitch and play the field or DH has opened up more possibilities for players of Colás' caliber. In any case, he can expect to draw suitors from across the league with the likes of Shohei Ohtani and Brendan McKay both successfully reaching the majors as two-way stars.

Colás was dispatched by the Cuban government to the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks of the Nippon Professional Baseball league in Japan as a teenager where he spent the better part of two years working through the team's developmental system before making his NPB debut in August, 2019, launching a home run in his first plate appearance. 

Before signing with an MLB club, the league will need to clear him first and Colás will have to establish residency in a third country. That process, along with teams having mostly spent their international money already this season, point to Colás waiting until the pool money resets in July before coming to terms with an MLB team. 

Regardless, he won't be forgotten in the interim. Clubs will be lining up to make their pitches soon enough.