The Oakland A's have been one of the most active teams in sports this winter, but there could still be additional moves on the horizon.
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the A's will attend the Domincan Republic showcase of Cuban 2B Hector Olivera. Olivera, 29, is available without breaking the bank (which should have Billy Beane on high alert), and while he won't be available until cleared by the US Office of Foreign Assets Control, that should happen in the near future.
Olivera won a silver medal with the Cuban team at the 2008 Olympics, and he was one of the most hyped prospects on the island for several years. A medical issue reported to be thrombosis raised some red flags, though, and Olivera missed the entire 2012-13 season in Cuba recovering. He returned in 2013-14, though, and hit .316/.412/.474 in 273 plate appearances with 7 home runs. That's down from his 2011-12 numbers (.341/.462/.626 with 17 homers), but there are plenty of scouts who think he can continue to improve with access to American training and healthcare.
There are quite a few other teams keeping an eye on Olivera, but he's a much more realistic foreign target for Oakland than Yoan Moncada, the 19-year-old Cuban phenom whose signing bonus could top $30 million.
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