Tigers Agree To Sign Cuban Shortstop Luis Valdes

The Tigers have reached an agreement to sign Cuban shortstop Luis Valdes to a minor league contract. Valdes, 28, is exempt from the international bonus pools.

Valdes should provide depth for the Tigers in the upper levels of the minors. Valdes doesn’t have flashy tools, but he is a smart, fundamentally sound defender with an average arm that plays up because of his extremely quick release.

Valdes hit .364/.413/.543 in 38 games during his final season in Cuba playing for Pinar Del Rio, though his performance level wasn’t typically that high during most of his time in Serie Nacional. He’s a righthanded hitter with below-average power who only struck out 10 times during his last season, but his bat speed and proclivity for expanding the zone on breaking balls will be tested against better competition.

In February 2015, Valdes played shortstop in the Carribean Series in Puerto Rico with his Pinar Del Rio team that won the Serie Nacional championship the previous season.