Braves May Not Sign Olivera: 5 Reasons This is Good

After a few days of silence, Jon Heyman has uncovered some details on the offers that have been made to Cuban infielder Hector Olivera as teams continue to wait out a choice from him that will end this free-agent manhunt.

• Atlanta’s raised bid for Olivera appears to be at 4 years and $40 million.
• There are “some” 5-year offers in play, believed to be in the neighborhood of $50 million – with no specific teams names cited.
• Olivera is said to be looking for a 6-year deal
• The Marlins have been said to be offering something around $50 million for a seven year pact, though not coincidentally, they just handed out a nearly identical amount to left fielder Christian Yelich.  On top of that, the Fish may be backing away from Olivera now that he would have no position to play for at least 2 years.

All of this points to a probable landing spot in California – with either the Dodgers or Padres.  Heyman mentions both the tax implications and possible geographical preference toward the Southeastern US and away from California… and indeed these could very well be contributing factors that are dragging this scene out further.

But if the Braves don’t end up with him … that’s okay.  Let’s take a look at just why it would be a good thing for the Braves over the long haul.