Word spread this past weekend that the Dodgers were in the midst of signing another Cuban free agent. His name is Jose Miguel Fernandez, he bats left-handed, and has primarily been a second baseman but has been playing third this winter. Fernandez originally tried to escape Cuba in 2014 but failed, then actually escaped in December 2015, and received MLB free agent status in April the following year. It is a minor league deal with a bonus of $200,000; per Jesse Sanchez at MLB.com.
Why it took til this past week to sign a deal?