Jorge Ebro of El Nuevo Herald says Cuban baseball player José Julio Ruiz has signed a Minor League contract with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The Cuban National Team first baseman drew interest from several teams this winter including the Blue Jays, Rangers, Red Sox, Giants, Rays and Rockies. At the time teams were intrigued by Ruiz’s batting prowess. Ruiz also switched agents – making the process more complicated. He’s currently with Legacy Sports.

Jorge Arangure of ESPN tweets, “Don’t be surprised if Ruiz ends up being a legitimate candidate to replace Carlos Peña“