Carlos Sierra, the 21-year-old right-hander who pitched in Spain's top baseball league this past summer after leaving his native Cuba, has reportedly agreed to a deal with the Houston Astros, according to MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez.
Terms of the deal are not yet known, however, and Sierra - who left the island legally, without having to defect - remains subject to international signing rules.
Sierra spent three years in Cuba's Series Nacional, and crafted a 4.09 ERA with 22 strikeouts in 22 innings as a 19-year-old for Sancti Spiritus in 2013. He boasts a four-pitch repertoire that he showcased for MLB teams back in October, after finishing this season in Spain.
"The dream of the great majority of those who play baseball is to have the opportunity to pitch in the big leagues," Sierra told ESPNDeportes' Enrique Rojas in Spanish during a September interview. "That is the highest aspiration."
