Report: Dodgers held private workout with Yulieski Gourriel

The New York Mets reportedly have some competition for the services of free agent Yulieski Gourriel and it's coming from the West Coast.

Gourriel was recently spotted in Los Angeles, where the Dodgers held a private workout with the 32-year-old, according to a source of Inside the Dodgers' J.P Hoornstra.

Gourriel and his younger brother Lourdes Gourriel Jr. defected from Cuba in February after the pair fled from the team hotel during a competition in the Dominican Republic.

The elder of the two siblings has already drawn interest from the Mets, who planned to hold a private workout of their own with him soon, according to general manager Sandy Alderson.

Gourriel, who's one of the top talents to ever come out of Cuba, has been on the radar of major-league teams since his first World Baseball Classic in 2006.

He hit .488/.569/.858 with 11 home runs in 35 games last year with Industriales, and played 15 years in the Serie Nacional.

Gourriel was declared a free agent eight days ago, but cannot sign with a club until July 2nd due to Major League Baseball's international signing rules.