Cespedes is a No-Go

Yoenis Cespedes is not walking through that door...

The Cuban defector has spurned the Miami Marlins in favor of the Oakland Athletics, signing a 4-year deal worth $36 million.

So much for a LoMo-Cespedes-Sr. #MONSTERDONG outfield troika. Cespedes' agent was reportedly asking for either a 4- or 10-year deal, as opposed to the 5-6-year deals other teams were offered. This makes a lot of sense. A 4-year deal allows Cespedes to become a free agent at age 30, when he is much more marketable to MLB teams than he would be at 32.

Plus, the A's will pay him $12 [ed.: Math!] $9 million a year, while the Marlins were offering $6 million per year.

So you know who'll be patrolling centerfield on Opening Day (provided Chris Coghlan doesn't suddenly become a serviceable baseball player by then)...

/starts drinking

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Yoenis Has Landed

Judging from his wardrobe, we think Cespedes will fit in here just fine.

Yoenis Cespedes is in Miami, and will meet with the Marlins tomorrow. Presumably, Loria's brain trust will give him the Joe's/Versailles/New Stadium tour that they gave Reyes, Pujols, Bell, et al in December. But wait, there's more!

According to an American League source from a club that's been monitoring his free agency, the Marlins likely will be his future employer.

Seriously, why wouldn't a Cuban defector want to play for a team in Miami that is on the upswing and willing to pay a high price for his services? At this point, I'd be more surprised if he signed with anyone but the Marlins...


Photo via

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Prepare Yoenis*

It is official, Yoenis Cespedes is now a free agent. The Marlins will make a strong push to sign the Cuban defector, regardless of the fact that he has faced MLB-quality pitching only sporadically in his professional career. One has to expect they have the inside track, thanks to the money they are willing to throw around and the fact that any Cuban player will be automatically revered in South Florida.

Rumors circled today that Cespedes doesn't really want to play for the Marlins, but MLB.com beat writer Joe Frisaro talked to his sources, who basically refuted that idea. It's up to you to decide which hearsay to believe; both are equally likely in my opinion.

If the Marlins do sign Cespedes, they will have to figure out where to put him. Frisaro thinks he could start the year in Double-A or Triple-A. Considering the fact that he has played almost his entire career in the Cuba (which is no longer the hotbed of talent it was even a decade ago), this makes sense. The guy could probably use a little bit of seasoning before being exposed to the Halladays and Strasburgs of the NL.

But when he gets up to the big leauges, where do they put him? He is probably athletic enough to play centerfield, but may be better suited to the corner outfield spots in the long term. Only problem there is that both of those are occupied by Mike Stanton and Logan Morrison. LoMo could be moved back to first base, but then where does Gaby Sanchez go? This is a good problem to have, but a problem nonetheless (and one that could lead to another vacuum in centerfield).

Nonetheless, the Marlins still have to actually sign Cespedes, so we can wait to cross that bridge when we actually get there.


*Ted gets all the credit for this pun. You should probably know by now that it's pronounced "yo-AY-nis."

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Marlins Will Pursue Cespedes

Yoennis Cespedes is still waiting for MLB to grant him free agency, but the Miami Marlins are poised to make a run for the Cuban centerfielder when he becomes available:

"We think he should be nowhere except Miami," Samson said of Cespedes. "It just makes perfect sense for him to be here ... we have a perfect position for him to play, and it would be great."

He thinks the Marlins could indeed sign him. "I feel pretty good" about that possibility.

Earlier reports indicated that Cespedes could command a $60 million deal, but MLB.com's Joe Frisaro is hearing his deal will more likely be in the 4-year, $30ish million range. This puts him within Miami's budget, and considering the team's glaring need at centerfield, the Marlins would be foolish not to try and sign him.

Cespedes is largely unproven. He clearly has the tools to succeed in the majors, but his past performance is not the greatest sample - a handful of international games and play in the Cuban league. But $30 million is not a terrible gamble for an athletic guy who can hit for average and power.

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Commence Swoon

Meet Yoennis Cespedes. He's 26-year-old outfielder from Cuba who defected this summer and is looking to sign on with an MLB club this winter. He's looking for a deal similar to the $30 million contract Aroldis Chapman signed with the Cincinnati Reds last year. If he joins the Marlins outfield with Mike Stanton, our buddy SCWS might have a #MONSTERDONG-induced heart attack in the first week of the 2012 season.

For more on Cespedes, check Baseball Prospectus.

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