The Athletics made an unexpected move today, agreeing to terms with Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes on a four-year, $36MM contract. The agreement allows him to hit free agency after the 2015 season and leaves suitors such as the Marlins and Cubs empty-handed. Here are some reactions to the deal…
- Cespedes told Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com that he's "super happy" and that his first goal is to make the team and stay healthy all season long.
- Agent Adam Katz told Kevin Kennedy and Jim Duquette on MLB Network Radio that four to seven teams were seriously interested.
- A's director of player personnel Billy Owens told Jim Bowden and Casey Stern on MLB Network Radio that Oakland's scouts have watched Cespedes play for four or five years and consider him a center fielder.
- ESPN.com's Keith Law can imagine Cespedes hitting 30 home runs in the Major Leagues, but suggests he'll first need to spend some time in the upper minors.
- Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports weighs in on the deal and explains why Cespedes remains an unknown, even though we've seen his skills on YouTube.
- One A's person told Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com that the club is "not trying to finish in last place" and explained that free agents are reluctant to take Oakland's money.
- Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus hears that Katz sought either an eight-to-ten-year deal or a four-year deal and suggests Cespedes' tools are as impressive as any player's.
- Yahoo's Jeff Passan explains why the Cespedes deal makes more sense for the A's than it would have for the Rangers or Yankees.
- The Red Sox never made Cespedes a formal offer, Alex Speier of WEEI.com reports. Boston kept in touch with the outfielder over the course of the offseason, but the club wasn't prepared to match the $9MM annual salary he obtained from the A's.
- The Tigers were interested in Cespedes, but not at $36MM, GM Dave Dombrowski said, according to James Schmehl of MLive.com.
now add cowgill to the “odd man out” list that thus includes: (maybe)allen, kaiahue, taylor, and powell.
awesome, now we can package two of those guys in a trade for someone else who’s considered an odd guy out
You’re starting to understand the plan.;) And, you can add stone hands Carter to that list. Beane is trying to get players who can actually hit and/or play the field, not failed 26-year old AAAA roster filler.
I quote ”
Boston kept in touch with the outfielder over the course of the offseason, but the club wasn’t prepared to match the $9MM annual salary he obtained from the A’s.”
The Red Sox seem to spend a lot of time “keeping in touch” with players but not doing much of anything else this off season.
Tell me about it.Â
Have a feeling that $9m is going to look like a bit of a bargain by this time next year.Â
Huh? 9m a year, for someone who has never faced legitimate competition and has an “out” in 4 years? 36m??
no thanks.. he had 2nd tier team written all over him if that is what it was going to take for him to sign.. Somebody looking to point to the kid and say “lookey what we just did” to try and convince their fans they can actually do something positive.
Our starting outfield on opening day could be McDonald-Ellsbury-Sweeney. Im desperate! 😉
Cody Ross.. McDonald had better count his lucky stars if he is even on the roster without his protecting saint Francona around any longer…
His carcass will hopefully be DFA’d and Lin the 5th OF, someone who can at least play tremendous defense, has a cannon for an arm and good speed.
then a couple of weeks later you will have Crawford, and if he actually performs to his potential like he did in Tampa then you have one of the better outfields in baseball. You wanna trade outfields, Boesch, Jackson and Raburn/Dirks for Ellsbury, Crawford and Ross. You have a great outfield compared to some teams. 2 all star caliber outfielders, i wouldn’t be complaing about that.
 I think that’s how Cherington works. Boston fans are going to have to get used to that.
I’m fine with that. I just find things kinda funny. Last couple of season the Sox spent a lot of money, were criticized, and it ultimately didn’t help. This year they’ve been methodical and haven’t spent much… and their being criticized for it.
The bandwagoners are on both sides, they get mad because we don’t get every big FA every offseason & the other side gets mad when we spend way too much, the die-hards are fine with either (at least this 1 is)
I find it a bit ironic that the A’s highest paid player has never played in the majors or a full season in the U.S for that matter…. I’m not saying he’s not good just that I find that a bit odd
on another note, that means, more likely than not, either smith or crisp are on the way out by the deadline
If the are gonna play him in CF it could be the end of Crisp. He does not have the arm for RF and LF is actually his worst position, though he is still a better defender there probably than 3/4 of the current OF’ers…
A team generally plays it’s worst defender in LF and someone who has some pop and that is not Crisp.. Using that rationale.. Crisp would be a pretty good chip at the deadline if they start Cespedes at AAA and he shows he is able to play… which Beane had better hope he is…
fair point, however, i think cespedes does have the arm for right field, he certainly has the power potential for it.
if they think he’s a CF, then i guess that moves grant green to left field maybe, it’ll be interesting to see how that plays out
Sure will. ALWAYS liked Crisp and wanted him back in Boston, but figured he resigned with Oakland because he thought would get a starting gig again.. sure hope it works out for him.
The guy hustles the moment he steps onto the diamond and nobody is better at small ball than he is that has even a little pop in their bat.
Keith Law thinks the kid can hit 30 homers? Over how many seasons?
On nintendo.
The first thing Beane told Cespedes. ” hey kid welcome to the A’s.  There are no expectations here so feel free to relax and don’t challenge yourself now that you have made the first paycheck in your life.  Just look at me.  I’m the most overrated GM in history who ushered in a fad of statistical non-sense that somehow most people believe as fact.  We will not make the playoffs and will continue to be in a constant phase of rebuilding  Rebuilding what I do not know but we have bricks and mortar. Your hitting will suffer in this large ballpark where foul territory is the size of Rhode Island and with in just a few months you will have struck out 75 times and people will finally see that I Billy Beane am a crap GM who has stayed on with the A’s because I’m afraid that if I actually had to go to a team with the resources to win I would fail and all of my stupid formulas for what a player may or may not do hypothetically on the moon in the constellation Scorpio during a solar flare against left handed pitching at night in the rain on a Monday before the all-star break in an even numbered year with 2 outs as opposed to the next best player is complete B.S.”!!!!!
get professional help
Victor Kipp, Baseball fan who is doing it wrong.
You’re right, Vic.
Let’s go back to judging hitters based on batting average and RBI.Â
And since we’re on the subject, why did we stop giving the Cy Young Award to the pitcher with the most wins? That was obviously the best way to judge the quality of a pitcher.
I remember when trolling actually ment something.Â
I remember when trolling actually ment something.Â
Trade Cowgill to the Braves maybe? A’s don’t seem to need him anymore with an outfield of Crisp/Cespedes/everyone else
taylor more likely, but i can see them being a fit for either one
Agree—Taylor is the more likely candidate to be shipped out.
Amazing how many people want Cespedes to fail.Â
I hope he kills the ball.
wow doing naked backflips in my apartment ……can finally buy a shirsey for at least a couple years !!  time go watch the cespedes youtube video over and over and over
Forget going to college. I’m gonna make a 10-minute video on my athleticism and take my chances.
EDIT: Yeesh MLBTR. You guys really need to get your comment restrictions a little loosened here. Nevermind the double post due to the moderator process.
Good move for the A’s if they pull off the move to San Jose. Cespedes will face a learning curve but IF he can turn the corner and become a star, they’ll get 2 seasons of that in a brand new town and ballpark for a pretty reasonable cost and he gets to get BIG time pay as a FA. If he fizzles, they’ll be making enough by then to eat the contract (see Marlins this off season).
With Cespedes now off the market i saw the Tigers sign Damon. Damon has decent speed and could be penciled in near the top of the batting order. Damon and D. Young could platoon in left field and DH. Damon played in Detroit in 2010 and he wanted to return the following year. So with decent speed and can be a platoon partner with Young and also the city liked him in 2010 i think that would be a great pickup and could put us over the top.
I love Damon, but I really don’t think he’s going to put up any better numbers than a Dirks/Young/Raburn platoon in LF at this stage of his career. Besides, the Tigers have Boesch to bat in the 2 spot… he’s got decent speed and absolutely crushes the ball when hitting in front of Cabby.
Leaving the DH spot open is the best thing to do at this point.
With all that money, Cespedes can buy all the soda he wants in the clubhouse.
I heard the vending machines in Fenway Park stock Bud Light.
While you’re at it, make sure you get a major league team to scout you for four or five years. Then you’ll be set.
Here’s a fun fact: If Cespedes ends up in AAA, he’ll be making just $800k less than the A’s entire starting 3 in the outfield combined. That’s assuming Gomes plays a bench role. Good thing Gonzalez, Cahill and Bailey weren’t sure things or I’d say Beane Pitt took a real gamble with his small market money here. I hope Cespedes succeeds and I love the contract… this means we have to wait just 4 years to see the YouTube sequel when Yoenis hits free agency again.
Cespedes will be soon be asking himself, “Where did all the homeruns go?”
Reactions, HE IS a freaking reaction to Beane wanting to sell at least the seats behind HP. If Cespedes doesn’t make this squad then they can literally trade places with the River Cats and Beane will have his new stadium. More likely the Coliseum will claim another mlb career because if he’s at all good he won’t show it in Oakland. He’ll wait for Bean to trade him and then go off on a tear…