Free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes and his representatives at Roc Nation Sports have been seeking a six-year contract that will pay the slugger as much as $22MM annually this offseason, reports ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick (via Twitter).
At present, the Orioles are said to have an offer on the table to Cespedes that is worth in the range of $90MM over five seasons, with a sixth-year option possibly included in that offer. While it’s a sizable sum in a vacuum, that figure is a departure from the expectations that many carried for Cespedes heading into the offseason on the heels of a monstrous .291/.328/.542 season that featured 35 homers and excellent left field defense. The asking price highlights the unlikelihood that Cespedes will alter his course and instead seek a short-term deal, as many teams have seemingly hoped. The Mets are said to have interest on a deal of one to three years in length, and the White Sox were also reported to have interest in a three-year deal for their former division-rival.
If Cespedes is to ultimately decide his best course of action is to enter the open market again next offseason — which I personally find difficult to imagine — one creative alternative would be to pursue a relatively short-term deal with an opt out after the first year of the contract. MLBTR’s Jeff Todd and I discussed that scenario for not only Cespedes but also Justin Upton on yesterday’s MLBTR Podcast. A high-annual-value deal of perhaps three years in length with a first-year opt out could prove to be a compromise between Cespedes and interested parties, although I’ll stress again that said scenario is only my own speculation.
If he’s they’re serious about a 1yr deal, I’m sure O’s would be more than happy to give him a 1 yr deal. Which imo would be a better deal then the 1yr with the Mets due to getting a season hitting in Camden Yards.
On a one year deal, I’m sure every team would be more than happy to give him that.
Cespedes Has Been Seeking Six-Year Deal Worth Roughly $22MM Annually
Finally!!!! Some Parameters.
Yeah, I did not think 5/90 was going to get it done.
I always thought at least 5/100 at minimum or 5/110
What I want to know is: Is Cespedes willing to play right field for the Orioles.
Otherwise why would he sign with them?
To me that is the biggest question, money is money, but he is a Left Fielder only in my mind. Also, why didn’t the O’s want to sign him to a 5/75 deal back in 2012
We could used him or Cody Ross in 2012 for sure, he or Ross would have made a HUGE difference. Cespedes was good in 2012 and Ross was very productive on a not so good team. So why the change of heart for the O’s
I mean these are fair observations and questions!!!!
Why would a guy that has played CF and has one of the strongest arms in the league only be a Left Fielder? If a guy can play CF and LF, RF is not a big stretch.
I thought he was unhappy in CF when he was in Oakland and put up a stink when he had to play it-
No he was unhappy because they re-signed Crisp that prevented him from being the CF, he knew it would up his future pay day if he was a CF and not stuck in LF.
Baines, Cespedes was not very good in the field in the World Series.
He was a mess imo.
Mets wanted his bat in the line-up, not sure about his glove.
A couple bad games doesn’t make a bad CF though. It just happened to be at a critical time/series.
His defensive metrics in CF are absolutely terrible. Plus having a good arm in CF isn’t usually the requirement (where as it might be in LF/RF). If you look at most of the CFs in the league, most of them are fast, allowing them to cover ground quickly and don’t have the greatest of arms.
He’s also one of the laziest outfielders and likes to kick baseballs around.
Did you watch him play in the field last year? Sure he has a arm on him but the arm will only get you so far in the game. His fielding was questionable last year and yes he is not projected to be a CF. At least not for a contending team he is not. LF is the correct place for his glove.
Who is currently penciled in for the Orioles in right field and would they be willing/able to switch to left if Cespedes wanted to be in right?
Right is a void now but I would imagine if they don’t sign an outfielder it will be Nolan Reimold. They also took Joey Rickard in the rule 5 draft so he may have an outside shot at it. Kim is in left and Jones in center. If they signed Cespedes then Reimold would be the 4 th outfielder which is a better role for him.
If you can play left field with above average defence, i dont think moving to right field would be too difficult. You could expect him to be at least an average defensive RF with a cannon. His offence is always solid as well, so i think itd be fine if they got him as a RF. Worse comes to worse make your LF play RF lol. Who is the Os LF now? Is it Kim?
Depends on the park. Playing in Fenway, for example, is hard because of the Green Monster and then how deep the rest of the outfield is. I know Camden has that big wall in RF, not sure how hard it is playing off the wall there.
He has a cannon in left. Some GM will give him 100 million.
Reminds me of Dwight Evans
lol Orioles aren’t getting him unless they pay more….the fact they leaked a 150 to Davis as an offer obviously makes Cesp. know that they can afford much more then that for him…and rightfully so. You want a big bat? Pay the premium. You’re in the AL East, not the NL Central lol
No way does he get 6/132 in this market. Not enough big market teams are in need of outfielders and there are enough OFs on the market for mid market teams to grab. I doubt very seriously if he gets any offers better than the 5/90 from the Orioles. The White Sox aren’t going to beat that. Maybe the Tigers do, but I doubt it. Who does that leave? Cardinals? Probably not. Mets? No chance at that length. Braves? Possibly, but will he want to go there? Angels? Their owner is crazy enough to do it, but I still doubt it.
The word on the streets here in Detroit is the Tiger’s have a 100 million back loaded contract waiting his signature.
Source?
The streets, man. The streets.
Where the streets have no name?
I believe he may have been high on the desert plain. What do “you-two” think?
“Not enough big market teams are in need of outfielders and there are enough OFs on the market for mid market teams to grab.”
Yes but none of those other OF’s are Yoenis Cespedes.
For a mid market team, a Dexter Fowler at 4/44 is more likely than a Cespedes at 6/132. Of course he is likely to be better, but money is the name of the game.
Cespedes is seriously overrated here. He’s a streaky guy with good power coming off a career year at age 30. I don’t see a $130m player there, not even close.
Supply and demand. Cespedes is a only worth what the market will pay him.
If he could pitch though..
I don’t know what to think about this O’s still need pitching
Giants should offer 5/110 with an opt out every year. 22 a year straight up. Then trade Pagan for cash or PTBNL, or just release him. I know they would be well over the luxury tax at that point but it would certainly make them the favorites in the NL west, if not the whole MLB.
I hope they do offer that, because the big question is are you going to get the MVP-level Cespedes of late 2015 or the middle-of-the-road Cespedes of the rest of his career. My money is on the latter. There is a reason that the guy has been on four teams in his four year career.
Nailed it Ray Ray. Looks like Cespedes and his agent have been banking on getting paid based on half a season of work – not the four years prior.
And in this market, it’s not happening.
He should buy new cars for all those on Cuban Chrome!!!
Anybody find it strange or a coincidence that the only contracts offers being “reported” specifying money and years to either free agent Chris Davis or Yoenis Cespedes to this point have been from the Baltimore Orioles?
Orioles seem to be low-balling Cespedes. Are they serious in their negotiations with him, or just using him to give a signal to Chris Davis that he’d better take their offer because they are prepared to move.
It’s only lowballing if there are significantly better offers on the table. And it doesn’t seem like there are.
He is better off with a 2 year deal and a option he isn’t worth 6 years and what he is asking for I personally hope Atlanta steals him he would be a great fit for a few years and help our power go up a tad and be great behind Freddie Freeman.