Yoenis Cespedes Rumors: Red Sox, Yankees, Marlins Divided on Slugger
By Editorial Staff
The market for soon-to-be free agent Yoennis Cespedes has been red hot leading up to Christmas. However, Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com is reporting that several of the expected big players in the Cespedes sweepstakes are said to be cooling on the slugger. The Red Sox, Yankees and Marlins are all said to have some concerns regarding Cespedes, and it’s no longer a guarantee that any of them will heavily pursue Yoennis this winter. Still, Knobler says there are plenty of teams still interested in Cespedes beyond the aforementioned trio including the Cubs, Tigers, Nationals, White Sox and Rays.
While Knobler hears that several members of the Yankees front office want Cespedes “badly”, others believe the center fielder is just “too raw a talent to justify the price”. The Yankees are also concerned that Cespedes may not be suited to play in a large market such as New York.
Knobler reports that the Red Sox have concerns similar to those of their American League East rivals.
This could cause the Yankees and Red Sox to either sit out of the Cespedes bidding altogether or only submit modest proposals for the 26-year-old.
Knobler says that another favorite to sign Cespedes this winter appears to now be more hesitant as well.
Entering the offseason, the Marlins appeared to be a perfect fit for Cespedes, with their willingness to spend and Miami’s strong ties to Cuban culture. However, Knobler hears that the Marlins front office is divided over Cespedes and that it’s “not a given that the team will go after him hard”. It’s also rumored that Cespedes has told people that he may prefer to join a team other than the Marlins.
Even if these free-spending teams would exit the market for Cespedes, many clubs remain interested in the slugger. It appears every team has at least checked in on the outfielder, and the Cubs, Tigers, Nationals, White Sox, Rays and Orioles have all been tied to Cespedes this offseason.
Though a raw and unproven talent, Cespedes figures to command top dollar this winter when he does eventually hit the free agent market. Originally, reports had Cespedes’ contract expectations in the $30 million range. Now, this price appears to be growing by the day, as Cespedes and his representation are now hinting that it could cost anywhere from $35-60 million to reel in Yoennis this winter.
Cespedes is nearing residency in the Dominican Republic, and his representation believes he will hit the free agent market in January.
You can check out all of the available free agents by position below.