Yoenis Cespedes to start discussing extension at break with Athletics

Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The first place Athletics may look to lock up their star outfielder very soon. Sources told me that the Oakland Athletics plan to start discussing an extension with outfielder Yoenis Cespedes during the All Star Break. He is scheduled to make $10.5 million this season and another $10.5 million in 2015. He signed a four year deal out of Cuba (defected in the summer of 2011) worth approximately $36 million.

Cuban players seem to be the entertainment of the MLB. Like Yasiel Puig, Cespedes is very fun to watch and is very entertaining every time he steps on to the field. Also, Cespedes is dealing with a left hamstring issue, that has allowed him to only play in two games since April 25.

Cespedes wants to “play to the end of [his] career in Oakland”, his translator told Susan Slusser of SFGate.com. The Athletics have already locked up one of their outfielders. They gave center fielder Coco Crisp a two-year, $22.75 million extension, before the season. Crisp and Cespedes have been vital parts to the Oakland outfield along with Josh Reddick, who was actually acquired in a trade for now-Yankees pitcher Andrew Bailey.

Yoenis Cespedes started off his career in the majors with a bang. In his rookie season, he hit .292/.356/.505, while blasting twenty-three home runs, as well as knocking in eighty-two runs in. That season, he finished tenth in MVP voting and runner-up in Rookie of the Year voting to Angels outfielder Mike Trout.

Although he declined a little in 2013, Cespedes still managed to hit twenty-six home runs with eighty runs batted in. Despite this power showing, he only hit .240/.294/.442 last season. So far in 2014, he has hit four long balls and has driven in sixteen runs, while hitting .258/.343/.494.