Yoenis Cespedes Rumors: Cespedes Visits Marlins
By Editorial Staff
The Yoenis Cespedes tour figures to continue, as the slugger completed his first visit Wednesday. Cespedes met with the Miami Marlins, who gave Yoenis a tour of their new stadium and a free lunch. Though Miami is considered the favorite to land Cespedes, the 26-year-old left the meeting without an agreement in place. Now that the Marlins are checked off the list, Cespedes is likely to continue conducting face-to-face meetings with other interested clubs; most notably the Cubs, White Sox, Tigers and Orioles.
Marlins president David Samson said yesterday after the meeting that it was good to Cespedes again. Wednesday marked the first time the Marlins met with the Cuban native in person since their visit to the Dominican Republic.
Samson also noted that Cespedes is still not officially a free agent. Though Major League Baseball has done their part by declaring Cespedes eligible to hit the open market, the outfielder is currently being blocked by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. According to Joe Frisaro of MLB.com, until the OFAC clears Cespedes, he is unable to officially sign a deal with a major league team.
While he won’t be able to ink a new contract, there’s nothing stopping Cespedes from talking numbers and negotiating with clubs. Samson said Cespedes did not take a physical during his visit with the Marlins, and it’s unknown where sides stand regarding negotiations.
What is known is that there are several teams in the hunt for Cespedes. Beyond the Marlins, the Tigers, Cubs, Yankees, Orioles, White Sox, Indians and Phillies have all expressed interest in the Cuban defector.
This list figures to be whittled down in the coming weeks as Cespedes’s asking price becomes clearer. Rumors have had the total range anywhere from $30 to $60 million. As the price rises, more and more teams may bail out of the bidding as there are several questions surrounding Cespedes including where he will end up position-wise and how major league-ready he is.
You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen or like us here on Facebook.
You can check out all of the available free agents by position below.