According to a tweet by Yahoo!'s Tim Brown, Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes has agreed to terms with the Oakland A's. Other reports on Twitter indicate the deal is for four years and $36 million.
Cespedes is one of the most highly-regarded Cuban defectors in years. A 26-year-old outfielder, Cespedes hit .333 with 33 home runs and 99 RBI in just 90 games last season in Cuba. Cespedes has also destroyed pitching in international competition, including hitting .458 with three triples and two home runs in six games in the 2009 World Baseball Classic.
Cespedes is considered a center fielder, and has all five major tools--ability to hit for average, hit for power, run, field and throw.
Last summer Cespedes left Cuba for the Dominican Republic to pursue a Major League Baseball Career.
By joining the A's, Cespedes is latching on to a team that is not expected to have a great season. Oakland, which had one of the worst offenses in the big leagues in 2011, traded two of their top pitchers, Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill, as well as closer Andrew Bailey this summer.
Thanks in large part to their new manager Ozzie Guillen, the Miami Marlins had been seen as the favorites to sign Cespedes, but to Oakland he went instead. The Marlins reportedly offered Cespedes $36 million over six seasons.
Cespedes' deal with the A's will pay him $6.5 million in 2012, $8.5 million in 2013 and $10.5 million in 2014 and 2015, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The deal also makes Cespedes the highest-paid player on the Athletics. Coco Crisp is to make $6 million this season as the A's second-highest-paid player.
Cespedes could compete for playing time immediately in Oakland, but there is a chance he begins his career with a short stint in the minors.
Yoenis Cespedes signs with the Oakland A's
MLB, Oakland Athletics, Miami Marlins, Yoenis Cespedes
Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes signs with the Oakland A's
2/13/12 in MLB
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Dan_B
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798 respect
2/16/12 | derms33 | 17290 respect
man, i gotta get me some charms
2/14/12 | derms33 | 17290 respect
And Cespedes will be doing State Farm or Geico commercials in about 20 years
2/14/12 |
WhoDat12
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2231 respect
Hats for bats...keep bats warm
2/14/12 | derms33 | 17290 respect
Ok Oakland made a move...no go out and buy "Moneyball" in stores now
2/14/12 | derms33 | 17290 respect
does he have "Hats for Bats"?
2/13/12 |
Scott
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41523 respect
More then likely Beane is taking a chance that Cespedes is going to have a couple of good seasons and then he'll trade him like he did Gonzalez and Cahill
2/13/12 |
gearhead
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6361 respect
As I wonder why this thread has been spammed so much, I've also continue to mull over this deal. Cespedes is 26 (presumably), and thus the deal will take him through his peak and be done at 30. That's A's like (or at least it was before they traded guys younger than that). In a vacuum, it's a reasonable deal, but compared to the rest of the offseason, it just doesn't add up.
2/13/12 |
Dan_B
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798 respect
We are sure you will love becoming a mainstay in the Athletics line up for many many years to come.
Sincerely,
Gio Gonzalez & Trevor Cahill.
Funny funny.
2/13/12 | ML31 | 3526 respect
Dear Yeonis,
We are sure you will love becoming a mainstay in the Athletics line up for many many years to come.
Sincerely,
Gio Gonzalez & Trevor Cahill.
2/13/12 | ohwell_ | 14518 respect
Good.
2/13/12 |
Scott
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41523 respect
Why do I see Pedro Cerrano when I look at this guy?
Regardless, this move makes zero sense. The amount the A's pay for Cespedes for the next 4 years is slightly under the whole payroll they'll have for the 2012 season. I'd be shocked if he was still an A when his contract expires
2/13/12 |
gearhead
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6361 respect
I officially give up trying to figure out what the A's is doing. This flies in the face of every other move they made this offseason.
2/13/12 |
Dan_B
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798 respect
And he is the highest paid player on the team immediately. #BillyBall
2/13/12 | keppieboy | 158 respect
Billy is now playing Moneyball