Cuban Cespedes Finds Unlikely Home in Oakland

Yoenis Cespedes is a 26 year old Cuban outfielder, who had caught the eye of many MLB scouts. Cespedes defected to the Dominican Republic. He will be receiving his unblocking license and worker's visa in order to play in the United States. Many teams were intrigued by his talent, the amount of money he was seeking pushed many clubs out of contention for signing him. Two teams offered him a $36 million deal. The Miami Marlins offered it over six years, while the Oakland Athletics made it a four-year contract. Cespedes clearly desired money over playing for a playoff contender when he chose the Athletics.

The move was a bit strange for Oakland for two reasons. First, the only significant investment they had made so far this offseason was to resign veteran center fielder Coco Crisp. Center field is also Cespedes' primary position. One of them could change positions, but neither is worth the money that was spent on them to be a corner outfielder. Second, the Athletics are not usually big spenders on the free agent market. General Manager Billy Beane is much more comfortable normally swinging trades here and there. While he could put Crisp on the block now or Cespedes on it a few years down the road, it remains uncertain what his plan of action is.

The last question that needs to be addressed is whether or not he is worth the money. Some clubs clearly did not think so. Some Cuban players have taken a long time to develop. Examples of this are Kendrys Morales and Jose Contreras. Some Cubans have developed nicely, such as infielder Alexei Ramirez, innings-eater Livan Hernandez, and former postseason hero Orlando Hernandez. The most recent Cuban desire prior to Cespedes was electrifying pitcher Aroldis Chapman. Chapman has done little so far for the Reds. How good will Cespedes be? It is almost impossible to say. As you can see, Cuban players have had a wide variance of success in the majors. Cespedes demanded money, and he got it in Oakland. Now, it is time to see if Beane's investment is a worthwhile one for the clever GM.