The Athletics continued their offseason stockpiling of young talent with the ultimate free agent addition, signing 26-year-old Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to a four-year, $36MM contract that allows him to reach free agency at its conclusion. Yahoo's Tim Brown first reported the agreement, while Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle added financial details and the yearly breakdown. Adam Katz of Wasserman Media Group represents Cespedes.
The A's have been aggressive on international talent in past years, though CBS Sports' Danny Knobler suggests they were a late entrant on Cespedes. The A's made a big bid for lefty Aroldis Chapman two years ago, and have now topped Chapman's record contract for a Cuban player. More significantly, the A's gave Cespedes $36MM over four years, as opposed to the six-year term preferred by the Marlins and other suitors. He'll reach the open market once again as a 30-year-old. Cespedes may benefit from some minor league seasoning, but ESPN's Buster Olney tweets that he'll get a shot right away to become Oakland's everyday right fielder.
Given his age, perhaps Cespedes should not be compared to top MLB prospects. Still, Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein would rank him 20th in baseball and Baseball America's Jim Callis would put him in the 7-15 range. Cespedes is a premium athlete with huge raw power, plenty of speed, and a strong arm. His hit tool and defensive value are more of a question.
The A's added top prospects such as Jarrod Parker, A.J. Cole, Derek Norris, and Brad Peacock this winter by trading Gio Gonzalez and Trevor Cahill, while Andrew Bailey brought the A's Josh Reddick and others. With his entire outfield up for free agency, A's GM Billy Beane allowed David DeJesus and Josh Willingham to leave, re-signed Coco Crisp, signed Cespedes and Jonny Gomes, and acquired Reddick, Collin Cowgill, and Seth Smith. Despite his lack of MLB and minor league experience, Cespedes is Oakland's highest-paid player, topping Crisp in 2012 by $500K. The window to add premium young international talent by spending eight digits on a player is closing quickly, as the new collective bargaining agreement calls for a $2.9MM per team cap beginning with the July 2012 signing period.
Though MLB executives have been following Cespedes' play for the Cuban national team for years, the general public was introduced to him with a Star Wars-like scroll and the Christopher Cross light rock tune "Sailing," which appear within the first three minutes of this ridiculous promotional video. Cespedes defected from the Cuban team in July of last year, establishing residency in the Dominican Republic and then becoming an MLB free agent. He was recently unblocked by The Office of Foreign Asset Control according to Brown (on Twitter). Goldstein tweets Cespedes is expected to arrive in Phoenix for a physical in one to two weeks, and he's already cleared his age and identity investigation and has been drug tested.
Tim Dierkes contributed to this post.
This came out of nowhere. I thought I saw they were in on him, but I didn’t think they would get him.
Um. Wow. Did NOT see that coming…
i didn’t either!!! i fell asleep late and woke up late! woohoo!
this will fail if over 35 mill
36 mil… Only a little fail?
still 9 mill for an unoroven 26 year old
Most of the $36 million contracts given out to “proven” players are to mediocrities. Might as well aim for a star if your scouts believe he is one.
personally i would have waited for soler even with 2 years in minors he would only be 21 or so
Are you a scout? Have you scouted them? Otherwise, I assume you’re just randomly assuming the guy who’s younger and has an easier to spell name is better.
You must also look at the fact that he’s coming to Oakland, a bad place for hitters. If he isn’t what’s expected, this deal could be far worse.
So by this logic, Yu Darvish was a waste too.
He was probably there complaining when the Mariners signed Ichiro too.
Unoroven? Is that a word from Billy Beane’s baseball dictionary?
It’s one of those sabermetric terms measuring how good a guy looks on TV.
Not Miami or Chicago. Interesting…
I agree
I think both of those teams actually had scouts at his workouts, where Billy and crew just watched the YouTube video.
That Billy Beane Frontin about Manny Ramirez.
Now he goes and signs Cespedes!
Throwing out more Fog than a “Fog Machine” and steal Cespedes from everyone!
Good for Him!
I guess winning wasn’t a priority.
he saw Moneyball and thought it could be possible I guess
It doesn’t need to be. He’s already 27, so the length of his MLB career is going to be limited. The fact that this is a 4-year contract (instead of a 6-year contract, which was the rumored length of his Miami offer) gives him a chance for another big payday in the not too distant future, when he won’t be over the hill quite yet. This was the best way for him to maximize his long-term financial security, and for a guy who came from nothing, that’s more important than winning.
well no…i mean he will make more money than if it was a 6 year contract obviously, but he’s not a FA after those 4 years, he’ll still have 2 years of arb. eligibility left, if not 3 (if he plays in the minors for a month or so)
It’s reported as he will be a free agent after the contract.
That’s interesting, and good to know.
-C
Does service time not matter for international players?
it does, but the team can essentially agree not to tender him a contract after this one – making him a free agent
Ah, cheers. Learn new things erryday here. 😀
for a guy that came from nothing I’m assuming he’s already made way more money than you will in your entire life.
wow
Every time a mystery team actually signs a major free agent, Scott Boras opens a bottle of champagne.
That’s good!!
So true….so true.
They just added a new team to the mix, the Ninja team.
Wasn’t expecting that!
Look at Billy Beane, taking a risk!
Like he’s never done that before. Remember Ynoa?
You mean the guy that signed for $4 MM and threw 9 innings before blowing his arm out?
I didn’t say it worked out well. I was disputing the idea that Billy Beane taking a risk is some new thing we haven’t seen before.
Hopefully Cespedes will be a good risk!
No, no I don’t.
ynoa who? never heard of him…beane never wasted 4 million on a guy like that……
but really, most of us a’s fans would rather put that out of our minds haha
wow. thought for sure this guy wouldn’t go anywhere but the marlins to be close to home and family.
Word had leaked out that he wasn’t interested in Miami weeks ago. He was just letting them drive up his price. I understand the inclination to figure a Cuban guy will go to the Cuban-heavy city and certainly it was a possibility to the end. But it strikes me as odd how many people continued to insist that Cespedes to Miami was a foregone conclusion even after he’d let it become known he didn’t want to go.
Huh?!?
That’s why they gave Beane that extension through 2019
What the Arod as a minotaur?!
Ouch. All the know-it-all’s in Miami from a thread I was reading yesterday just got burned.
They must be counting on moving to San Jose.
This contract will be up way before they move into any new stadium. Hopefully Cespedes pans out and either the A’s try to resign him before they move into a new stadium, or they flip him for the best possible prospects in 3 years.
Re-sign him? you mean they will flip him if he has any value whatsoever
The real question is..can he get on base??
Billy Beane strikes
Good signing…Brad Pitt..
Slusser says 6 years?
edit: Disregard.. another website was quoting Slusser saying it was 6 years. Her Twitter feed says 4 years
Absolutely hilarious. Won’t he be surprised when Billy Beane isn’t really Brad Pitt
this just in the Nippon ham fighters agree to sign Roy Oswalt to 10yr 150mill
Nippon Ham files for bankruptcy five years later.
..and people thought they were blowing smoke when they vowed to invest heavily in international free agency this year.
I have to admit I would have preferred to see them get Soler. But it’s quite possible they already knew he wouldn’t be interested in the A’s. And I’m certainly not about to complain about having Cespedes. He’s a risk. But a risk well worth taking.
I have no idea what to make of this and I am an A’s fan. I wish they would have signed soler instead because I think this guy is going to be a bust but I hope for my teams sake he proves me wrong.
I feel bad for the A’s. I feel he will be a huge bust, and my gut says he’s probably older than 26. But if not and he does well, then congrats to the A’s. Nothing wrong with making the division more competitive.
Any basis for these feelings or are you just letting the force guide you?
You do realize he already passed his age ad identity investigation right?
And he is Older than 26. He is 27 now
just like some feel darvish will be a huge bust but it dont stop ranger fans from liking the fact the rangers signe him.
Mystery team! it must be the year of the mystery teams!!
Wow. This surprised me more than any other signing this offseason, yes even more than the tigers and fielder. Just wow.
So another free agent the Marlins went hard after rebuffs them for less money and frankly, for a less talented team in OAK. This isn’t the first time this has happened this offseason (CJ Wilson, Pujols) and I’m glad the secret is out on them.
Actually, he’s getting more money from the A’s. The Marlins offered him $36 million over 6 years (as opposed to 4) and he’s more likely to make the team right out of Spring Training with the A’s.
I’m glad we didn’t sign him to be honest. Too much money for an unknown. Save that money to go after some FA starting pitching next season.
So Clark Spencer’s (Miami Herald) report of 6 years/$40+ million was wrong?
It’s just funny seeing how financially free-wheelin’ the Marlins seem to have been this off-season, they didn’t get 3 guys they went after, including 1 (Cespedes) president David Samson reportedly went “hard” after. Yes, it’s a win they got Reyes, but if Buerhle is an upgrade, please let me know what a downgrade would be.
Heyman reported (and Spencer as well) that our offer was $36mil/6 years
What’s wrong with Buerhle? He’s been as consistent as a solid pitcher as you can get over his entire career, and that’s exactly what the team wanted. He wasn’t brought over here to be out ace. He’s certainly an upgrade over guys like Volstad, Hand, Sanches and whomever the Marlins were throwing into the rotation once JJ got injured.
I fully believe the marlins off season was over rated. Yeah they signed buehrle who is a solid #3 or #4 in the nl. But they got bell who’s splits and declining peripherals suggest that’s going to be a horrible signing sooner than later and they signed Reyes who has had 2 great years, 2 good years and a few bad years who can’t stay off the DL when they already had a short stop and a supposed stud 3rd base prospect. All they did was block him and upset their short stop.
Our “stud” 3B prospect can’t hit worth a damn though. He’s only rated so highly because of his glove.
And nobody said that these signings will equate to another WS ring. At best right now, we’re set to fight for a wild card spot.
Of course he would sign with the A’s. You would too if you were in his situation. The guy grew up in a 3rd world country and the 1st chance he got to make a huge payday is with the A’s who are giving him a chance at a 2nd huge payday. Why wouldn’t he sign with them? If he signed with the Marlins, that’s less money over the years and a chance at a 2nd huge payday is less likely to happen. It wasn’t like he shunned the Marlins for a lot less money.
Bonifacio for CF?
Most likely. At least platooning with either Coghlan or Petersen.
Do your research and get a clue.
Serdar is right: the Marlins’ offer was less money and more years. And there’s no substantiated reports regarding the Pujols offer relative to the enormous LAA deal. CJ Wilson did, but he had very specific reasons, none of which were reported as “the secret being out” on the Marlins.
And for freakin’ Oakland. The only thing left for that city is to get swallowed up by an earthquake.
He obviously hasn’t been to Oakland yet.
He has probably been poor his whole life of course he will go after the most money. No matter where it is. Do you think those cubans care about how nice the ball park is or if the team is going to compete or not NO. They go after the top dollar
Reports are that MIA offered Cespedes 6 yrs/$40 million. If that report is true, Cespedes didn’t take the most money.
Great generalization. Come down off your pedestal and get your facts straight. A’s will most likely have a new ballpark and new city (San Jose) before the end of Cespedes’ deal, and Beane has shown him that. “Moneyball” aside, the man can convince players he can win.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I coulda sworn a 4/36 deal gives more annual money than a 6/40 deal. Math is hard though.
Yes, I understand, but I never stated “most annual money”. My reply was to a comment stating that Cespedes took the most money (in OAK), also never mentioning “most annual money”. $40M is more than $36M, no? English hard though.
He specifically asked for the A’s not to offer him arbitration after those four years. He will be a free agent in his age 30 year. The only way he makes less money with this Oakland contract is if he plays for less than $2 million a year (that’s $7 million less per year) in his next contract. This is absolutely about money.
And Lew Wolff has pushed back his estimated opening date for a new stadium to 2016. Under the current contract, Cespedes will never play in a new stadium for the A’s.
This is absolutely about money. 4 years lets him reach free agency by the time he’s 30 going on 31 which makes him at his prime but not on the downside of his prime yet. He can get another huge payday whereas with the Marlins contract he will be 32 going on 33 when he reaches free agency. Not many people will give the big bucks to a guy who is that old already. The days of giving 4 year deals to 33 year olds are gone. He is looking out for himself financially in the future as well and looking at it as an investment in himself believing that he will be able to hit another big payday. It’s simple math.
OK he took the most money per year- and this deal not only gives him about as much money in 2/3 the time, but also lets him hit free agency at age 30, when, if he succeeds, he can sign another big contract.
Maybe he’s been to San Jose.
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnnndddddddddddddd the Marlins fail again
I don’t know about that, I think it’s more of a win. Didn’t want to sign him in the first place.
It’s cute you’re playing this down, but MIA made Cespedes his 1st offer. How do you figure they didn’t want to sign him in the first place? If that’s true, why are they offering players contracts they don’t want to sign? Doesn’t make the management seem the most competent, which has always been the thought.
In an off-season where many analysts liked what MIA has done (Buerhle, Reyes, Bell), MIA failed to sign Pujols (offered), Cespedes (offered), and Wilson (offered). In my opinion, it’s more telling about the team from the players they DID NOT sign than the players they DID sign.
I meant that I didn’t want to sign him in the first place. It’s obvious the team did.
So we failed to sign 3 of the highest priced FA on the market and it’s telling? The only of those 3 that might have not been a huge mistake is Wilson and he wanted to stay in his hometown. Can’t really do anything about that.
If only you were the general manager eh?
The Marlins were public about the offers they made. But we have no idea whether they actually made the 1st offer, whatever that even means.
And by your logic, they got 3/6 top free agents they actually pursued. Considering many other teams were interested in each of those guys, that’s a pretty good rate.
When I read that post, I was reading it as Serdar not wanting the Marlins to sign him, not the Marlins not wanting to sign him.
Samson was pretty crazy about signing him though.
Not really, we dumped Freddi off on you…
I personally like Fredi. I’ve read numerous reports that the players like him and the front office likes him and that his coaching style is similar to Bobby Cox’s. I know you can’t always believe what you read but I believe professional reporters that are connected with the team more than I believe disgruntled fans of a rival team when it comes to Braves analysis. Fair enough?
Btw, that monstrosity you guys call a home run feature…wow
I’m disgruntled? Your the one with the childish comment up top there. You asked for it…
See you in May. You’re going to be seeing alot of that so called “monstrosity”.
Remind me how many championships the Braves have won since 1993?
Remind me what the Braves did last season?
Remind me what the Braves did this offseason?
Collapsed tremendously under Fredi Gonzalez is what they did. It’s the only thing that could be expected, really. If the Marlins ever had as good a season under Fredi, they would’ve fallen off the cliff towards the end too. They only ever slightly contended, so their collapses weren’t as magnificent as what the Braves achieved.
When 63% of your innings are thrown by rookies in September that is never a winning proposition. Hopefully Fredi realized a bullpen consists of more than 3 individuals in 2012.
We’ve won 1 championship. What’s the matter? Can’t count that high? I could be a real smart{cough} and say we’ve won 12 division championships and 3 NL championships but I know what you mean.
We were one of the best teams in the league until something happened that I can’t really explain to be honest.
We accomplished our one need. A backup shortstop. We didn’t need anything else did we? If certain players go back to the way they are capable of then that’s as good as signing a free agent.
If your arguing with a Marlins fan, 2 championships>1 championship
yes, i know 2 championships are better I was just answering honestly a question that he asked me.
Nice move by the A’s, they have alot of good prospects and now Cespedes doesnt have to be rushed to the majors. Nice move.
Huh? He’s 26 and is getting paid 9MM per season. He’ll be playing in the majors.
Wow! This is super crazy last night I was playing MLB 11 Show with update rosters (so I could play with Pujols in the lineup) and played a 3 game series against the A’s right after they had signed Cespedes from the FA pool. I kept thinking “how crazy would it be for him to play in Oakland” I still can’t believe that this headline is for real. I’m stunned.
love it
Like to see a M. Taylor trade to White Sox
This just topped my most shocking signings next to fielder with the tigers. Way to go ol billy boy. now you will trade him at the deadline
Raw athletes are the new market inefficiency.
I guess he walks a lot?
Mystery team wins again
Was just going to say the same thing. Now watch Roy Oswalt sign with the Mets or something.
SO funny. Sorry, Marlins! You fail. AGAIN.
I love being in a position where other fans are hating on us for not signing a high priced FA with no MLB experience.
What position is that exactly? You signed a #3 pitcher to a 4 year 58 million dollar deal, shelled out a bunch of money for closer, and signed a SS with an injury history.
Oh and you’re ace is a walking DL stint and that clubhouse could explode if the team struggles.
I can play this game too. You traded for a guy who has a problem with walks, but at best a #3. You brought back Rick Ankiel for whatever reason. You brought in the remains of Brad Lidge. You missed out on Prince Fielder. Your ace is potentially a few games away from blowing out his arm again.
What I meant is that I like the fact that we are finally spending some money, and people are hating that we didn’t sign guys like Pujols and Wilson.
I hope you’re prepared. Having a team battling the Nats for 3rd place in your division puts a lot of responsibility on a fan
Who’s gonna be in 2nd? The Mutts? No, they’re still stuck with the injury bug. The Braves? No, they’re still stuck with Fredi Gonzalez.
The Phils will be in 2nd cause the Braves are going to win the division.
And “Mutts”….wow musta been up all night thinking of that original and witty line….
Everyone calls them the Mutts.
lol i stand by my point, thank you for proving it.
It was the same thing Jays fans said when they signed AJ Burnett, the same thing Yankees fans said when they signed Carl Pavano.
No, I’m more hating on you for failing to sign the guys you really wanted and then, adding insult to injury, failing to sign a high-priced FA with no MLB experience.
No, I’m more hating on you for failing to sign the guys you really wanted and then, adding insult to injury, failing to sign a high-priced FA with no MLB experience.
Biggest surprise of the offseason.
I think the Tigers money was better spent on Fielder; at least he has a proven track record.
Oakland, yes, that’s very close to Miami and known for its heavy Cuban population. Wait, what??? So much for the media’s guesses!
The four-year part of the deal is most surprising, and it may be that’s what swung the deal in favor of the A’s. The Marlins supposedly offered 36 million, but over six years, so the A’s gave him a higher annual average, plus the ability to make even more in four years if he succeeds.
The shorter deal makes it more of a risk for the A’s since this kid is totally going to need some time in the minors. Even if it’s only half a season, that’s still less time on the MLB roster.
Where’s A’s Super Fan gone? Where is Pete?
Stunned into silence.
I think he got banned
Had a heart after hearing this news.
of all the days to sleep in!!
wow this is amazing
of all the days to sleep in!!
wow this is amazing
Wow, umm… this is odd…
If you look at some of the moves the A’s made in the past few years. This, signing Sheets for 10M, trading for Matt Holliday then dumping him, signing a few setup men, getting prospects back for their young pitchers, do Billy Beane’s moves have any rhyme or reason to them? Just seems like a whole bunch of random stuff.
I don’t think this kid will work out but I’d like to see Oakland get better soon. If I had to figure out a reason why they did this I guess they want an exciting new player to anchor in their new ballpark?
It’s the same thing they said in ’02.
They lost then. This time, they should lose much better.
Think about it though they needed some star power and they may have gotten it if he works out. If he plays to his potential(hype) he will draw people to their games. Or he could be a trade asset if he plays well and the team is bad
Think about it though they needed some star power and they may have gotten it if he works out. If he plays to his potential(hype) he will draw people to their games. Or he could be a trade asset if he plays well and the team is bad
I think the signing of Prince Fielder by the Tigers was a bigger surprise.
agree, Fielder = super star signing with a team that VERY FEW thought he’d touch with a 15ft pole due to family issues. Compared to a unproven talent earning 1/5 the money. I can’t see how people think the Cespedes deal is more of a surprise. I’ve been saying for days that he wasn’t going to Florida on about any site I could post an opinion. Good Luck A’s, and Go Tigers!
I respect that you think that way because this is a “what surprised you personally more”, however for me I would have to say this was. I am a tigers fan and we were throwing around the idea of getting fielder for awhile, and when I say we I mean me and my friends. This literally came out of NOWHERE for me, the A’s were never mentioned by anyone. Both surprised me, but this one is bigger.
I think the Marlins going out and signing three free agents for big money is an even bigger surprise than that.
So much for the A’s rebuilding… $36 mill for an unproven player?
Waiting for the the Marlin fans to come on and start saying how they never wanted him anyways lol. I would have been intrigued had he of become a Tiger, but you can’t win them all. An awfully expensive risk to take for an unproven talent. Good luck A’s though hopefully we can have a repeat of 06.
To be fair, I never did really want him anyway. Not at $9 million per year anyway. I’m more than happy with Bonifacio starting in center.
Unfortunately after reading the *Guarantees* coming from Marlins fans the last week any comments regarding how they didn’t really want him is not going to be taken very seriously.
I imagine. A lot of fans on our forums really didn’t want him at that price. $36 million over 6 years is the highest we would’ve liked. It’s too much of a risk.
A lot of fans on our forums. You’re a funny Marlins fan.
Well there you go you got him!
Marlins must be pissed.
I think its now safe to say that the A’s are going to win the west :)*
Wow….they have to play him right away or pay him $9M/yr to be a MiL’er. And some of the reports that I read were that he should start in AA. He might reach FA and his 30th birthday before he’s even ready to play in the bigs.
You’re extrapolating too far from what you heard. Most people seem to think he’ll need between 15 and 50 games in the minors. Giving a new immigrant an adjustment period is a lot different than worrying about four years in the minors. Also, if their scouts are that far off, they should all be fired.
Thanks for the clarification. It would seem to make a little more sense in that context.
However, Chapman needed a full season in the MiLs before coming up (even though he had a Sept call up in 2010) plus almost another month to start 2011.
If Cespedes follows that same path, then you’re talking about $12M/yr for his time in the ML as a first year player.
It helps that they’ll only be getting peak years. Also, it’s silly to compare a position player and a pitcher like that. Frankly, I don’t think it’s wise to compare anyone to Chapman, and I don’t think the Reds have done a great job with him.
Alexi Ramirez had very little if any time in the
Minors if I remember correctly. Yes vicedio spent a full season in the minors but he was blocked at every position he could have played and Ozzie wanted nothing to do with him. Cespedes will probably do spring training and and extended spring training then go right to starting. It’s not as if the athletics will compete anyway.
In terms of $/yrs, when was the last time Beane gave such a big FA contract??
I am just happy the Cubs didn’t sign him. Would make no sense paying him that much money during the rebuilding years. Soler is the better, younger, cheaper risk for rebuilding teams.
Does this signing become void once they realize it was Brad Pitt who brokered the deal?
Or when Cespedis realizes it wasn’t Brad Pitt who brokered the deal?
Clearly he signed before ever seeing the city of Oakland. Well played Billy B.
What happened Marlins? That’s 3 for 6 with free agents this offseason. No doubt stories will come out saying that the Marlins offered $50M but Cespedes preferred to live and work in Oakland (lol).
Oh well, Samson was just a lot of talk, like always.
word is miami offered $36M over 6 years.
He is now the highest paid player on the A’s by 3 MIL
I don’t think the A’s will ever, EVER make sense to me. Trade Cahill, Gonzalez, and Bailey. No chance at all of competing, and they blow up the team. This move makes absolutely no sense for them.
I agree. They will be paying him all of that money for years when they won’t be able to compete with the Angels and Rangers. Maybe they are hoping for a hot start then try to flip him for prospects.
That’s exactly what I thought, they may feel that his hype outshines his actual ability, and will try to trade him after he hits a few big homers or something. Even if that’s the case though, it’s a great move by the A’s, he should rake in some decent prospects if he plays well.
Definitely not a great move. He is 26 years old and probably needs time in the minors where he will be making $9M. The A’s aren’t in any position to compete for at least 2 years.
His power numbers that the media were salivating over will not translate here because look at the ballparks he will be hitting in.
If you think about it, it’s nothing that’s all that confusing. If the guy produces at all, he’ll be traded for more prospects. It’s a continuing cycle for them. They should really be considered a development team for everyone else. Every once in awhile they’ll put together something exciting to watch. It makes for a good Cinderella story but you already know how it will end.
Marlins, marlins, marlins… A’s! That was quite the shock. Hopefully his power is as good as said to be because he’s going to need it in Oakland.
Meanwhile DD and the O’s still plan on scouting him in 5 days to “look at him”.
Man I hate my team.
Scouting reports didn’t convince Billy Beane signing this guy. But, it was the Video that are really got him excited and ultimately offered him this contract. OBP and potential on video really did it. #MoneyBall
Putting up monster numbers in the AL West might justify his salary. But playing 81 games in Oakland and 18 in Seattle plus Anaheim I just don’t see it.
al west is the division with the strongest rotations and except texas all the ballparks are huge. monster numbers? think again.
Maybe you should reread my comment?
Very good addition. Would really like to see A’s vs Angels Rivalry be strong again. Lets hope Angels keep up the success and A’s get back on track.. Congrats A’s
Maybe the A’s are overpaying for Céspedes, but the A’s can afford to overpay. The A’s have been trying for several years to overpay for free agents to lure them to Oakland, but no one wanted to play at the Coliseum. They successfully over-payed for Céspedes because he doesn’t care about the stadium and has the potential to earn more long-term by starting with a4 year deal.
The A’s trying to overpay? I must have missed something.
Maybe the A’s are overpaying for Céspedes, but the A’s can afford to overpay. The A’s have been trying for several years to overpay for free agents to lure them to Oakland, but no one wanted to play at the Coliseum. They successfully over-payed for Céspedes because he doesn’t care about the stadium and has the potential to earn more long-term by starting with a4 year deal.
Poor Cespedes.
Don’t worry, This is Billy Beane’s team. Once he proves he can play at the MLB level he’ll be flipped for prospects.
He’s not poor anymore.
The A’s promised Cespedes a role in the sequel to Moneyball.
So guessing this:
2B Weeks
RF Crisp
CF Cespedes
DH Gomes/Allen/Carter
1B Allen/Carter/Barton
LF Smith/Carter
3B Sizemore
C Suzuki
SS Pennington
No idea where Reddick fits in or who’s on first and at DH.
If Cespedes does make the Opening Day roster, I’d think that Crisp and Reddick would be the favorites to round out the outfield, with Gomes and Smith as the 4th and 5th OFs.
And yeah. 1B and DH is anyone’s guess. That probably won’t be decided until mid or late-March. And if no one really stands out in spring training, I think they’ll go with a ‘DH-by-committee’ to start the season.
Could Barton play 3B? His 1B range numbers are good, but I don’t know about his arm. Sizemore has average -12.1 per UZR 150 at 3B the last 2 years so he is nothing special with the glove.
So guessing this:
2B Weeks
RF Crisp
CF Cespedes
DH Gomes/Allen/Carter
1B Allen/Carter/Barton
LF Smith/Carter
3B Sizemore
C Suzuki
SS Pennington
No idea where Reddick fits in or who’s on first and at DH.
I hope when they get to the new ballpark, they rechristen themselves the San Jose Mystery Team.
Someone already updated the Cespedes wikipedia page.
The mystery team strikes again!!!
That is exactly what I said when I read the headline. LOL. How many has “The Mystery Team” signed so far this season?
Prince to Detroit
Pujols and cj to LA
Cespedes to the A’s
and those are just the big names. This offseason has been Crazy, nothing has been predictable, next thing that will happen is Oswalt to the mets or Soler to the Astros or something crazy like that, if this offseason has told us one thing its never rule out any team.
I’m just happy he’s not going to the Marlins… feel free to live up to your potential Cespedes
So you’re saying Stanton and JJ aren’t living up to their potential? I would add Hanley to the mix, but he let the money get to his head.
I think he’s saying that because he’s a Nats fan
What? I’m saying if he went to the Marlins I wouldn’t want him to live up to his potential, because being a Nationals fan that would make the Marlins better.. Now that he’s playing in the West, I wouldn’t mind him having a successful career.
Haha, that makes more sense. But who knows, he might be traded to the NL East later on. This is Oakland who signed him after all.
Theo sign Soler now!
WOW, just when Miami became the favorite, the Oakland A’s nabbed him. Very surprised about this signing
Are they planning on trading cespedes or something? Oakland isn’t even contending and won’t for at least the next 3-4 years. By then, Cespedes will be 30 and hitting free agency.
That’s the only reason I can think of. It just doesn’t make sense that a team with such a limited payroll would spend what money they do have on an unknown like Cespedes.
It’s definitely a risk but think of the value a player like Cespedes would have in a trade if he ends up being an all star caliber player. You could trade him in his prime at age 28 with 2 years still on his contract if they wanted for much more than they signed him for. Moneyball buy low sell high and sometimes you take a stab in the dark on a guy like this.
No room for Michael Taylor now, how about a McClellan for Taylor swap? A’s get dependable bullpen arm who can also start and Cards get RH OF off the bench with some power and speed. Cards save money for Oswalt also.
This is why Billy Beane is the best GM in baseball….
Not really….
Boom! Athletics FTW! Was actually really wanting to see him on the Marlins. Most entertaining team of all time if they had added Cepedes…
I just watched his video and that guy is a beast at all those exercises but who cares about all his raw talent if he cant hit a breaking ball. Maybe in the NFL that sort of talent helps you but if you cant hit that little white baseball all those tools mean nothing.
Oh gosh… He would be FUN to watch as a running back.
Read his last sentence again Timmy he said that the marlins system was among the weakest not THE weakest. Timmy dont tell me you are on drugs again.
Guess he didn’t visit the ballpark before he signed. He’s sure in for a surprise!
can’t wait to go to a game at the colliseum and see a cespedes vs darvish showdown!
for the a’s being so tight with their money, it doesnt make much sense to give an unproven guy 9mil a year. i mean a million bucks less than what the rangers are paying darvish. rediculous..
Uhh, Darvish had that 51MM posting fee in addition to his contract.
ur right he did..and that went to yu’s former team. i was comparing actual contracts. 10 mil for darvish and 9 for cespedes per year. makes no sense to me, paying 9 million for a fancy youtube video when he is completely unproven and had a horrible showing when he recently played in cuba or whatever. would you put him ahead of the likes of longoria, who as a rookie, signed a 6 year 17.5 mil contract? not the best example but i know for a fact there are plenty more players earning much less than cespedes who are far far more proven.
Way to go Brad Pitt!!! Dammit I did it again didn’t I. What I meant to so was go Billy Pitt… oh forget it haha
he doesnt get on base! this is gonna be a fraud to the athletics structure…
*should read “(that’s 7 million less per year)
Not a good sign at all for billy hollywood bean. I’m just glad the cubs didn’t go hard after him and turn their attention to soler the better younger cuban outfielder. So you A’s fans enjoy all the hype on this broke ass dude.
I like it good job beane!
Chicago Tribune is reporting Cubs will sign Soler once he is granted free agency.
I am very interested to see how Cespedes works out. But I can not believe that we signed Jonny Gomes and Colon. Gomes is a thug who isn’t very good and Colon is well past his prime, and both are club house cancers. It should be an interesting season to say the least, just too bad we gave up our stars.
How do you pronounce this guys’ name? “Yo-E-nis”? “Yo-Nis” (like Jonas with a Y?). “Yo-EN-is”?
Don’t hold me to this. But I think it’s pronounced Yo-Enn-Iss Sess-Pedd-Ess.