Here's the latest on Yoenis Cespedes, who was officially declared a free agent last week…
- "We are aware of the [Spring Training] dates," said agent Adam Katz to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). "We expect him to be in camp with one of the clubs." Katz also called the market for Cespedes "meaningful and aggressive."
- The Marlins, Cubs, White Sox, Orioles, and Tigers are five of the six clubs that have been in serious talks with Cespedes, reports ESPN's Jim Bowden (Twitter links). He is expected to travel to the United States in the next 7-10 days for face-to-face meetings.
- Baseball America's Jim Callis said he would rank Cespedes in the 7-15 range of their top 100 prospects list, and that he would take over as the top prospect of pretty much any team that signs him.
Dave…Dave…Dave…
No.
I am curious why you say no to Cespedes. We fans know virtually nothing about him, except for what the professionals have said about him (much more so than even low-level prospects who usually have a fair amount of video of them on the internet).
And almost every professional scout whose opinion I have seen is a big believer in this guy.
So, why are you against the Tigers’ signing him? Especially without knowing any concrete dollar amounts…
It could be that some scouts say he needs a full year at AA. It might even be that he doesn’t want to spend $40MM. It’ possible that he’s afraid that he’s not really as talented as he’s been made out to be.
I say put him at 1B. That’s just me though.
When he comes up to the MLB doesn’t matter as much as some assume, since the team that gets Cespedes will have 6 yrs of control, just like he was a rookie (unless the contract includes a stipulation that the team will not offer arbitration after a certain yr…if that’s even allowed).
My key point, however, is that it is illogical to be against a move just because you fear that all the scouts are wrong. If we had seen plenty of film on him and someone formed a different opinion than a scout, that’s fine. But our only evidence concerning his ability is from these scouts who sing his praises. Why assume they are wrong when there is no evidence supporting that assumption?
Oh I’m not disagreeing, merely playing Devil’s advocate.
And for the Tigers, it’s obviously ‘win now’, so I’m not sure Cespedes can help this season.
The big unkown is what his adjustment period will be like. I know the biggest concern for many scouts is how he’ll adjust to better breaking pitches.
I say his value plays much better in Center than at 1st. No Way
I say yes. I think that to finish off the offseason, we should get him and what the White Sox want for Gordon Beckham. We need speed and defense to a stacked powerhouse of a lineup. Both of these guys give that. I think Cespedes would fit in the two hole with Boesch moving down to the five hole. If there was ever a place in this league that he could master, it would be in front of Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder.
I agree we should take a chance with this guy in LF. Currently our best defensive LFers are Dirks, Kelly, Raburn, the Ball Girl.
Isn’t Soler better than him?
he’s projected to be better, yes, but right now, just because cespedes is older and more developed, he’s better
Soler, in my opinion, is going to be the real prize here.
To me, it’s the difference between Julio Teheran and Dylan Bundy.
One is MLB-ready (or nearly) while the other is still very young and needs time. The younger one could very well end up being better, and has that kind of ceiling, but needs to develop still.
Soler could be a lot better because if he signs soon, coming up through an MLB farm system will help him that much more.
So, is any prospect in the 7-15 range worth a 30 million dollar commitment?
Technically, we (Rangers) did that for Darvish. They said he would be right there with Moore as the best “prospect” though.
You did that … and about $70m more. Darvish will be at least 3x’s the cost of Cespedes.
To be fair, Moore is projected to be an ace immediately. So getting the guy right after him isn’t too bad.
That’s the big point. $30m commitment is HUGE.
The whole point of a great prospect is that you have cost control prior to him hitting FA. A top prospect like Trout costs you a few million at most. Even a once in a generation prospect like Bryce Harper cost $10m. Granted he wasn’t a FA but still you are talking about three times the cost.
In evaluating Cespedes it really should be a question of where he ranks in the FA class as his dollars line up much closer to a FA than what an amatuer would see in the draft.
While his projected salary puts him in the realm of other free agents, his track record certainly does not. In fact, he has less of a track record than any of the other top prospects given the uncertainly in his competition.
yup. the cuban league’s best comparison is low-A ball. he dominated there, but as a prospect he’s waaay old for that level of competition. he’s had no significant development experience against quality pitching
“Baseball America’s Jim Callis said he would rank Cespedes in the 7-15 range of their top 100 prospects list, and that he would take over as the top prospect of pretty much any team that signs him.”
Besides the teams with prospects ranked 1-6 and possibly 7-14.
he meant out of the teams interested in cespedes.
No, he meant all teams. Exceptions being Rays, O’s, Nats, Angels, Braves, etc.
“…he would take over as the top prospect of pretty much any team that signs him.”
the team that signs him part made me think it was only the teams in play for him.
So with 5 of the 6 clubs listed, I suppose Mystery Team is required here? When do they get their own hash-tag?
Welcome to the D.
Can’t forget, there always needs to be a Mystery Team™.
Boras already trademarked it. Sorry man.
I’m going to say the Yankees or the Nationals.
Would like the Cubs take a shot at him or Soler
Sign all the Cubans!
just sign already.
He’s been a free agent for what? A week?
I’m surprised the Orioles seem interested. Would they move Adam Jones to LF? Or trade him?
They might see Cespedes as a LF. Personally I think the O’s have more interest in Soler than Cespedes. Time will tell I guess.
Move him to SS.
He did play there in high school (and maybe early on in the Mariners system)
Cubs should be in on this. If he doesn’t work out, it won’t be that much money compared to an average RF on the open market. If he does work out, He could be a steal.
Having never watched the training video is there actual footage of him playing the game or just him doing outrageous exercise/And1 type stuff?
There is video of him playing. It shows a couple of base hits from the WBC and some of his key homeruns in the Cuban League.
i tried posting the youtube video for that whole at bat when he hit his dominican league home run
some of those swings, he’s trying to pull a ball away off the plate and somehow manages to foul them off the end of his bat
But that isn’t that uncommon with prospects. It’s something that with some good coaching and time in the bigs, I think that he could bloom into a very good player. Perhaps a player like Franklin Gutierrez in 2009 with more speed but less stellar defense.
I hope the Red Sox sign him bc WE have had a very boring offseason and WE need something to talk about for the next month and a half. Plus, if he is a bust then WE get even closer to being blown up and reupping the farm with hungry kids. WE WE US US US WE WE WE!!!!!!!
Dear Reds,
Please be the “surprise team” again and make this happen (despite a limited payroll). He would be solid out in LF.
Thanks.
I doubt it. I could see them being a surprise team for Soler, but I don’t see it for Cespedes.
Has there been any articles on what Soler might receive in FA? I can’t find any.
I haven’t seen any either.
I tweeted Ben Badler about Soler and he said there is no timetable for him being declared a FA and that there are “a lot of factors” that impact it. I’m thinking the lack of certainty (and his status of being a prospect rather than an MLB guy) makes pontification on his demands or likely cost kind of silly.
No?
I figured he would come cheaper than Cespedes, who knows though.
I imagine he would. If for no other reason than that he won’t provide MLB value for a few years.
Just like Tim Tebow can fix his throwing motion wait……nvm.
Swings are much easier to fix than throwing motions. Both Tebow and Byron Leftwich were thought to be able to fix their throwing motion and couldn’t. Many a major leaguer has changed their swing and experienced better results, especially ones who are in the minors (where Cespedes is likely to be).
Idk, everyone seems to be putting him in their starting lineup when they talk about signing him.
While that is true, I don’t think anyone actually will. Aroldis Chapman as well as El Duque both spent time in the minors, however short it was. I can’t think of a single Cuban prospect to ever jump right in to the MLB, and I doubt Cespedes is the best Cuban prospect ever.
In my opinion he doesnt even deserve to be ranked a top 30 prospect once he signs…Some people are already talking about him being top 10. Completely ridiculous to hype this guy up so much, he has not done a single thing yet.
I was being facetious. Because, you know, the Tigers already have 3 first baseman.
The fact that this did not register in my head alarms me. Please excuse the brainfart
Happens to the best of us.
Agreed. Similar to how Bundy can be better than Teheran.
Please, Teheran’s upside is a front of the rotation starter, a number one on any team, and one of the best pitchers in the sport. I’m not saying he’ll reach that but he’s currently the top pitching prospect in baseball and not because he’s close to the majors. Bundy’s upside is not seen as being higher than Teheran’s.
I mean you can believe that if you want. Bundy has 1 plus pitch and 3 above average ones. All 4 could be plus in a few years. Teheran doesn’t even have 4 pitches.
Some scouts have said that if Bundy was 6’3″ he would start on opening day (based on his stuff). Teheran is a top 5 prospect in AAA because he is really talented and is a pretty sure shot at being a contributor at the MLB level. Bundy is a top 10 prospect at 19.
Not trying to say Teheran isn’t great, but saying Bundy doesn’t have the upside of Teheran is just silly. Note that I said Bundy CAN be better than Teheran, meaning he also might not.
Just sayin
I’m not saying Bundy can’t be as good as Teheran or that his upside isn’t similar but I haven’t heard anyone say that they see his upside as higher. Teheran is only 21 and is nearly MLB ready. It’s just not accurate to portray Teheran’s value coming mostly from the fact that he is nearly MLB ready.
That’s not my intention. I’m merely saying that people see Cespedes as a rare talent that’s nearly MLB ready. Teheran also fits that mold.
Soler is seen as very high upside, but a few years away. He could very well be better than Cespedes. He might not. Bundy fits this mold.
You took the words right out of my mouth.
Here! Here! I’m over here! Right here! Here! Hey! You! Notice me! I’m right here! Hey!
Yeah, I’m almost 100% sure no one employed by a MLB team would ever have a problem with fans identifying with their team.
Fans identifying with the team is how they make their living, so yeah, it’d be pretty counter-intuitive for them to be upset about it.
Im telling you the White Sox make a splash and sign all the Cubans coming out. They have Peavy, Pierzynski and Thorntons contracts coming off the books next year. Rios is only a few years after and thats if they dont trade him off before that. The team is getting younger and cheaper so they will be able to spend on Soler and Concepcion long term and Cespedes in more of the short.
I think I would rather keep Delmon Young, if he can shed some lbs.
If DY sheds pounds he will lose his power without picking up any speed. He is a trainwreck waiting to happen in LF. Put him at DH and take a gamble on this “kid”.
Agreed. Get DY out of the field completely. I have no problems with him DHing, but DY in LF scares me a hell of a lot more than miggy at 3B.
I agree with that, but I’m not sure signing Cespedes is the solution. He’s a pricey gamble for a team that just took on serious payroll. Let Delmon DH and do LF by committee for now, then Delmon can walk next season while Victor DH’s and the team can look for a surer thing with leadoff potential next off season if Jackson hasn’t gotten it together.
Ah the Cespedes debate. Is he worth $30M or not? We won’t know until he faces Major League pitching. What we do know is that he dominated A /AA level pitching.
EVERYONE should remember one simple thing… So did Brandon Wood.
YOENIS CESPEDES and his agent, are going to find out that his value will ultimatly be set on just how well, he can hit solid , major league pitching. AL KALINE,won the A.L. batting title,AT 18 yrs of age,a record that stands TO THIS DAY!THIS ISNT CASTROs CUBA,AND he posseses ALL FIVE TOOLS,to be a major leaguer,so SENIOR CESPEDES,use those tools and earn a roster spot!
If the Tigers get Cespedes their lineup would be amazing.
1. Cespedes
2. Boesch
3 Cabrera
4. Fielder
5. Young
6. Avila
7. Peralta
8. Santiago
9. Jackson
plus a rotation of
1. Verlander
2. Fister
3. Scherzer
4. Porcello
5. Turner/Smyly/trade/freeagent
and a bullpen with Valverde Benoit Dotel Alburquerque Coke
That is a great team good bullpen great rotation and great lineup. If they could get edwin jackson on a 1 year contract that would be perfect too pencil him in as their 3 starter he gets a lot of wins because of our offense and Comerica is a pitcher Park. Do it DD sign Cespedes and Jackson. We need 1 more pitcher and more speed if we want a world series.