Yoennis Cespedes Update

As of last Wednesday, the sensational Cuban outfielder, Yoennis Cespedes had been granted free agency. The Miami Marlins seem to be his most aggressive pursuer. Team President David Samson has repeatedly stated that the Marlins will be “aggressive to the point of stupidity.” For the most part, Miami makes the most sense for Cespedes due to having a large hispanic population. It is assumed that this will allow him to easily adapt to life in the United States. Most see this factor and assume that it would make Miami Cespedes’ most desirable destination. However, it has been reported that Cespedes may see that as a detriment to signing with the Marlins. Supposedly, he feels that playing in Miami would present additional pressure, stress, and distractions on him as he makes the transition to the Major Leagues. Upon hearing the report, Samson denied this claim and continued to insist that Cespedes would be an ideal fit.

The Marlins see him as a five tool, high impact player who would roam center field for years to come. Despite this projection,Cespedes struggled in the Dominican Winter League due to the fact that he has not played competitive baseball for over one year. He has not faced Major League quality pitching yet and supposedly still needs to learn how to effectively hit the breaking ball. Most likely he would require a few months of seasoning in the Minor Leagues to get up to speed. Obviously, Cespedes is a high risk high reward option for any team pursuing his services. For him to be successful he must sign where he will be must comfortable whether that be Miami, Chicago, Baltimore or Detroit, among others. The Marlins see Miami as that ideal location where as Cespedes and his agent may or may not. Despite these reports, as the Marlins pursue him they will do everything in their power to see that he would feel comfortable in a Miami Marlins uniform.