By Anthony Caruso III | Publisher
At the trade deadline, the Oakland Athletics shipped Yoenis Céspedes to the Boston Red Sox that sent Jon Lester and others to the California coast. In the months following the trade, the A’s lineup struggled offensively.
Now, there is speculation that Céspedes could be made available for an off-season trade. General Manager Ben Cherington is expected to talk a contract extension with his representatives this off-season.
Yet, according to Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo, the Cuban player may want to play out the final year of his contract in order to test free agency sooner. According to the reporter, “Céspedes doesn’t really want to play right field or work on his defense.”
Cafardo also believes that the Red Sox could make a trade in the off-season to send an outfielder or two packing.
The 27-year-old will be entering his fourth season in 2015. And with the price so high on Cuban players, Céspedes could score a hefty price tag on the open market.
Yasmani Tomás, a Cuban free agent, is expected to sign a contract near a $100 million this off-season. In August, Rusney Castillo, who was another Cuban free agent, signed a seven-year, $72.5 million contract with the Red Sox.
Potential Rookie of the Year candidate and Cuban José Abreu signed a six-year, $68 million deal before last season. When Los Angeles Dodgers free agent Cuban outfielder Yasiel Puig, it was for seven-years, $42 million.
A couple of years ago when Céspedes signed, it was for a four-years and $36 million.
This season, Céspedes played in 51 games with the Red Sox after the trade. He had a .269 batting with five home runs and 33 RBI’s over that time. With the A’s, he had a .256 batting average with 17 home runs and 67 RBI’s in 101 games.
The A’s had a 22-33 record following the Céspedes trade. The team hoped that once they acquired DH Adam Dunn, it would help the offense, but there was little improvement after he was acquired.
On September 30th, the A’s barely made it to the playoffs, and played against the Kansas City Royals in a Wild Card play-in game. The Royals won the game 9-8 in 12 innings.
