The next big thing has arrived. 26 year old Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes has officially become a free agent, and the Miami Marlins are positioned to make a run for him. On Tuesday, Cespedes established residency in the Dominican Republic and the Marlins are considered to be the front runners for his services by multiple sports outlets. Even representatives for the Marlins have made it well know that they are going to try extremely hard for arguably the best prospect/talent to come out of Cuba in history.
Cespedes, who recently played winter ball in the Dominican Republic, had a rather disappointing showing for the Aguilas where he hit just 5-for-35 with no walks, 10 strikeouts and a homer. What would you really expect though? Cespedes hasn’t played professional baseball for over a year so to see him show mediocrity at the plate is no surprise. Cespedes poor showing shouldn’t affect his asking price much. He should be getting anywhere in the neighborhood of $32M, with four-to-six years.
One of the main questions regarding Yoenis Cespedes is where he would play. Some teams view him as a CF and some teams as a corner OF. In all likelihood the Marlins view Cespedes as a CF. Putting Cespedes in a corner OF spot definitely isn’t in the picture especially with Mike Stanton in RF, and Logan Morrison playing LF. Emilio Bonifacio is the Marlins current CF and did a remarkable job. Bonifacio lead the team in average and steals in his breakout season with the fish. Some people may think trading Bonifacio would be the teams only choice if the club signs Cespedes but not so fast. Before last season Bonifacio was a super utility guy. A job he is familiar with. While I do think he has earned a starting job with the team, he might have no choice but the bench with a five tool talent like Cespedes. Before we get ahead of ourselves, you must realize that Cespedes will not be MLB ready at the start of spring training. He is going to need time to adjust to professional pitching that could take as little as a few weeks, or as much as a few months. Either way Bonifacio will be a key part to the Marlins in 2012, either starting for a majority of the season, or a top notch bench piece providing crucial playing time when he is asked.
While we wait for Cespedes to sign with a team. One thing is for sure, he will be a genuine talent.
-Alex
