Billy Beane Steals Cespedes

[EaglesPhan36]

No one even knew the A's were in the mix.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2012/02/yoenis-cespedes-oakland-athletics-san-jose-stadium/1

Considering the A's did not enter serious negotiations for Cespedes until late, it's possible the prospect of another year with the majors' worst attendance – an average of a little over 18,000 at the decrepit Coliseum – persuaded Wolff to open the vault, which has $32 million in it from last year's revenue-sharing take.


But it's also quite likely general manager Billy Beane, who recently got a contract extension through 2019, saw a possible bargain in Cespedes.

Good win for the small market clubs.

[InTheDrink]

a win for everyone who wasn't in the mix

great for the a's and great for all the teams hoping he'd stay out of texas, florida, ny, detroit or boston

[InTheDrink]

just saw this part...

the A's are gambling that he'll be at least a 20-home run, 80-90-RBI player by the second half of his contract.

he very well could be a 35-120 guy by then

any chance the contract covers PED's? that to me would be the biggest fear with him just looking at how rock solid he is

[EaglesPhan36]

Cuban PEDs cannot be found by US drug tests, so says Castro.

[Jericholic]

just saw this part...



he very well could be a 35-120 guy by then

any chance the contract covers PED's? that to me would be the biggest fear with him just looking at how rock solid he is

That's what I was thinking too. Almost everything I've read about him this winter seems to say he should be 20 HR hitter right out of the box.

[Chi_archie]

a gamble but not a huge one, tremendous upside to the gamble though.

still, this guy has mostly faced low-high A ball quality opponents through out his career. Even in the Dominican Winter league he looked liked a bust.

PED's is the interesting point as noted, guy definitely shows some signs of Gyno- from roids without a good PTC

[InTheDrink]

Cuban PEDs cannot be found by US drug tests, so says Castro.

well ill be goddamned....maybe i can get a contract now in my mid-30's....ship some of that shit over here

i guess that explains why shitty yuniesky betancourt hit 16 homers last year

[Chi_archie]

can someone give some of that shit to Alexei Ramirez already???

[Dad]

If this kid does any good Oakland will just trade him away. It's what Oakland does.

[smitch124]

Now he will trade him to the Giants for rights to San Jose stadium

[C-Gold]

Guy from ESPN compared him to Raul Mondesi. Said he thinks his rookie year will see .270 and 20 hr with above average centerfield play. Not bad for a first year, if he gets better then Beane wins. The he'll trade him away for more prospects.

[pinnerpsk]

Billy Beane is incredibly overrated. If Cespedes does turn out to be a stud it will be towards the end of this contract at best.

[EXhoosier10]

Billy Beane is incredibly overrated. If Cespedes does turn out to be a stud it will be towards the end of this contract at best.

I don't think any smart person is expecting him to jump off the line hitting .300 and jacking 30. Those are terribly unrealistic expectations, especially considering that the dude was struggling mightily in winter ball. Reports said he couldn't touch breaking balls.

Everyone knows MLB scouting is an entire different level compared to abroad. He'll go through a prolonged slump just as almost every other rookie does in his first 1-2 years when advanced scouts find holes in their swings.

Hitting in Oakland will also put a damper on his counting stats considering the stadium as well as the lineup around him...

That all being said, with an AAV of < $10mil, this isn't that big of a risk as the contract will never become an albatross, especially if the A's eventually move to SJ. I'm not sure how this cheap of a contract makes Beane overrated; I'd say the way the A's were able to fly under the radar for so long and steal from under the noses of the Cubs and Marlins would speak the opposite of their GM.

[FrozenMAN]

awful...who would want to go to a total loser when you have winners coming after you...i figured he'd come to miami but in the end it's not a major loss...i'm just shocked that at first yeah he sounded great, then he claimed playing in miami with the cubans and latin population would be too much pressure then this week it was, i wana come to the marlins, then outta nowhere he goes to the worst city behind detroit in oaktown.....he's not 9 million a year worthy but we'll see..he needs time to devlope but at that much, he's gonna get tossed in within a 2 months

good keep him in the AL, as now all big boppers are in the AL and with our staff the FISH ARE GONNA TAKE OFF AND ROCK THE NL!

EVERYBODY'S DOING THE FISH!!!!

[InTheDrink]

Hard to blame on choosing where to live. Anything is better than the shithole he's from.

[Redscot]

From what I understand he was administered a PED test recently. Also, his numbers in the Dominican Winter League need to be put into context. He was put into the lineup in the middle of the playoffs after not having faced live pitching for ages. He only had 35 ab's and was definitely trying to hit 500 ft HR's as he was still conscious of building up his mystique for the teams pursuing him in the MLB. So he was flying open and did indeed look terrible against breaking stuff. I have seen the kid with my own eyes and he is a freak athletically, his bat speed is off the charts. While he won't have much lineup protection in Oakland he won't be in a media pressure cooker which should help him get his feet wet. I can see the Mondesi comparison (although he doesn't have his arm) I also would throw out Vernon Wells as a potential comparison. Time will tell if his talents translate to the bigs though, MLb talent is no joke.

[Ace_of_Spades]

awful...who would want to go to a total loser when you have winners coming after you...i figured he'd come to miami but in the end it's not a major loss...i'm just shocked that at first yeah he sounded great, then he claimed playing in miami with the cubans and latin population would be too much pressure then this week it was, i wana come to the marlins, then outta nowhere he goes to the worst city behind detroit in oaktown.....he's not 9 million a year worthy but we'll see..he needs time to devlope but at that much, he's gonna get tossed in within a 2 months good keep him in the AL, as now all big boppers are in the AL and with our staff the FISH ARE GONNA TAKE OFF AND ROCK THE NL! EVERYBODY'S DOING THE FISH!!!!

Just like the Eagles in the NFL, the Marlins could pan out the same. Every year you think the Fish are world beaters, even when they couldn't spend or rather wouldn't.

[nitty48]

Now i hope the As keep young talent

[saratoga1927]

No one even knew the A's were in the mix.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities/dailypitch/post/2012/02/yoenis-cespedes-oakland-athletics-san-jose-stadium/1

Good win for the small market clubs.

worst case scenario we see he hits underhand pitching very well!

[Dutchie]

A's really need this guy to be big for them. what do they do with Crisp now?