It seems that a lot of teams are interested in the same thing, which is very good for someone like Yoenis Cespedes, who can fill a lot of needs with just one signing, although an expensive one, with the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White possibly in the lead to sign the Cuban outfielder.
Right now Cespedes seems to have priced himself out for pretty much everyone, asking for six years and $150 million on his next deal. For someone who has played on four different teams since joining the majors in 2012, that’s quite the commitment. There are those who believe Cespedes can be persuaded to sign a shorter deal, which would make it a lot easier to stomach the kind of money he’s demanding per annum.
Not that Cespedes isn’t good enough to command a big salary. He made $10.5 million a season over the last two years, which has included a stint with the Tigers (18 home runs, hitting .293 in 102 games) before getting traded to the New York Mets, with his regular season offense possibly being the biggest reason they made the playoffs eventually, hitting 17 home runs in just 57 games to complete a fantastic 2015 with a career high 35 home runs and winning the Gold Glove award for the first time.
The Tigers would like to bring him back and this time not have to give up on him before the season is over. They got two minor leaguers from the Mets in return, and it’ll be interesting to see what their offer to him will be. The Tigers don’t have a problem of spending money on a big hitter they really want, but right now, it seems that unless Cespedes changes his demands, which means ask for less money, the Tigers might be a bit out of reach.
A division rival also interested in Cespedes and in left fielders generally are the Chicago White Sox, who are also looking at Alex Gordon as a possibility, although he isn’t asking for less money. Cespedes is a little younger than Gordon, which makes him more likely to accept a shorter deal if he sees that nothing is moving. The White Sox might have to make some moves in order to make money available for Cespedes, regardless of the length of his next deal, with Adam LaRoche and Melky Cabrera as the prime candidates to be traded.