The Marlins reportedly offered Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes a six-year deal somewhere in the neighborhood of $30 million-plus last week, and appeared to be in the lead of the race to sign the outfielder. ESPN's Buster Olney however just tweeted that Cespedes has agreed to a four-year deal worth $36 million with the Oakland A's, who are apparently not sticking to their Moneyball credo.
The Marlins and Cespedes seemed like a perfect fit. The team could have used an outfielder, sure, but also could have used a nice way to excite the local Cuban community before moving into their brand new ballpark. In turn, Cespedes seemed hopeful that he could play in Miami when he visited last week.
"It is too early to speak about that, but there is no doubt that I would like to play in front of so many Cubans in Miami," Cespedes told the Miami Herald last week. "Here, I would get [the Cubans'] support, and that genuine support is very important. But there are things that are out of my control and are best kept with my attorneys.
Instead he'll be playing in the decidedly less Cuban Oakland.
There was some concern over whether or not Cespedes may need to spend some time in the minor leagues, but Olney reports that he'll start off on the A's regular roster.
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