I’m relatively flabbergasted right now, and there will be more to say on this later, but …
According to multiple reports, the Oakland A’s have signed Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to a four-year, $36 million deal.
Not the Marlins.
Not the Cubs.
Not even the Tigers or White Sox.
The Oakland A’s.
We didn’t even know until this moment that Cespedes had received his work visa, allowing him to sign with a Major League team. Talk about under the radar.
We did know that a number of teams were involved with Cespedes, who came to the States last week, ostensibly to meet with the Marlins – and only the Marlins.
UPDATE: It sounds like a big part of the reason the A’s were able to get Cespedes is because they, unlike other teams, were willing to give him a four-year deal with a grant of free agency at the end of those four years (typically, teams get six years of control, regardless of the initial contract (in other words, you typically have to achieve six years of service time to be granted free agency)). I wanted Cespedes, but on a four-year, $36 million deal with only those four years of control? No thanks. That’s too much risk with too little upside.