WHY IT'S ABOUT TO GET HOT & HEAVY FOR CESPEDES

I was in denial for a few days.... but it’s clear... the Yankees aren’t getting Yu Darvish. As disappointing as it is, if the Rangers want to spend that money on bidding rights for Darvish, well, then you really can’t blame Cashman and the Steinbrenner boys for losing out. Word is the bigger the posting fee, the bigger contract Darvish is going to demand as a sort of way to protest the twisted posting system. What was looking like an $100 million commitment could quickly become a $130 million commitment. Even with only a bit more than $70 million of that counting towards payroll, that is a massive commitment for a team trying to cut payroll.

So while Darvish may not have been a financially viable option for the Bombers, there’s another big international name that could end up being the big off-season acquisition Yankees fans have become accustomed to. I’m talking, of course, about Yoennis Cespedes.Cespedes gained a cult following of sorts following his outlandish scouting video, but it revealed relatively little about him as a player. Sure the Star Wars intro was fun, the music was, at times, hilarious, and he displayed the most amazing rotisserie pit cleaning skills I’ve ever seen in the end, but as far as scouting goes, it helped very little beyond give some pretty phenomenal statistics from the equivalent of a minor league.

Apparently Cespedes got the message from all the GMs and decided to send in a video that is actually useful. I present to you, Yoennis Cespedes Encore...

Yoennis Cespedes Encore from Baseball2011DR on Vimeo.

The brilliant Star Wars introduction is still there, but there is a hell of a lot more hitting and running than before. He even decides that showing off his powerful arm from the outfield might be more helpful than catching balls behind his back. The displays of freakish athleticism are still there; he sprints 60 yards in a mere 6.41 seconds and shows off a 37” vertical leap (which according to the information provided in the video is somewhere in between Derrick Rose and Kobe Bryant). There’s not much you can say about Cespedes’ athleticism that hasn’t already been said. To keep it nice and short: He’s the new Bo Jackson.

Unlike Darvish, who the Yankees were long said to be wary of, the Yankees have been called early front runners for Cespedes along with the New York Marlins… rather Miami Marlins, sorry the money they suddenly have confused me, and the Tigers. ESPN’s Wallace Matthews doesn’t seem to think so, read HERE. Let's face it though, none of these guys really know and Matthews has been wrong before… actually he’s wrong a lot, just one of many reasons I’m not a fan. My gut says that no matter how they try to make it look, the Marlins don’t have enough money to offer any more than what Aroldis Chapman got, an offer the Yankees will certainly top. The Tigers could be a legitimate threat, but Detroit just doesn’t seem like an ideal destination for a Cuban player. In Miami or New York he’s got entire communities surrounding him to make him comfortable, but in Detroit there’s really nothing. If it comes down to New York or Detroit offering similar money, I bet everything that the Yankees get him.
Some may be wondering why exactly the Yankees need Cespedes? That’s a perfectly reasonable question...Curtis Granderson, Brett Gardner, and Nick Swisher may very well have been the most valuable outfield trio in baseball last year (worth 7.0, 5.1, and 3.8 fWAR respectively for a total of 15.9 wins above replacement). All played solid defense, screw what UZR says, Gardner merely stole plays from Granderson which killed his numbers, and were potent offensive threats each for their own reason. Granderson has incredible power, Gardner has blistering speed, and Swish works the count and gets on base better than anyone on the team. It seems like the perfect combination, but what if you could take the weak link, Swisher, and replace him with a guy who is 5 years younger and can do everything? Would there be any reason not to do it?

I know it’s a marathon, not a sprint, but Nick's post-season struggles in my opinion make me disappointed with Swish sometimes. Sure, there’s no guarantee Cespedes becomes a post-season hero, but frankly it doesn’t get much worse than Swisher in that regard.

If you ask me, Cespedes is more than just a luxury or a way to flex our proverbial muscles on the international market before the CBA forces us to put away the big guns; he’s what the Yankees need right now. He’s an exciting young player with a lot of energy. Jesus Montero fits the first two points, but what’s desperately lacking on this club is energy. Being classy is great, I agree, but watch Cespedes as he hits an opposite field bomb at the World Baseball Classic in the video. He claps, pounds his chest, and proudly struts around the bases. Some of you may think he’s just being an ass, but the way I see it, as long as that energy comes from skill and not just from a tendency to be a goofball, it can only do good for the team.
Cespedes is a five-tool player, a guy who could become a perennial 30-30 threat. He may never endear himself to the crowd like Swish has, but he’s just the dose of youthful energy and incredible talent we need to get things rolling again. He won’t be cheap by any means, but he’s not going to cost any more than Swisher’s $10.25 million, and he sure as hell won’t require the Yankees to shell out well over $100 million like the Rangers will have to if they want Darvish. It may be hasty, but I say we do our best to put Swisher in a package for the number two or high end number three starter we’ve been desperately searching for, and bring in Cespedes and that's my opinion of course and you will have yours. I’d like to be sure we have Cespedes locked up and he can at least play adequately before we start dealing to make room for him, but by the trade deadline next season I’d like to see Cespedes patrolling right field on a regular basis. What do you think?



--Grant Cederquist, BYB Staff Writer

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