Ok, I’m not sure why, but while I was excited to see Yoennis Cespedes in the major leagues, and possibly on the New York Yankees… I got even more excited when I saw this:
This is Cespedes hitting a monster home run in the Dominican Republic league. It wasn’t only massive, it was awesome. I strangely reminded me of Gary Sheffield…not the stance, but the swing and I was immediately wooed. I pictured him wearing road grays and in Fenway park and the Yankees were down by 1 and a man was on second, and then, Cespedes catapults one over the green monster. Next thing you know, Mariano Rivera comes in, 1, 2, 3 and the Yankees win big all because of the kid from Cuba. I don’t know why, but my gut had him on the Yankees and I was watching that home run.
Cespedes has established residency and filed for free agency which means now he can negotiate with teams. Read about it HERE. And now the bidding begins. The question is, do the Yankees have a legitimate shot at any of these Cuban ballplayers? I mean, we’ve heard many times that the Yankees are “attached” Jorge Soler, or Gerardo Concepcion or Cespedes, but then you hear that it’s not in the budget. Hey, I’m not going to lie, after the Montero / Pineda trade, I don’t know what to think anymore, Cashman has me guessing. Bottom line, I know the Yankees would love to see at least one of them in their organization, but I honestly think the timing is wrong.
It’s funny how it all goes down. First Yoennis Cespedes comes to light and the world seems interested. The Yankees were at the top of that list. As of recently, it appears to be the Cubs, the White Sox and the Marlins. Sure the kid’s got talent, but can the Yankees really afford it? If I had to predict, which I hate doing, I would suggest either the Miami Marlins or the Chicago Cubs will snatch up Cespedes. It’s going to be interesting, especially as we are just a few weeks away from spring training.
Jorge Soler is another guy the Yankees “like”. Read about it HERE. Again though, there is not a ton of information about him, other than he’s mad talented. Soler is 19 and a power hitting outfielder. Again, could the Yankees seriously consider this kid after they’ve been bitching about money all winter? Maybe they can snag him if they try to unload AJ Burnett, but let’s be honest, even if they do that, they’ll probably end up paying a lot of Burnett’s remaining salary. It’s no easy task for the Yankees.
Gerardo Concepcion: The Yankees have plenty of pitching right now, but I love to stock pile pitchers. There is no doubt a home run hitter is more appealing to watch, but if what they say is true about Concepcion, I’d like to see this guy in pinstripes. The Yankees, Rangers and others are interested in this kid. Read about it HERE. According to ESPN, Concepcion was named:
"...Rookie of the year for the 2010-11 season in the Cuban Serie Nacional, the country's main amateur league. He went 10-3 with a 3.36 ERA in 21 games, including 16 starts, with Industriales de la Habana."
The big question is, will the New York Yankees bite at one of these Cuban superstars or pass, with a major concern that the Boston Red Sox will swoop in and snag one first? Read HERE. Money’s always been no issue for the Yankees… why does there have to be an issue now?
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