Yoenis Cespedes signs with Oakland Athletics – MLB News
Cuban slugging power house Yoenis Cespedes has finally signed with the Oakland Athletics after media attention increased as he is being pursued by the Miami Marlins. Athletics gave Cespedes a lucrative four-year, $36 million deal which also includes incentives and bonuses.
Miami came very close to sign him, but at the last moment Cespedes and his agent decided what they considered better and agreed on Athletics’ offer. .
"At the end of the day with all these big free agents, it comes down to the total package," Cespedes' agent, Adam Katz told the media. "Sure, money and the economic package had something to do with it. But it's also about all the surrounding circumstances. And basically, this was a player who felt like this club wanted him more than anybody else."
Many baseball experts however, are also happy for Cespedes’ arrival in the Athletics roster that certainly needed a good player in this offseason to compete well in the 2012 Major League Baseball competition.
"You can dream on him all day," Baseball Prospectus' Kevin Goldstein said. "He's the best athlete the team has by a mile the second he shows up in Arizona. He's built like an elite NFL running back."
Cespedes, whose journey towards a potential entrance into the Major League seems over, is also very happy as he successfully signed a relatively long four year contract. He might have been given a one or two year deal but the hard-work of his agent truly proved wonderful for him as he helped Cespedes achieve a four year contract.
Initially, speculation came out that wherever he will sign, he will be given a short contract. Though he has not played in the Major League before but he still possesses some huge experience playing at the international level. Before defecting, he played in the Cuban National baseball team for quite some time.
However, his journey from Cuba to America is also an interesting subject for many. First, to play in MLB, he defected from Cuba and applied for nationality in the Dominican Republic. Receiving this nationality was the first step that eventually led to his entrance into MLB.
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