Cespedes in Detroit Tigers Clubhouse Could Be Problematic
Sep 27, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) hits an RBI single during the first inning against the New York Yankees at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Lets gets this out in the open. I don’t think the Yoenis Cespedes trade was the best idea, in the long-term. The trade does do what a trade should do; it makes the team better. Cespedes in one of the best corners in the league. He is an everyday player in right field and another power bat in the lineup. That part is great and if it ends up helping the Detroit Tigers win a World Series than awesome and I like the trade more.
It is the ever-present downsides to Cespedes that is the worry.
Undisciplined at the plate
While Cespedes is technically a power bat for the lineup, he also lacks plate discipline. He struck out 128 times last season, he only walked 35 times. In his three seasons in the major leagues he has struck out 367 times. Watching Cespedes at the plate you see him swing at sometimes the worst pitches, sometimes he swings at anything and everything. Being an aggressive hitter is a good thing, but being a senseless hitter is not good at all.
Only one year left on his contract
Cespedes has one year left on his contract before becoming a free agent. Cespedes is essentially a rental player for the Tigers and unless he has a MVP season and loves the motor city, the chances of us signing him might not be likely. It is hard to tell what money Cespedes and his agent will demand after this season, it’s hard to tell yet what he will command as a player.
Clubhouse problems
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“He marches to his own drum and the coaches all hate him,” said a Boston Red Soxs insider about Cespedes. This really should worry any team when picking up a player. Words was similar in Oakland too, Cespedes rubbed some people the wrong way. You can be a good player, but if you are in nice terms, a terrible teammate your numbers mean a lot less sometimes to a team. If Cespedes couldn’t get along with David Ortiz, how is he going to react when Miguel Cabrera or Victor Martinez gets on him for something?
I hope this trade works out for the season, I like the two pitching prospects that the Tigers got from the Red Soxs. If anything this season is shaping up to be an interesting one to say the least.