Houston Astros: The Latest on Yoenis Cespedes

Here is all the Latest Scoop on the Astros and Yoenis Cespedes, is Houston really a Contender?

Alright people, IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING. The Houston Astros and Yoenis Cespedes have been linked in a report from a credible baseball writer. If you ask other editors and writers for the site, they would tell you that I have been longing for this day, as I have vouched for Cespedes since July (Although this was a pro and con piece, believe me I favored acquiring Cespedes). Anyway, let’s get to the latest news.

This single tweet from Peter Gammons has Astros fans stirring, and rightfully so. Not only would signing Cespedes be a major statement from the Astros front office about the direction of the organization, but it would also probably include subsequent moves before Spring Training. The deal would probably include well over $100 million and last for 5 or more years.

The Astros front office has been relatively quiet in the free agent market this offseason, and Cespedes could be the big splash that Houston fans are waiting for. Many Astros fans have been longing for the club to make a big move, while others hope the club saves their money wisely and waits for prospects to develop. While there are many opinions on the matter, I would rather use this article to help explain the facts on why Cespedes is an option for Houston.

Before the weekend, there were no real signs pointing to the Astros having any involvement in the Cespedes sweepstakes, as the New York Mets and Baltimore Orioles were the presumed favorites. The Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox, and Los Angeles Angels were also in the mix.

Then on Sunday morning, Ken Rosenthal gave Astros fans a spark of hope with an article denouncing any claims that Cespedes would agree to a short-term deal, probably eliminating the Mets, Angels, and White Sox. Rosenthal cited a recent switch in representation, age, and production as reasons why Cespedes would not sign in the short-term. This helped the Astros more through the process of elimination, but also because they do have money to spend.

Jim Bowden of ESPN also reported that talks are intensifying with Cespedes and that a deal could be imminent. He also included that as many as 10 teams are still in contact with Cespedes’ camp. If there are ten teams involved, why can’t the Astros be one of those teams? This tweet definitely might have caused some Astros fans to amount some optimism, if they were following closely.

While all of these early morning tweets were nice flashes of hope, the Gammons afternoon Twitter bomb is what broke the brains of Astros fans wide open. Astros outfielders Preston Tucker, Jake Marisnick, Carlos Gomez, and Evan Gattis were also put on alert as well.

You know something has to be up when Gammons says “Thrice”. I mean come on, this all has to be true, right? What would Luhnow do with the other outfielders? Do the Astros have the money? Would this signing lead to subsequent moves? Gammons has to be right about this, he was right on the Scott Kazmir trade!

Next: Houston Astros: Why GM Jeff Luhnow Should Pursue Ian Desmond

These were all the thoughts of hopeful and confused Astros fans on Sunday afternoon. Personally, I was a bit skeptical. I mean, didn’t we all go through this charade last January with Max Scherzer? I like the fact that the Astros are always the “mystery team” with free agents, but I’m always going to ride with the story. Astros fans should stay on alert, because it looks like the hometown team is in the mix for a very productive hitter in Cespedes. I hope this article has you caught up to start the week.