It took nearly the entire offseason, but Yoenis Cespedes is finally a free agent. The top Cuban prospect has been a hot item since free agency began in early November, but as he hadn't yet established residency in another country outside Cuba, he couldn't officially be listed as a free agent. After gaining residency in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday, though, Cespedes has now been officially cleared by MLB and teams have been given the go-ahead to start bidding on him.
With Prince Fielder off the market, Yoenis Cespedes has suddenly become the top free agent position player still available. He has already drawn interest from around 10 teams, although the Cubs, Marlins, and Tigers were thought to be his top three suitors. The Tigers can likely now be scratched off that list, as they spent their remaining payroll room on Prince Fielder, but I wouldn't be surprised to see the Nationals jump into the fray. They are in need of a center fielder, and since they missed out on Fielder, they have the money to spend.
The Miami Marlins intend to be aggressive in pursuing Cespedes, chasing him "right to the point of stupidity", but there are mixed reports on if the interest is mutual. According to Danny Knobler from CBS Sports, Cespedes has told teams that he would prefer not to play in Miami. Then again, Marlins beat writer Joe Frisaro is hearing that Cespedes has no qualms about playing in Miami....so who knows? Only time will tell at this point.
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