Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus reports (via MLBTR) that the Pittsburgh Pirates will be one of the teams who will be scheduling a visit with Cuban defector Yoenis Cespedes in the coming weeks. We heard on Monday that the Pirates were one of the teams who attended the workouts of Cespedes.
The article by Goldstein also features some quotes from Edgar Mercedes, the advisor to Cespedes, who created the video. Mercedes talks about how the video went viral, and how there is a new, edited, version up, without the rap songs and the pig roast at the end. Mercedes added that he’s confident that Cespedes will be in Spring Training with a major league club.
Tim started Pirates Prospects in 2009 from his home in Virginia, which was 40 minutes from where Pedro Alvarez made his pro debut in Lynchburg. That year, the Lynchburg Hillcats won the Carolina League championship, and Pirates Prospects was born from Tim's reporting along the way. The site has grown over the years to include many more writers, and Tim has gone on to become a credentialed MLB reporter, producing Pirates Prospects each year, and will publish his 11th Prospect Guide this offseason. He has also served as the Pittsburgh Pirates correspondent for Baseball America since 2019. Behind the scenes, Tim is an avid music lover, and most of the money he gets paid to run this site goes to vinyl records.
This is the perfect kind of signing this club needs to make. With all the money coming off the books, we definitely have the recources to pay around 30-40 million. Also, instead of signing a veteran like Lee who has no future with the team we can sign a player like Cespedes who could be our first baseman for he next six years. Now, I know he is not a firts baseman but with his size it shoulnt be a tough transition. Plus he would get us some steals at a position where your lucky to get 5.
Size has nothing to do with learning to be a 1B. If he has no past experience there, it would be a really tough transition. But if he’s a legit OF, it would open the possiblity of a trade of Tabata/ Cutch / or Presley for a real 1B, C or SP
Is he worth 30 or 40 Mill? Does he have power?
All time single season HR leader in Cuba with 34? Seems to have several good tools, and would make a nice RF addition to the club and lord knows the team has the money to spend.