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Boston Red Sox Shopping Yoenis Cespedes This Winter?

By Ed Carroll

Sep 17, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) hits balls to infielders during batting practice before playing the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 17, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) hits balls to infielders during batting practice before playing the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Boston Red Sox traded for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes in July this season, but could shop him this winter as he doesn’t appear interested in a contract extension, and the Red Sox are stocked with outfielders.

Is Yoenis Cespedes simply making a pit stop with the Boston Red Sox? Reports out of Boston indicate that Cespedes said late in the 2014 season he wasn’t interested in negotating a long-term extension with Boston, who acquired Cespedes in July from the Oakland Athletics in exchange for Jon Lester and Jonny Gomes. Cespedes has also been adverse to playing right field with the Red Sox, and it looks like Boston could try to trade the final year of Cespedes’s contract in order to clear space for the team’s young outfield talent.

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Boston was already out of the playoff race when they picked up Cespedes on July 31, but the prevailing thought was that since Cespedes was owed $10.2 million in 2015, the worst-case scenario for the Red Sox would simply be for Cespedes to play out his contract and offer the 29-year old Cuban a qualifying offer, ensuring draft-pick compensation.

Now, it appears Boston doesn’t want to wait that long, and would prefer to clear the outfield for youngsters such as Jackie Bradley Jr., Mookie Betts, or possibly Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo, who made his MLB debut for the Red Sox in late September. Keeping Cespedes and moving him at the next trade deadline is also still a possibility for Boston.

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