Red Sox OF Yoenis Cespedes rooting for A’s to win World Series
The decision by the Oakland A’s to trade Yoenis Cespedes at the MLB trade deadline for Jon Lester was a surprising and bold move by Oakland general manager Billy Beane, and one that may come to backfire on him, but Cespedes holds no ill will against his former team.
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When Oakland traded their cleanup hitter for Lester, one of the best active postseason pitchers, it signaled an “all-in” approach from the A’s as they look to win that elusive World Series under Beane after falling short numerous times.
In a classy move by Cespedes, the current Boston Red Sox outfielder tells MLB.com that he is rooting for his former teammates and hopes the A’s can go all the way this year and win the World Series.
"“I don’t hold any hard feelings or resentment toward them,” Cespedes said. “Apart from the game being fun, it’s also a business, and I understand that side of it, so I don’t harbor any negative feelings toward them. On the contrary, I wish them nothing but the best. I hope that they keep fighting, and I hope they win the World Series.”"
Cespedes has hit only .219 following the trade but he does have 12 runs batted in and has scored 11 runs in 15 games.
Lester has a 3-1 record with a 2.93 ERA in four starts with Oakland, but the A’s have lost seven of their last eight games and fallen a half game behind the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the American League west.
It can be easy to hold a grudge when a team in first place trades you to a team in last place in the American League East, so this shows that Cespedes is a professional in every sense of the word with this mature approach.