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Yoenis Cespedes drawing interest from Atlanta Braves?

By John Buhler

Oct 30, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets center fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) drives in a run with a sacrifice fly against the Kansas City Royals in the sixth inning in game three of the World Series at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets center fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) drives in a run with a sacrifice fly against the Kansas City Royals in the sixth inning in game three of the World Series at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /
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Yoenis Cespedes is one of the few big free agents still available this late in the game. Would the Atlanta Braves be a team Cespedes could play for in 2016?

According to Jon Heyman of the MLB Network, the Atlanta Braves are a team that has real interest in free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.

Cespedes is a 30-year-old Cuban defector that has spent his four MLB seasons with the Oakland Athletics, the Boston Red Sox, the Detroit Tigers, and the New York Mets. He made the postseason as a key piece for the Oakland Athletics (2012-13) and the 2015 National League Champion New York Mets, coming over to Queens from the Detroit Tigers around the 2015 MLB Trade Deadline.

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Yoenis Cespedes likely wants a longer deal than what the Mets are willing to offer him, so that could explain why he has not signed with a club for 2016 only a few weeks away from Spring Training.

What could make Atlanta an appealing situation for Yoenis Cespedes is that the Braves organization already have several key members and players of Cuban descent on the club in manager Fredi Gonzalez, bench coach Carlos Tosca, and third baseman/left fielder Hector Olivera.

Atlanta, though in an obvious rebuilding situation, may still look to make one marquee offseason before venturing to Lake Buena Vista for Spring Training. The problem is that the Atlanta Braves already have five guys on their 25-man roster that can and will play the outfield: Michael Bourn, Ender Inciarte, Nick Markakis, Hector Olivera, and Nick Swisher.

The Braves may prioritize a move involving likely all but Olivera should the club wish to acquire Yoenis Cespedes in a free agency deal. Inciarte has a ton of interest from other clubs since coming to Atlanta in the Shelby Miller deal several weeks ago.

Markakis is still productive, but had no power coming off off-season neck surgery. The Woodstock native is still a Gold Glove caliber defender, can hit anywhere up and down the lineup, and would have three years of control on his current deal with the Atlanta Braves signed last winter.

While Atlanta will look to move possibly both Bourn and Swisher, expect the Braves to eat most of both declining players salaries the acquired from the Cleveland Indians last summer.

Next: Ender Inciarte drawing interest from Houston Astros

Though Atlanta will likely be a big spender before entering their new ballpark in 2017 at SunTrust Park, don’t expect the club to break the bank at any point this offseason. It would be out of character for the front office to sign Cespedes to a long-term deal when the organization has clearly made a point to invest in the future by stockpiling assets at the Minor League level.

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