The Oakland Athletics received some praise from former outfielder, Yoenis Cespedes, this weekend during their stay in New York. Cespedes, a big part of Oakland’s offense in 2012, 2013 and 2014, stated he’d like to finish his career with the A’s.
The Oakland Athletics may not be the most popular club in sports, but Yoenis Cespedes definitely seems to miss his time in Oakland. Cespedes expressed interest in returning to the A’s before he steps away from the game for good.
Cespedes, 31, was a crucial part of Oakland’s success in 2012 and 2013. He was traded midway through the 2014 season for ace Jon Lester in a blockbuster trade that divided many experts.
The A’s went all in with Lester, but soon found out that the A’s offense was less potent without Cespedes. Oakland would spiral out of first-place and nearly missed the playoffs completely that year.
In his two-plus years with the A’s, Cespedes hit .262/.318/.470 with 66 HR and 229 RBI. His presence in Oakland’s offense was special, but some of his more memorable moments came from the outfield. His throwing power and accuracy was often on display whenever the A’s took the field.
The A’s surprised many when they landed Cespedes back in 2012 due to their relatively strict budget. Billy Beane and the A’s front office opened up their wallets, however, for Cespedes and they certainly looked smart doing so.
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Beane’s decision to trade Cespedes, though, continues to draw plenty of criticism from the team’s fanbase. The A’s owned the major’s best record in the first half of the 2014 season, but completed several trades in an effort to distance themselves from everyone else.
Unfortunately for the A’s, the deal proved to be a bust. Lester, while brilliant during the regular season, failed to live up to his price tag in the A’s Wild Card Game. Lester lost the game and the A’s were eliminated by the Royals.
Could He Return?
The A’s have already announced plans to carry out their massive rebuild project this year, so don’t expect Cespedes back in Oakland anytime soon.
Could he make an impact in the future? Sure. The A’s have surprised plenty of people over the years and helping Cespedes finish his career in green-and-gold doesn’t seem too farfetched.
The A’s will hopefully be in a new ballpark by the time Cespedes wants to return. Regardless of whether it happens or not, though, the thought of it is pretty special. Cespedes clearly enjoyed his time in Oakland and fans loved watching him in left field.
It was special seeing Barry Zito throw on the old green-and-gold in 2015 for his farewell season, so seeing Cespedes back in Oakland would be neat.