Yoenis Cespedes has yet to obtain a work visa from the Dominican Republic three weeks after signing a four-year, $36 million contract with the A’s, but general manager Billy Beane said yesterday that the team expects him in camp “very soon.”
Jane Lee of MLB.com writes that “there’s a strong possibility” Cespedes will arrive at spring training over the weekend, leaving him plenty of time to get ready for Opening Day.
Cespedes established residency in the Dominican Republic after defecting from Cuba, allowing him to become a free agent and negotiate with all 30 teams. According to Lee the three-week delay “is rather normal” within the visa process and is not the result of a problem.
Once he does arrive Cespedes is expected to become the A’s everyday center fielder, although Coco Crisp may still have something to say about that (literally and figuratively).
