Peter Gammons reports on Twitter that he “thrice” heard baseball executives say, “Watch the Astros on Cespedes.” The free agent outfielder’s market is reportedly “intensifying” nearing the end of the month.
The Astros’ reported interest in Cespedes is a bit interesting because they have three starting-caliber outfielders already in Colby Rasmus, Carlos Gomez, and George Springer with Preston Tucker behind them. Evan Gattis currently lays claim to the DH role. The Astros would likely need to deal one of these players to facilitate bringing Cespedes aboard.
Cespedes reportedly had a five-year offer from the Orioles and has also drawn interest from the Mets and White Sox as well. The latter two teams, however, would only be interested in a short-term deal. There is a possibility that Cespedes takes a one-year deal with the intent of striking a more lucrative deal next offseason.
Cespedes, 30, hit .291/.328/.542 with 35 home runs and 105 RBI between the Tigers and Mets this past season. He was particularly helpful to the Mets, as his second-half surge helped them win the division. The slugger belted 17 home runs in 31 games between August 12 and September 14.