Report: Red Sox may try to trade Cespedes

Yoenis Cespedes’ stay in Boston may not last very long. (USATSI)

Will outfielder Yoenis Cespedes’ stay with the Red Sox be a brief one? Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, in the midst of his must-read “Sunday Baseball Notes” column, writes that Boston may be looking to trade Cespedes this offseason. As Cafardo notes, Cespedes recently expressed some reluctance to sign with the Red Sox long-term.

Cespedes, 29, is heading into the final year of the four-year, $36-million deal he signed with the Athletics prior to the 2012 season. He’ll make $10.5-million in 2015.

For his career, Cespedes owns a line of .263/.316/.464 (119 OPS+) with 71 homers in 416 games. The right-handed slugger has power, but he’s seen his fly-ball tendencies decline in recent years, which in turn limited his ability to take advantage of Fenway’s Green Monster. At this point, the Red Sox may be thinking that his perceived value outstrips his actual value — hence their reported willingness to move Cespedes.

Boston originally acquired Cespedes at this year’s non-waiver trade deadline as part of the deal that sent Jon Lester to the A’s.

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