What’s scarier than Bryce Harper? How about Bryce Harper stacked on top of Yoenis Cespedes?
Not literally, of course, although that would indeed be scary. As a middle-of-the-lineup duo for the Washington Nationals or anyone else, however, it’s tough to imagine a more fearsome twosome.
As of January 12, Cespedes still doesn’t have a job. Someone is going to pay him to play baseball next season, but it’s unclear who that will be.
That’s been the nature of this winter’s hitters market, which has developed more slowly than an unshaken Polaroid. In addition to Cespedes, five-tool 28-year-old Justin Upton and reigning MLB home run leader Chris Davis, among others, sat unsigned entering Tuesday.
As for the Nats/Cespedes connection, it’s mostly speculative. On Dec. 31, CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman posited Washington as a possible landing spot for the Cuban slugger, but he quoted a team-connected source as saying, “Probably not, at least not at the moment.”
The Nationals have since acquired center fielder Ben Revere from the Toronto Blue Jays for reliever Drew Storen. With Harper ensconced in right field, veteran Jayson Werth in left and youngster Michael Taylor also in the mix, it might seem like there’s no room for Cespedes.
Werth, though, is coming off an injury-marred campaign that saw him hit just .221 with a .685 OPS in 88 games. Taylor is a talented but unproven commodity. And Revere, while a nice ancillary addition, is several notches below elite.
Cespedes, meanwhile, would immediately and measurably move the Nats’ offensive needle northward. And, again, pairing him with Harper would create a duo that would cause opposing pitchers to wake in a cold sweat, mumbling about fastballs deposited into the stratosphere.
Here’s a number: 16.2. That’s what you get when you combine Harper’s MLB-leading 9.5 WAR and Cespedes’ No. 7-ranked 6.7 tally, per FanGraphs.
If you don’t love WAR, you can add up Harper’s 42 home runs and Cespedes’ 35. Or Harper’s 99 RBI and Cespedes’ 105. Or—well, you get the idea. These are two of the premier mashers in the game, no matter which measure you choose.
Cespedes makes his presence felt in the field as well. He has a howitzer arm and was the best defensive left fielder in baseball last season.
“He’s got all the tools, that’s for sure,” said Michael Cuddyer of his then-New York Mets teammate last August, per John Harper of the New York Daily News. “He’s like Home Depot.”
Cespedes arrived in New York at the trade deadline and proceeded to go on an otherworldly tear, propelling the Mets to their first postseason appearance since 2006.
Now, after signing former Met Daniel Murphy, the Nationals could twist the knife in the defending National League champs by nabbing Cespedes.
Yes, there are risks. As Eno Sarris noted at ESPN.com, the projection systems are foretelling a significant decline at the plate for Cespedes next season. And as the New York Daily News‘ Harper outlined, “Cespedes has been dogged by whispers that he’s a bit of a diva who has done things his way in the past and hasn’t been the most coachable player in the game.”
That alone is a red flag for a club that’s trying to pick up the pieces of a lost season, one that bloomed with hype and promise and withered with inconsistency and infighting.
But new skipper Dusty Baker, legitimate criticisms aside, is an accomplished players’ manager who has worked with outsized personalities ranging from Barry Bonds to Sammy Sosa. Surely, he could juggle the egos of Cespedes and Harper and retain a modicum of clubhouse harmony.
The most talked-about aspect of the Nationals’ 2015 collapse was the team’s less-than-advertised super-rotation. But an offense that posted the second-lowest batting average in the NL after the All-Star break didn’t help.
Will Washington actually land Cespedes? It seems less likely after the Revere trade, but the Nationals did make a serious run at Jason Heyward before he signed for eight years and $184 million with the Chicago Cubs, meaning a nine-figure offer for an outfielder isn’t beyond the realm of possibility.
Should it happen? Doubters can debate the merits of giving eye-popping years and dollars to the 30-year-old Cespedes. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe reported the figure “being bandied” is six years and around $150 million. That’s a major investment.
Remember, though, Harper could become a free agent as soon as 2019, and right-hander Stephen Strasburg may bolt after this season.
The time is now for the perennially underachieving Nats. The window won’t stay open forever. Which means it’s time to get bold, get scary and, why not, get Cespedes.
All statistics and contract information courtesy of FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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