Yoenis Cespedes could be one of the few lone bright spots in what figures to otherwise be a rather dreary season for the Oakland Athletics. But unfortunately it's looking like there will some be blotches here too. Geoff James of CSN Bay Area files this report.
When Yoenis Cespedes signed a four-year, $36 million contract with the A's in February, his representatives say he agreed to pay 17-percent of his total income to the Born To Play Academy in the Dominican Republic, and 5-percent more to the Wasserman Group, the company which represented him in contract negotiations with the A's. According to an ESPNDeportes.com report, Cespedes has not paid either.
According to the report, Cespedes told reporters in Boston the stories are "internet rumors," but Born to Play Academy president Edgar Mercedes has filed an arbitration claim in Dominican court for breach of contract against Cespedes. "Yoenis has not complied with the agreement, which obliges us to resort to Dominican law to force him to do it."
Cespedes defected from Cuba to the Dominican Republic in 2011 to seek free agency in Major League Baseball, and has been a Dominican resident since the beginning of 2012. Cespedes signed with the Athletics earlier this season, and the contract that afforded him the money that apparently got him into his current trouble.
In the Cuban league, Cespdes went bombs away, averaging over .300/.400/.600 in his final three seasons and is considered one of the best pure talents to ever emerge from Cuba in recent memory.
To talk about Cespedes with A's fans, head on over to Athletics Nation.
Check out the SB Nation MLB YouTube channel below and see if you'd be willing to subscribe.