The Washington Nationals have reportedly emerged as a suitor for Yoenis Cespedes.
According to FOX Sports’s Ken Rosenthal, the team has made Cespedes an offer, and ownership is “intrigued” by the outfielder. The offer, however, is reportedly for less than the Tigers gave to Justin Upton, who Rosenthal reports was also being pursued by the Nationals before ultimately joining Detroit.
The Nationals had looked to be set in the outfield spots after trading for Ben Revere, who was likely to be flanked with Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper. The Nationals did, however, pursue Jason Heyward earlier on the offseason, though that was before the team traded for Revere.
Rosenthal noted that the Mets and White Sox also maintain interest in Cespedes, but they have been unwilling to offer the outfielder more than a three year deal.
The Nationals are one of those teams that are always looking for upgrades, even if they appear set at every position. It’s clear they’d have some sort of plan to work Cespedes into the lineup if they’re going as far as to pursue him. The Orioles had reportedly made a competitive offer to Cespedes, but ultimately ended up bringing Chris Davis back for far more than Cespedes would have cost.
