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Yoenis Cespedes on A's: 'Don't they want to win a championship?'
Back in Oakland on Monday for the first time since he was traded by the Athletics last July, Detroit Tigers outfielder Yoenis Cespedes took on a very different team than the one he left last season.
Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, Derek Norris, Jeff Samardzija, and even the player Cespedes was traded for, Jon Lester, are among the notable players no longer around.
The stark and sudden changes surprised Cespedes, though he admits he was warned that moving players before they get too expensive for GM Billy Beane and the budget-conscious Athletics was the reality of their situation.
From Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle:
With reporter Jorge Ortiz interpreting, Cespedes said that former A’s coach Ariel Prieto had explained to him that “Oakland is a school where they develop the players and then they let them go.
“I was a little surprised to see some of the main players leave,” Cespedes added. “Then why operate? Don't they want to win a championship?”
[Woah, The Stew has a podcast now?! Yep, you should listen.]
You can see where Cespedes is coming from. Oakland has traded some excellent players recently and so far it hasn't paid off as the A's currently have worst record in the American League at 17-30.
The fans certainly understand and share Cespedes' frustration. They welcomed their former star with a standing ovation during pregame introduction and when he stepped to the plate for his first at-bat of Monday's game, a 4-0 A's win.
It must have been a little strange for Cespedes, back in a familiar setting surrounded by unfamiliar faces, but he's in a good situation now in Detroit where he'll try to do what he couldn't in Oakland: win in the postseason.
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Israel Fehr is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at israelfehr@yahoo.ca or follow him on Twitter. Follow @israelfehr
