Florida Marlins: Front-Runners for Cuban CF Yoenis Céspedes

The Marlins' first and perhaps biggest splash of free agency may not be signing one of the trio of Pujols, Fielder, and Reyes. Instead, the Marlins might land what Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus calls "arguably the best all-around player to come out of Cuba in a generation." The 26 year old Yoenis Céspedes defected from Cuba earlier this year and is currently in the Dominican Republic.

According to Yahoo's Jeff Passan, Cespedes is expected to be cleared for free agency within the next few weeks. Cespedes would give the Marlins the long coveted center fielder they haven't been able to keep and, according to Goldstein, would bring, "plus power and speed," which could essentially be make him a 30-30 or even a 40-40 guy in the big leagues.

But the Marlins are not alone in their pursuit of the center fielder. The Phillies, Yankees and Nationals are reportedly hot after him as well, this according to Passan and Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post.

In addition to the rave reviews, Goldstein details the 20-minute YouTube video that was produced by Céspedes' advisor Edgar Mercedes. In the video, Céspedes is shown doing everything from blasting home runs (can he hit them further than Mike Stanton?) to sprinting on a track (faster than Bonifacio?) to showing off a 45-inch vertical leap (Logan Morrison will want his legs) to leg-pressing more than 1,300 pounds (John Buck will be jealous).

This surely is the guy the Marlins need to sign. With a reported figure expected to be within the $30 million range like that of Aroldis Chapman, another Cuban defector who the Marlins lost out on, the team knows it must make the smart and inexpensive move to sign him.

Céspedes would likely be a candidate for the two or three hole in the lineup, with Hanley Ramirez hitting behind him and Mike Stanton not trailing far behind. A possible signing can be expected near Thanksgiving or into the December.