The Marlins plan on giving another veteran outfielder a comeback shot. The team on Wednesday signed Austin Kearns to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training.
Kearns, a 10-year major league veteran, enjoyed his best seasons with the Cincinnati Reds from 2002-06 but has struggled the past few seasons with Cleveland and the Yankees. It looked early on that Kearns would live up to expectations that came with being the seventh overall pick in the 1998 amateur draft when he finished third in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2002.
But it hasn't turned out that way. Kearns has played more than 120 games just twice, most recently with the Nationals in 2007.
Kearns won't be the only veteran outfielder looking to reclaim his stature with the Marlins during spring training. The team has also signed Aaron Rowand to a minor-league deal.
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And, according to Baseball America, Cuban outfielder Yoenis Cespedes has been granted free agency by Major League Baseball. The league informed teams today that they could begin negotiating with Cespedes, who recently gained residency status in the Dominican Republic.
All of which means, of course, that the Marlins are probably already on the phone with Cespedes' agent trying to work a deal. The Marlins are hungry for Cespedes.
Have been watching Cespedes play for a couple of weeks, he is a strikeout machine! He's hit one homerun in the DR league in about 50 AB with a bunch of whiffs. Hope he is just rusty
Posted by: DR Dolfan | January 25, 2012 at 06:28 PM
Austin Powers has a better chance of making this team....Groovy....Behave!!!!!!
Posted by: Dr Evil | January 25, 2012 at 09:57 PM
Yopenis Cespeedos will blow up like el gordo eating good food in the USA...another Bustelo from Cuba
Posted by: Goldmember | January 26, 2012 at 06:43 PM
I liked how Clark ended this article: "The Marlins are hungry for Cespedes". It sounds funny knowing that Cespedes translated to English means "grass; turf; lawn".
Posted by: Flav C | January 26, 2012 at 10:25 PM
There was a time when Kearns was quite a stick. How much of his decline is health related I certainly don't know. Yet there is always a possibility that he will hit again. There is a possible upside and no downside to this kind of deal. I Like it. Cespedes is anther matter. It isn't his skill set that worries me. It's his personality. Our clubhouse doesn't need a second Hanley. Personally I hope he goes elsewhere.
Posted by: Stan M | January 27, 2012 at 01:12 AM
I doubt his ego will be as big as Hanley. Him not speaking English and the culture shock and having alot of money in Miami where he doesn't really need to learn English. Is what worries me.
Posted by: Demo | February 03, 2012 at 12:05 PM
Yea they are definitely using some of that Cocain Cowboys money. The sad thing about is that the Marlins Fans are like the Heat fans there will be a lot of empty seats in the stdans. Miami is a football town slowly turning into a basketball town. No the same feeling for Baseball.
Posted by: Daniel | March 10, 2012 at 04:53 PM