Report: Yoenis Cespedes 'wants to re-sign' with Tigers

Yoenis Cespedes is eligible to become a free agent this winter.

And despite rumors that he could be dealt by the July 31 trade deadline, the leftfielder has expressed a desire to stay with the Detroit Tigers if he's traded or not, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.

"Cespedes is telling friends that he wants to re-sign with the club, regardless of the circumstances," Rosenthal reported Thursday.

Cespedes, 29, is hitting .291 with 14 home runs and 54 RBIs in 95 games. He is an outstanding defender and has one of the best throwing arms in baseball.

As trade talks swirl, the team could be better served by trading him, Rosenthal said.

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Cespedes' contract, signed with the Oakland Athletics before the 2012 season, includes a clause that allows him to be released five days after the World Series.

He cannot be extended a qualifying offer in free agency, and a team cannot re-sign him until May 15.

So, Rosenthal said, the Tigers hold exclusive negotiating rights with Cespedes only through that five-day window after the World Series. Then, they would be at a disadvantage unless he was willing to sit out until May 15.

But if the Tigers elect to trade the former All-Star — they stand four games out of a playoff spot in the American League — they would lose the rights to negotiate a contract extension with him for the rest of the year, and through those five days after the World Series.

At that point, they would be free to negotiate a new deal without losing a draft pick.

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