Atlanta Braves Yoenis Cespedes Rumors: What Did We Learn?

1. This was all just PR to sell tickets in 2016. 

This is the most jaded reaction of my list. It’s also totally reasonable, given how disenchanted so many fans are about the rapid disappearance of their favorite players (i.e. the good ones). The idea is that the Braves front office saw the Cespedes free agency as something that fans were going to notice, given it’s relevance to the NL East. So, why not leak some rumored interest? It’s free, and it may bring back into the fold some of the fanbase that is disgruntled at the rebuild. It’s harder to perceive the moves that Atlanta is making as corporate greed masquerading as strategy if you can be convinced that the organization is trying to spend money on good players.

“…if this is a viable way to pump up the fanbase, then why doesn’t every team do this every time there is opportunity?”

This seems like an unlikely reality to me, though. The concept is predicated on the belief that fans change their habits because of things other than how good their team is. History teaches us that this is a false assumption. In other words, if and when the Braves stink in 2016, attendance and TV ratings will suffer. When they get better, so will their popularity. So what seems at first glance like low-hanging fruit for the Braves top brass, would actually be pretty pointless in all likelihood. Also, if this is a viable way to pump up the fanbase, then why doesn’t every team do this every time there is opportunity? And why did the Braves choose to circulate false rumors about Cespedes and not, say, Zach Greinke?

I’m grading #1 as a bit of a reach. Hey! Let’s quantify this thing. On a scale of 5, with 5 representing most likely to be the real reason for the rumors, I’ll slap a 2 on this one.

Next: Why Did The Braves Have Their Hand In?