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Heyman: 'Doesn't Surprise Me' Yoenis Cespedes Emerging In Red Sox Trade Rumors

BOSTON (CBS) - CBS Sports baseball insider Jon Heyman made his regularly scheduled appearance Tuesday afternoon on 98.5 The Sports Hub Gresh & Zolak, and the conversation started with the World Series and its intriguing matchup.

On one side you've got the scrappy, underdog Kansas City Royals, who have come from behind all postseason long, and are a team that maximizes their stellar pitching and defense.

Then on the other side you've got the San Francisco Giants, making their third World Series appearance in a five year period.

"People are calling it 'Destiny vs. Dynasty.' I'm not sure the Giants are a dynasty, but both teams are a surprise to be here," said Heyman. "The Royals are a very good team. They have a terrific bullpen and they have great defense -- the best defense in baseball I believe. While they don't have a real no. 3 or no. 4 hitter, they have an okay lineup with occasional power. They're a very good team. The Giants obviously know how to get it done in October. I'm not exactly sure how. I never predict them and I never see it, but they always fool me."

Kansas City will host Game 1 of the Fall Classic on Tuesday night and maintain homefield advantage throughout the series, thanks to the American League winning the All Star Game.

Heyman says you can't walk five feet without seeing something Royal blue in Kansas City, and he described the atmosphere of the championship-deprived baseball town as "crazy" leading up to the game.

Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe had some interesting nuggets in his Sunday baseball notes column, with the biggest news surrounding Red Sox outfielder Yoenis Cespedes.

Cafardo writes:

"Word is spreading that the Red Sox could make Cespedes available. He will earn $10.2 million in the final year of his deal. Cespedes said late in the season that he wasn't sure whether he'd engage in long-term talks with the Red Sox. Couple that with his desire not to play right field or work on his defense, and that could make him a trade candidate as the Red Sox try to pare their outfield depth and possibly make room for Mookie Betts or add a lefthanded hitter."

Jon Heyman said Nick is "right on" in his assessment.

"[The trade rumors] doesn't surprise me. He's a guy that doesn't walk a lot, which is surprising because the two teams he's been on -- Oakland and Boston -- are two teams that really value the on base percentage. He's got his old hitting coach Chili Davis coming here, maybe Chili will have something to say about that. I know [Davis] likes Cespedes, but it wouldn't surprise me if his name is out on the market."

Another element to the story is the fact that Cespedes signed with Jay Z's Roc Nation Sports Agency on Monday, which all but guarantees he won't sign another contract until he's a free agent at the end of the 2015 season.

"Don't expect a signing until he's a free agent. He's only a year away. Nobody of his ilk would sign a contract right now," added Heyman.

Listen below for the full conversation, including the likelihood of a Cespedes-for-Stanton trade, and potential free agent starting pitchers:

MORE RED SOX COVERAGE FROM CBS BOSTON

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