Back in Oakland on Monday for the first time since he was traded by the Athletics last July, Detroit Tigers outfielder Yoenis Cespedes took on a very different team than the one he left last season.
Josh Donaldson, Brandon Moss, Derek Norris, Jeff Samardzija, and even the player Cespedes was traded for, Jon Lester, are among the notable players no longer around.
The stark and sudden changes surprised Cespedes, though he admits he was warned that moving players before they get too expensive for GM Billy Beane and the budget-conscious Athletics was the reality of their situation.