Cespedes Forced To Send $7,000 Prize Hog He Bought To Butcher
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Yoenis Cespedes' little piggy is ending up at a butcher.
The New York Mets outfielder bought a prize hog at a Florida County fair for $7,000 last Saturday.
Cespedes wasn't looking to make bacon and pork chops out of it, but due to a Florida law, a hog that has been bought at an auction must be slaughtered.
"The animal can't be taken home as a pet," the Mets told CBS Sports in a statement. "There is some sort of state law here in Florida that a hog bought at auction must be slaughtered. So, it's not really Yoenis' decision. It's just the rule. The pig is not a pet."
Cespedes told The New York Post that the hog has been sent to a butcher.
PETA was not pleased, blasting the Mets slugger.
"Yoenis Cespedes can afford $7,000 out of his own pocket, and this loving, loyal, and clever pig is paying the real price with his life," PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange told The Big Lead in a statement. "It's a shame that Cespedes dropped the ball here and missed the opportunity to send this pig to a sanctuary, where he could have lived out his days in peace. We're sending Cespedes some delicious vegan bacon in the hope that he'll open his heart, not clog it with pig fat."
On Tuesday, Cespedes rode into Mets camp on a horse, while decked out in a cowboy hat.
