Could von Spee avoid a battlecruiser reinforcing Cradock?

Could von Spee avoid fighting a battlecruiser sent to reinforce Cradock?

Once caught, his squadron could not outrun the battlecruiser. Dispersing into individual raiders offered an alternative, but exposed them to a much larger British hunting force.

A battlecruiser with Cradock would change whether von Spee could refuse battle. Once contact was established, the German squadron would lack the speed to escape together. Its ships could instead scatter and operate as individual surface raiders. Britain could then use its greater number of warships and bases to hunt them separately.