Recent Mets trade acquisition Yoenis Cespedes says that he likes the idea of staying in Queens for more than just the rest of this year, as Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports. Of course, the free agent-to-be also notes that matter “is something I can’t control.” Indeed, he is effectively precluded from re-signing with New York as a free agent because of the contractual requirement that the team release him at the end of the year. (An MLB rule provides that teams may not re-sign released players until after the start of the following regular season.)
More on the Mets:
- In that same piece, GM Sandy Alderson indicated that his team’s deadline acquisitions were not made with any particular hope that the new players would sign long-term. “We’ll deal with next season later,” Alderson said. “That’s not to be cavalier about our longer-term view, but … I don’t think there’s any grave concern about the fact that these players may not be here next year. That’s not to say that we wouldn’t want them to be here next year, but that’s something we’ll deal with over the course of the offseason.”
- While a late-year extension for Cespedes is theoretically possible, it doesn’t seem terribly likely, as Marc Carig of Newsday also explains. New York has been quite cautious in handing out massive, multi-year deals, and Cespedes has positioned himself nicely for the upcoming free agent market. Sources tell Carig that they expect his representatives to seek a deal in the $120MM to $150MM range. There is precedent for that kind of cash, of course, though Cespedes will have to contend with the presence of Justin Upton and Jason Heyward alongside him on the market. Shin-soo Choo landed a $130MM deal back in 2013, while Josh Hamilton got $125MM the year prior.
- Before acquiring Eric O’Flaherty from the A’s, the Mets staff chatted about him with recent teammate Tyler Clippard, Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com reports. Clippard, of course, was also just traded from Oakland to New York, and told the media that he saw O’Flaherty (a recent Tommy John patient) rounding into form over the last few weeks. With the move, Clippard, a long-time Nationals reliever, and O’Flaherty, once a staple of the Braves pen, have now congregated with the division-rival Mets.
- Mets assistant GM John Ricco explained that the club added O’Flaherty because it wanted a weapon against opposing left-handed hitters, also via Rubin. “We feel like a lefty reliever was something that we could use — a guy that was more of a strict left-on-left guy,” Ricco explained. “And that’s what Eric really is. So we had our eye on a number of different options and this one came together pretty quickly today. It gave us an opportunity to get a veteran left-on-left guy.”
- Third baseman David Wright is ramping up baseball activities and may be nearing a rehab assignment, as Kevin Kernan of the New York Post writes. Wright earned rave reviews for his workout at Citi Field yesterday, and indicated that he’s currently able to focus more on getting ready to play than worrying about his back. “It’s been a long process and I like the fact we’re finally talking about baseball and not rehab and doctors,’’ Wright said. “You put in all this work to finally get to the point where you are now. For two months you are having trouble standing for a while or walking. To be able now to go through a normal pregame routine, that makes you feel good about the process. You can see the finish line. It feels good.’’
The Mets need a bat like Cespedes next year period. Yes, Jason Heyward is a great player, but Cespedes is a legit threat. That being said, it will be difficult to try to keep him with how his contract works.
They have the same career wRC+. Céspedes is 4 years older and has an offensive profile that ages poorly. Of course, Céspedes has more power. But Heyward is much more deserving of a long-term contract. Heyward is basically a young Alex Gordon, and you’d rather bank on that over the next several years than Céspedes.
I doubt it’ll happen, but is anything preventing Cespedes from signing an extension before the release clause kicks in?
No, the article says he can re-sign with the Mets prior to the contract’s expiration, but if he doesn’t, then he will be released just before it would expire. There’s also the possibility of a modification. Contracts can always be modified with both parties consent, so if the Mets want the chance to compete on the open market for Cespedes, and Cespedes agrees, I’m sure they could do something like donate $50k to his charity in return for striking that clause.
Nope, that would be perfectly fine. I doubt he’d do it though. There’s a reason the Mets are his 4th team in the last year and change.
Why would Cespedes not wait at this point?
10+ teams bidding instead of 1.
“Is anything preventing Cespedes from signing an extension…?” Yes, the simple fact that contracts keep escalating prevents anyone from signing an extension now, unless they are injury-prone, which Cespedes has not been. Obviously, the choice a player must make is taking guaranteed money now versus more guaranteed money later. Free agency would likely be good for Cespedes, but there is always the risk that he could get injured or simply slump into the off-season. That’s business…one is successful if one makes the decision to buy or sell at the right time. In a given athlete’s situation, the ideal time comes when they are peaking and about to inevitably decline. Of course, the market has a lot to do with it. In Cespedes’ case, he should probably hold out for free agency. He is peaking in both personal value and market price.
Feels REALLY wierd, but as a Braves fan I’m actually rooting for the Mets to win the division this year at this point.
Was hoping the Tigers would resign him and word at first was he wanted to go back no?
Cespedes is represented by Jay-Z. Very unlikely that he does not test the market.
Problem is that if he does test the market, the Mets cannot sign him until May 15, 2016 because of his contract.
Tigers might have a shot on the other hand with the turnover at GM and Avila’s likely close relationship with Cespedes.
Over Cespedes’s last 365 games his slash line is: .262/.305/.462 and he will be 30 in 2016, meaning he’s about to be leaving his prime.
Over Heyward’s last 355 games his slash line is: .271/.349/.411 and will be only 26 in 2016, meaning he’s only just now entering his prime.
Any team that gives Cespedes $100M is begging to be disappointed.
Any team that gets Heyward for less than $150M is going to be ecstatic.
depends if you want power or obp. heyward can probably be average in center, so theres that.
” Sources tell Carig that they expect his representatives to seek a deal in the $120MM to $150MM range. There is precedent for that kind of cash, of course, though Cespedes will have to contend with the presence of Justin Upton and Jason Heyward alongside him on the market. Shin-soo Choo landed a $130MM deal back in 2013, while Josh Hamilton got $125MM the year prior.”
It is the last sentence that MLB owners, team presidents and GM’s need to heed.
They both had questions marks anyway. Choo, by many people’s estimation, was a glorified platoon player while Hamilton, well we all know about him and his hobbies. But in general these $100 million dollar contracts to outfielders have been busts for the most part. You have the Nats to thank for signing Jayson Werth to that $126 million contract which set the market for them. Next came Carl Crawford’s from Boston.
There is one difference with Worth…….
He was brought onto a young up-and-coming team to serve as a mentor to the younger players (he is a 3rd generation professional ballplayer). In fact he has done that, being the first piece of a group of team leaders (he brought Ryan Zimmerman along). And in time, it can be argued that his production was commiserate with that contract.
But most of the high-priced hitters that hit the free agent market do so because then have defensive or leadership limitations as far as their current teams see it – else their teams would have offered them a competitive long-term contract. Heyward is sort of an exception. He got to St. Louis with a year on his contract. The Cardinals weren’t sure about him, not he they. My guess is that he signs a long-term contact with the Cardinals. They’re good for one another.
The Choo deal, in particular, made me laugh when Texas signed him.
LOL. Met fans started a fund raiser on Go Fund Me to get Cespedes back in NY. They are looking for $150 million.
I think Cespedes was a good pickup for this season. However, given the Mets recent track record, I think they will make some bad moves after not going anywhere in the playoffs. I do think they have what it takes to get to the playoffs this season, but I doubt they win a series. One WC could very well be the Mets or Nats. The Nats are still waiting on key pieces to come back from injuries, so that division is likely up in the air between those two at this point.