It is very likely that Yoenis Cespedes is going to opt-out of his contract within the next few days. The slugging outfielder is lined up to get a big payday if he does.
Cespedes, 31, is expected to opt-out of his current contract with the New York Mets. He has up until three days after the completion of the World Series to do so. This means he must inform the Mets that he is opting out by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday. If the Mets want him back, they’re going to have to spend a lot of money.
The Mets have been down this road before with Cespedes. He was a free agent last offseason. He remained unsigned for a few months. Mets general manager Sandy Alderson played it smart with Cespedes. He didn’t try and sign him right away. Instead, Alderson waited until it was clear that Cespedes was not going to get the amount of money he was originally hoping for. Then, he made the offer.
Cespedes re-signed with the Mets back in January. The deal was for three years and was worth $75 million, and it included an opt-out clause after one season. At the time, the signing was praised by Mets fans. Not only did the team have Cespedes back, but they didn’t have to commit to him long-term. Overall, it was thought of to be a good deal for Cespedes as well as the Mets.
It’s understandable why the Mets did not want to make a long-term commitment to Cespedes after the 2015 season. After all, he had only been with the team for three months at that point. The Mets traded top pitching prospect Michael Fulmer to the Detroit Tigers to get Cespedes in July of 2015. His impact on the team was immediately felt. Over the last two months of the regular season with the Mets, Cespedes batted .287 with 17 home runs and 44 RBIs. He helped completely turn the Mets’ fortune around, as they were able to overtake the Washington Nationals and win the NL East. The Mets went on to lose to the Kansas City Royals in the 2015 World Series.
Even though he performed at a very high level during his time in New York, it was still a very small sample size. It was understandable that Alderson was not yet ready to make a lucrative, long-term offer to Cespedes. This past season, we were able to see what he could do over the course of a full season in Queens.
Cespedes had a very productive season this past year. In 132 games, he hit .280 with 31 homers and 86 RBIs. Clearly, what he did in 2015 was no fluke. Cespedes proved that he could put up big numbers in New York over a full season. There are many superstars that have trouble doing this. They let the pressure get to them. Cespedes does not appear to be someone affected by such pressure.
It’s clear that Cespedes has become a very important part of the Mets. Their offense just wouldn’t be the same without him. This is why the team must do everything in their power to re-sign him should he opt-out. There is no doubt that this will cost them a lot of money. However, Cespedes has proved that he’s worth it. Other teams are going to offer him what we wants. The San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angles and New York Yankees are all teams that could have an interest in him. The Yankees and Angles both have very large payrolls. Cespedes is going to get a few lucrative offers. The Mets have to make sure that theirs is the best.
There’s a chance that Yoenis Cespedes might not be a Met next season. The team knows what they have to do to keep him. He’s not going to be cheap. If the Mets let him slip away however, they’re probably going to end up regretting it in the long run.