“Yo, will you come back??”
After going 0-4 against Madison Bumgarner Wednesday night, Yoenis Cespedes‘ 2016 season came to a close. He slashed .280/.354/.530 with 31 home runs and 86 RBIs in only 132 games. Most fans say we can not win without him, however we just might have to.
Last offseason, Cespedes signed a 3-year $75M deal with an opt-out clause after one year. That means, if he chooses to do so, the 30 year-old left fielder can become a free agent this offseason. Financially, it makes a ton of sense for him to do just that.
Cespedes would likely be at the top of this year’s outfield market, which would also include (barring any last-minute extensions) Matt Holliday, Mark Trumbo, Jose Bautista, and Ian Desmond. The fact that he is 30 years old benefits him as well, as he could probably fetch a large contract in the 4-6 year range.
He has been publicly ambiguous as to whether or not he will exercise that option. He has said publicly and to many people in the organization that he loves playing in New York, however, the fact remains he might be more financially secure elsewhere.
Thursday morning, one Mets source told the NY Daily News, “You have to believe he will. It makes no financial sense for him not to, but we don’t know. He told some people (in the organization) he loves it here and will definitely be back. He said good bye to some people and told them he won’t be back.”
That last sentence there, if true, might be the least ambiguous thing said so far regarding this situation. Should he become a free agent, there will be many teams vying for his services, teams that might have much deeper pockets than the Mets’.
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