According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Mets are resolved in seeking common ground with Yoenis Cespedes before the end of the Winter Meetings, which are scheduled for December 4th – 8th. At the moment, it’s believed the Mets would be willing to offer a four year deal in the range of $100 million.
The issue is when other teams become engaged on Cespedes, the market could increase his price tag to a number the Mets would be unable or unwilling to meet. The Giants, Nationals, Blue Jays, and Yankees have all been linked to Cespedes, and if any combination of these teams, in addition to some other teams who may have interest, start a bidding war, the Mets are going to have to look for a Plan B.
As Sandy Alderson said, “I think anybody who is being prudent under the circumstances would line up different scenarios as options and alternatives. We have some quality in our outfield now, it’s just a little left-handed.”
Should Cespedes leave for another team in free agency, the Mets have already been linked to outfielders Jose Bautista and Dexter Fowler. Both players were given qualifying offers and are expected to reject them by Monday’s deadline. This means, should the Mets sign either player, they would forfeit their first round draft pick. It should be noted that they would recoup a compensatory first round pick or two should Cespedes or Neil Walker sign with another team in free agency.
Bautista, 36, is coming off a season where he hit .234/.366/.452 with 22 homers and 69 RBI in 116 games. In the prior six seasons, Bautista was an All Star who hit .268/.390/.555 while averaging 38 homers and 97 RBI. Bautista is a right fielder who is coming off two poor seasons defensively. Over the last two years, he has averaged a -7.8 UZR and a -6 DRS. Prior to the 2016 season, Bautista told the Blue Jays he wanted a five year $150 million deal.
Fowler, 30, surprisingly spurned a more lucrative offer with the Orioles to return to the Cubs, and as a result, he is now a World Series champion. In 2016, Fowler had a career year hitting .276/.393/.447 with 25 doubles, seven triples, 13 homers, 48 RBI, and 13 stolen bases. Over the last couple of seasons, Fowler has improved significantly in center field, which many attribute to him playing deeper in the outfield. Fowler rejected a $9 million mutual option to become a free agent.
