According to Matt Ehalt of the the Bergen Record, outfielder Yoenis Cespedes plans to honor his three-year deal with the Mets without opting out after the 2016 season.
“I have it in my mind to stay three years,” Cespedes said through a translator. Asked directly by Ehalt if he intends to complete his three-year deal with the Mets, Cespedes flatly said, “Yes.”
I’m pretty sure that Cespedes’ agent probably cringed upon hearing this, but this is certainly good news for the Mets even though it’s way too early for such declarations and a lot can change once the season officially ends.
Cespedes has proven to be driving force of the team’s offense; he is their lifeblood. When Cespedes is in the lineup, the team is a powerful run-scoring juggernaut. But without him, the offense struggles to score just 2.5 runs per game on average, not nearly enough to maintain a winning posture no matter how good the starting pitching is. We’ve recently seen this first hand during his stint on the DL.
I have no doubt that Cespedes wants to be here just based on all things he’s said over the last 12 months. It’s obvious he enjoys playing on the big stage that only New York can give him and he is unfazed by the bright media spotlight. But more than that Cespedes has connected with and fallen in love with the Mets fanbase. who have embraced him like a conquering hero – much like they did when the Mets acquired Mike Piazza.
Of course, Cespedes – or any other player – is going to respond exactly as Yo did when a driven media keeps sticking a recorder in front of his face and asking that same question again and again.
The Mets are battling in the middle of a playoff race as the last five weeks of the season winds down. Can you imagine any player saying, “Hell no, I’m not going to honor all three years of my deal. I put the opt-out in the deal for a reason.”
Of course not, all Cespedes is trying to do is avoid this becoming a distraction.
Clearly, Cespedes has enjoyed his time with the Mets. But given the choice of staying here and collecting the remaining $50 million dollars left on his original deal, or staying here and renegotiating a new $100 million dollar deal, the likelihood of how this ultimately plays out is quite obvious.
So the onus is on the Mets to renegotiate a new deal while Cespedes remains under their control, or risk letting him opt out which would mean a bidding war with 8-10 other teams that will all crave his bat.
Unlike last offseason when doubts lingered that Cespedes’ MVP-like 2015 finish may have been a fluke, there will be no such concerns this Winter, and given the fact he’ll undoubtedly be the grandest prize in a weak free agent class, expect a ravenous pursuit for everything Cespedes brings to the table.
If I’m the Mets, I’d do my damn best to make sure Cespedes never hits the open market. They can ill-afford to risk losing him.
