The move to obtain Yoenis Cespedes to bolster the (deservedly) maligned Met offense has signaled an important shift in the thinking of the club’s front office. Following a string of losing seasons rivaled only by the desultory performance of the Houston Astros over the same period, the Sandy Alderson regime who have steadfastly adhered to a “build a base for the future” approach in personnel matters appear to have definitively morphed into “win now” mode.
No clearer indication of this is needed than the trade of Michael Fulmer as part of the Cespedes deal, a swap of a portion of the commodity most valued by this brain-trust, young, controllable, dominant pitching to fill a crying need on the offensive side of the equation.
Yes, we can all observe that this represents a trade from strength, as the organization has scouted, signed, and hoarded arms as part of what is both a fundamental approach to team-building that reflects the long held philosophy that “good pitching beats good hitting,” and what could rightly be observed as the Met method: establish a corps of dominant starters as a key to a competitive team.
The lineage of this can be traced back to the Miracle Mets of 1969 through other incarnations such as the Gooden-Darling-Ojeda-Sid crew of 1986 and the Hampton-Leiter-Reed-Jones staff of 2000.
But now we have our modern day version of the Clendenon deal of 1969 when the Mets sent a largely pitching-based package to the Expos to secure a righty power bat for a lineup that craved just such an ingredient. We know the difference that move made and certainly all hope that Cespedes will find the same result this time around (World Series MVP).
An important difference of course, is the Cuban slugger’s impending free agency at the end of this season. Assuming that he continues the type of performance he has put up to date, and assuming that said performance makes the difference most fans expect it will (lifting a team offense from the pits to somewhat closer to league average), one would hope that team management would make at least some effort to retain his services for the next several seasons. After all, with a staff that looks to feature a group that should be the envy of all of MLB if the baseball gods and circumstance allow, the Mets should be at the beginning of a window of opportunity to compete for a number of seasons until the irresistible force that is Scott Boras begins to exert his influence.
This being the case, is it even conceivable that the Wilpons will deign to allow a disproportionate amount of their resources to go to securing a Big Bopper? If so, what would it take to do it?
Cespedes will turn 30 in October, so he could be viewed to be largely in “mid-prime,” and should be expected to command premium dollars, particularly with power such a sought after commodity in the present market.
The deals given to other corner outfielders in the past few years can be instructive in this case. Prior to last season, the Giants signed Hunter Pence, the Rangers signed Shin-Soo Choo and the Mets signed Curtis Granderson for an average of about 5 years and $93 million. All were 30 or older at the time, and while each has demonstrated a degree of power in their game, Cespedes should certainly be regarded as possessing a greater element.
So, what will it take and would the Mets even be in the ballpark, so to speak? Having been on the “winning” side of the Zack Wheeler/Carlos Beltran exchange following Beltran’s departure from the Giants following their trade deadline gambit in 2011, could ownership be convinced that Cespedes represents a necessary ingredient that simply must be paid for to allow the vaunted mound staff to have at least the minimum amount of offense needed to secure victory?
Or will he be allowed to take his Wonderboy bat elsewhere while Michael Fulmer blossoms in Detroit for years to come?
Adjusting for the inflationary effects of time and the insane spending patterns of teams like the Dodgers, I suspect we are looking at something along the lines of 6 years and $125 million.
For some, those numbers and the Wilpons simply don’t add up and, based on recent history, I’m inclined to agree. But if “our time” is truly here, and Cespedes has the effect going forward that we all hope he does, could ownership be convinced that the longer term financial health of the team can only benefit from finally putting a product on the field that features an offense that doesn’t evoke comparisons with landfills and toxic waste dumps? Can the ghost of Madoff possibly be exorcised with the crack of a bat? I’m praying it can, like many others I’m sure.
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