According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the New York Mets and Yoenis Cespedes have agreed to amend the clause in his contract that gave the Mets only five days to sign him after the World Series.
“Thus, rather than be under a short-term constraint to decide whether to sign Cespedes as a free agent, the Mets can let the process play out and be like any of the other 29 clubs that can negotiate and sign him at any point this offseason.”
The Mets, however, are still unable to extend Cespedes a qualifying offer.
The sides agreed to the alteration in the past 10 days.
This doesn’t mean that they are suddenly going to dish out the $150 million Cespedes is sure to get, but it mutes the conversation at least until the rest of the regular season and postseason.
It’s a well played strategy by the Wilpons and their legal team. And Roc Nation maintains a vested interest in keeping the New York Mets in the bidding process.
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The Cuban Missile Yoenis Cespedes continued his offensive assault against the Washington Nationals on Monday, going 3-for-5 with a home run, two doubles, two runs scored and two RBI in a stunning 8-5 win.
“I’m just going out there and concentrating on hitting the ball hard,” Cespedes said. “I don’t try to go out there and do too much. I just go out there and try to have fun and do my part. I put a little piece on my plate try to help the team to win.”
Cespedes, 29, continues to draw comparisons to Mike Piazza as one of the greatest trade acquisitions the Mets have ever made.
“There’s a reason why we went and got him, and there’s a reason why we traded what we traded to get him,” manager Terry Collins later said, speaking about the trade with the Tigers that brought Cespedes to the Mets.
However the big question that everyone is asking is will the Wilpons shell out the dollars to keep this potential MVP from bolting for free agency?
“I don’t really know what they are thinking, but my plan is to go out there and have fun,” Cespedes said of possibly re-signing with the Mets. “I enjoy the team. It’s a really great team. I love the city of New York, I love the fans and what we’ve got going here is a really good thing.” (Kristie Ackert, Daily News)
In 34 games since joining the Mets, Cespedes has driven in an astounding 31 runs and has produced a 1.7 WAR, more than double that of any other Met player.
He is hitting .311 with 13 home runs, eight doubles, three triples, 31 runs scored and four stolen bases since the Mets acquired him, and he is 13-for-28 during his last six games, batting .464 with a 1.214 slugging percentage.
Cespedes has a clause in his contract that releases him within five days of the World Series if the Mets don’t sign him before then. He wouldn’t be eligible to re-sign with the team until May 15 of next year if he hits free agency.
For years the Wilpons and GM Sandy Alderson have said that once fans began to fill Citi Field, the team would increase payroll accordingly. Since acquiring Cespedes, the Mets have filled the park during every single home game including four sellouts with standing room only.
So will Cespedes stay? Or will the Wilpons let him go? And if that happens, how in the world will they replace his MVP-caliber production which has been the impetus for the Mets’ offensive turnaround?
