Speaking on MLB Network Tuesday night, Mets GM Sandy Alderson said, “We’d like to have [Céspedes] back. We’ve reached out to him and expect to have more conversations in the next few days.”
This means the Mets are pursuing Yoenis Cespedes differently than last offseason, when they let the market play out before signing him to a virtual one-year deal.
This quickened pace could be partially due to his being the biggest name on the market, but could also be due to the Nationals’ interest in his services.
Original Report – Nov 8
Yoenis Cespedes opted out of the final two-years of his three-year deal with the Mets, foregoing $47.5MM to hit the free agent market. The team extended a qualifying offer to Cespedes on Monday, one in which the team expects him to decline.
The re-signing of Cespedes went down to the wire last year and the team does not want to take the same approach this offseason. Mets general manager, Sandy Alderson, spoke on resolving things a bit faster this time around.
“I think realistically, from our standpoint this year, things will probably have to resolve themselves a lot sooner than they did last year,” said Alderson. “But it’s hard to predict where things will go.”
“Things could go quickly. Things could linger. But certainly, from our standpoint, between now and the winter meetings, and through the end of the winter meetings, would be the right time to get some of these issues resolved. But that doesn’t mean it will happen.” (ESPN)
Having this completed by the winter meetings would be a far cry from last season’s late January drama. It though would be hard to believe that Yo will be in any rush to sign anywhere, being the biggest impact player on the market this time.
Cespedes was everything you could have asked for as a Met, hitting to a .280/.354/.530 batting line in his first full season on the team in 2016. He had 31 homers to go along with 86 RBI as well this past season, showcasing his raw power at all the right times.
Possibly one of the biggest remarks from Alderson regarding this offseason’s pursuit of Cespedes is that they may not be as strict with the amount of years given.
“I don’t think that we have any absolute parameters,” Alderson said.
This is big in the sense that Alderson in the past has been very against long-term deals with players. With Yoenis though, the team is going to need to go a bit above their comfort level to retain his services.
There is no bigger bat on the free agent market than Cespedes. The Mets need to do everything possible to bring him back, he means way too much to this lineup to let go.
