According to Jayson Stark of ESPN the Detroit Tigers are telling teams that they are going to reboot and are ready to begin selling off pieces.
Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski confirmed as much today with MLB.com’s Jason Beck.
That could mean the New York Mets could take another look at outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, whom they’ve had interest in previously.
Obviously a player like Cespedes is going to draw attention from a lot of teams especially with the season he’s having. But if there’s a way to get him on the Mets he’s the one guy that I’ve always believed would be the perfect fit.
July 28
According to most reports, the Detroit Tigers do not appear as though they will be sellers at the deadline, which means outfielder Yoenis Cespedes will not be dealt. (Jayson Stark, ESPN)
That’s too bad as Cespedes was one of the few players MMO has considered to be an ideal fit for the team.
And while in the last 24 hours I’ve seen one site describe Jose Reyes, Carlos Gonzalez and Justin Upton as “perfect fits” here’s a player that actually would have been a perfect fit. I explain my reasons why below.
July 25
Yoenis Cespedes, 29, is enjoying the best season of his career, hitting .289 with a .482 slugging percentage, .797 OPS, 120 wRC+ and a 118 OPS+ for the Tigers.
Additionally, Cespedes has a league-leading 27 doubles, 13 home runs and 52 RBI for the season.
In addition to his superior offensive skills, Cespedes is among the top defensive outfielders in the game and has a shotgun for an arm.
Since signing his four year, $32 million deal in 2012, Cespedes has averaged 35 doubles, 27 home runs, 100 RBI, 95 runs and 11 stolen bases.
Cespedes would be a nice addition for the Mets and he perfectly fits the team’s need for a middle of the order bat. His presence in the lineup would certainly add the punch the team has lacked.
However, one of the glaring impediments for the Mets would be the approximate $5 million left on his contract for this season.
