Cespedes’ A’s wish comes out of left field
Here’s friendly advice to Yoenis Cespedes, who is only the New York Mets’ most feared hitter and wealthiest player: think twice before pining about another team and anointing the manager in the other dugout as the best you’ve played for.
Cespedes did just that Friday, telling Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle that he wants to finish his major league career in Oakland, where it began in 2012. The slugger went one step further in his praise of Athletics manager Bob Melvin, saying, “I tell my guys here all the time that he’s the best manager for me so far. I don’t think there’s a better manager than Melvin.”
There’s a couple of ways to react to Cespedes’ comments, including letting them pass as nice- guy platitudes. In Slusser, he was speaking to a reporter he knows and trusts enough to converse without an in- terpreter. Maybe she caught Cespedes in a particularly good mood.
Except Cespedes said in December after signing a four- year, $ 110 million contract, “God willing, I will finish out my career with this team ( Mets).”
How does Cespedes expect to be taken seriously if his loyalty shifts from one month to the next? Which statement was true and which is now a lie?
It matters because the Mets went out of their way to bring Cespedes back; the
$ 27.5 million annual average salary is the most ever awarded to an outfielder. The Wilpon family has made countless mistakes over the years, but their aggressiveness in pursuing Cespedes and generosity in compensating him are to be commended. The Mets had to have Cespedes in 2017, and the Wilpons made sure it happened.
At the very least, the slugger should have the presence of mind not to publicly map out his next destination. The Mets are entitled to Cespedes’ sole focus and loyalty. It’s a small giveback for their commitment, which is why it must have stung to hear about his comments.
“I don’t know how many years I’m going to play, but I’m going to play the last year of my career with Oakland,” he told Slusser. “I don’t know if that’s possible or not, but that’s my goal. I still love the A’s. They were the first team to give me an opportunity to play in the big leagues. I love Oakland all the time.”
Apparently Cespedes doesn’t understand the subtle but corrosive effect on the rest of the clubhouse when a team’s best player has his eye on the door. Again: maybe Cespedes was just talking off the top of his head, gratuitously praising an organization that welcomed him to the major leagues. But Cespedes also spent five years bouncing from team to team in search of a mega- payday. It wasn’t the A’s that gave it to him.
Cespedes’ preference for Melvin was especially unfair to Mets manager Terry Collins, who’s gone out of his way in the last two seasons to make the slugger feel comfortable. That means allowing Cespedes to skip batting practice when he wasn’t in the mood, blow off pregame stretching, look the other way when he didn’t hustle. If anything, Collins has bent over too far backward, giving Cespedes a wide berth.
How, then, does Cespedes justify his over- the- top praise for Melvin? Saying so to the Chronicle would be one thing, but admitting to campaigning for Melvin in the clubhouse is a slap at Collins. No one confuses Collins with Joe McCarthy, but he’s an upbeat, charismatic manager who’s devoted himself to keeping the Mets intact during an awful summer.
Despite injuries and undertalented teams during his reign, Collins’ Mets have never completely tanked in any one season — and he’s somehow keeping them semi- competitive again in 2017. That’s a tribute to Collins’ leadership style and his hold over the clubhouse. It looks like that’s changing, though. Without David Wright as his lieutenant, Collins’ influence has waned.
First, Noah Syndergaard refused to have an MRI before tearing his lat. Asdrubel Cabrera demanded a trade. Cespedes gushes over Melvin. When told of his outfielder’s remark after Friday’s win, Collins seemed stunned, admitting it was the first he was hearing of it.
Nice guy that he is, however, Collins said, “Bob is a great manager, I don’t blame ( Cespedes).”
It wasn’t until after the game that Cespedes had a chance to clarify his remarks. And to be fair, he handled the questions well. The praise of Melvin, he said, “doesn’t take away from my relationship with Terry Collins. This is my home. This is my team.”
Cespedes also indicated his words “may have come out different than I intended ( them). … This might have been an error on ( Slusser’s) part in the way she expressed my thoughts.”
This matter could require a follow- up between Cespedes and Collins, alone in the manager’s office. Chances are both men will gladly let it drop. In a long, ugly summer, the last thing the Mets need is one more controversy.