Mets’ Yoenis Cespedes says he wants to finish career with A’s

It has been a tough year for New York Mets fans, and Friday brought another possible reason for unhappiness. Yoenis Cespedes, who has struggled with injuries and ineffectiveness while in the first year of a four-year, $110 million contract, said he wants to finish his career with the Oakland A’s.

“I wish that happens,” Céspedes told Susan Slusser oftheSanFr ancisco Chronicle. Referring to former A’s and current Mets teammate Jerry Blevins, he added, “I told Blevins, ‘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.’

“I don’t know if that’s possible or not, but that’s my goal.”

A native of Cuba who defected and was able to establish U.S. residency, Cesp edesfirstsig ned with Oakland in 2012 before being traded to the Boston Red Sox in 2014, so his desire to eventually bring his MLB career full circle is understandable. However, it might not have been the best-received messagetos end Mets fans, who saw their injury-ravaged squad go 43-50 heading into a weekend series at home against Oakland.

“I still love the A’s, they were the first team to give me an opportuni tytoplayin the big leagues,” Céspedes told Slusser. “I love Oakland all the time.”

Cespedes, 31, who was acquired by the Mets in a 2015 midseason trade, sent a different message in Novem- ber. After signing his new contract with New York, he said, “God willing, I will finish out my career with this team,” (via the AP).

Friday brought another quote that, while possibly well-meaning, might not go over so well in the Big Apple, or among fans everywhere of Mets Manager Terry Collins. Of Bob Melvin, who has managed the A’s since 2011, Cespedes said, “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.”

The New York Daily News may have been speaking for a sizable portion of its readership when it wrote, “Cespedes didn’t just throw his current team under the bus Friday, he backed that bus up and made sure to leave tire marks over his current manager. “

“I know he enjoyed his time with us,” Melvin said. “We had good teams and a great clubhouse - which he was the center of. It doesn’t surprise me he’d want to come back.”

Friday marked just the 49th game Cespedes played for the Mets this season, as he missed a long stretch with a hamstring injury and has had ongoing leg issues. He acquitted himself well - and not a moment too soon - by going 3 for 4 with a run scored, in a 7-5 New York win over Oakland.

After the Mets’ win Friday, Cespedes said through an interpreter that he meant no disrespect to Collins, and that the Mets were his “home.”