Cespedes, Mets find happy medium,
Team answers critics, player gets flexibility
The pressure was coming from everywhere: traditional and social media, their own clubhouse and, perhaps most worrisome, their top rival in the National League East.
The New York Mets were coming off their first postseason appearance in nine years, and rather than revel in their unexpected trip to the World Series, they were getting blasted for a continued reluctance to spend.
Seems that Asdrubal Cabrera signing didn’t resonate much.
The fans, the news media and the players themselves — team captain David Wright being the latest to weigh in — wanted the Mets to bring back Yoenis Cespedes, the power-hitting outfielder who energized the Mets offense in the last two months of the season and fueled their drive toward a division crown.
When the Washington Nationals recently went after Cespedes, threatening to tilt the balance of power in the division by signing the dynamic slugger, the Mets didn’t so much relent as they got creative. They stuck to their determination to avoid a long-term contract, but they dug deeper into their coffers and found a way to lure Cespedes back with a threeyear, $75 million deal that includes an opt-out clause after the first season.
It might not be entirely coincidental that the sides reached agreement the same day that the New York Daily News ran a backcover headline referring to the possibility of Cespedes joining Washington as “the Mets’ worst Nat-mare.”
The same day, the paper quoted Wright as saying, “That month or six weeks Yo had with us was unbelievable, one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen in baseball. ... You certainly do not want to see him go to a division rival.”
Mets ownership, which for years counted pennies as it recovered from the huge losses incurred through the Bernard Madoff Ponzi scheme, finally got the message and ponied up.
The contract accomplishes a number of objectives for both sides.
From the Mets’ perspective, they’re showing their fans a commitment to investing in the product on the field, which had been questioned, given their middling $120 million payroll.
They retain a player who not only turbo-charged their offense — the Mets went 37-22 and averaged an NL-high 5.4 runs after acquiring Cespedes at the July 31 trade deadline — but who also provides a sense of comfort to the other hitters around him. With a terrific young rotation that includes Matt Harvey, Jacob de-
By the numbers
How Yoenis’ Cespedes’ numbers with the Mets compare with those from his time with other clubs:
Team
Oakland Athletics Boston Red Sox Detroit Tigers New York Mets
Games BA OBP SLG OPS
365 51 102 57
.262 .318 .470 .788 .269 .296 .423 .719 .293 .323 .506 .829 .287 .337 .604 .942
Grom, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz, New York looks primed to defend its division title.
The Mets also prevent the scary possibility of Cespedes being paired in Washington with National League MVP Bryce Harper, as well as New York’s postseason hero, Daniel Murphy, who signed with the Nationals in the offseason. Cespedes and Murphy were New York’s No. 3 and 4 hitters for most of the final two months of the season.
From Cespedes’ vantage point, he gets rewarded for his huge contributions to the World Series run with a deal that, while shorter than he was seeking, pays him the highest average salary of any position player in this year’s free agent class. Cespedes earned an average of $9 million in his previous contract and this deal allows him to save face for not matching Justin Upton’s sixyear, $132.75million deal with the Detroit Tigers.
Cespedes also has a chance to try his luck at free agency again next offseason — an enticing prospect if he has a big season — while still enjoying the protection of a multiyear deal in case of an injury or diminished performance.
And Cespedes gets to stay in New York, where he clearly feels comfortable and receives the kind of recognition for his feats that he craves.
It seems like a perfect match, but it still took nearly three months for the sides to realize how desperately they wanted to be back together. That, and a gentle push from the Nationals.
Cespedes and the Mets are sure to send a thank-you card.