Re-Sign Cespedes

[Mex17]

http://www.foxsports.com/mlb/story/yoenis-cespedes-nationals-offer-five-year-deal-would-prefer-stay-with-mets-ken-rosenthal-012116

OK, so if the Mets go four years, $22 million per year, $12 million deferred, opt-out after two, would that be considered equal value to a 5 year $100 million offer?

I'm not saying that the Mets are going to do that, but if they were inclined to move off the three years in order to compete with Washington, that could be a way to do it.

[Edgy MD]

“His pregame routine is off the charts ... off the charts. He has things that he does right before a game in the batting cage. ... When he walks onto that field, he’s legit. “I’ve been around a lot of great players. I’ve seen a lot of great players. This guy, just strictly tools, the five tools – he’s got ‘em all."

I read this in Donald Trump's voice.

[Frayed Knot]

Mex17 wrote: Random observation from the Washington perspective. . .if they had this kind on money to throw around, why not use it to keep Jordan Zimmermann instead?

Maybe because one's a 30 y/o pitcher (in May) and the other is a 30 y/o (supposedly) position player?
I think the Nats have more pitching on the way then they do hitters.

I also remember reading something last year sometime about how GM Rizzo believes that there's a kind of 'expiration date' for recovered TJ cases, that the ligament replacement procedure has a useful life span of seven years or so on it and Zimmermannnnn is already four-five years into his second go around.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Wilmer Flores was interviewed on Mets Hot Stove last night. He was asked what kind of a teammate Yoenis Cespedes was, and he said (I'm afraid I'm paraphrasing here), "He wasn't special. He was a teammate who was there."

[Benjamin Grimm]

This was posted three hours ago:

Buster Olney wrote: @Buster_ESPN Sources: Mets, Cespedes discussing an opt-out clause after the 1st year of a three-year deal. Would allow him to test market again Fall '16.

[MFS62]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: This was posted three hours ago: @Buster_ESPN Sources: Mets, Cespedes discussing an opt-out clause after the 1st year of a three-year deal. Would allow him to test market again Fall '16.

If the Mets can't sign him to a longer term contract, this would be the best of all possible worlds. It would keep him out of the hands of the Nats.
Voltaire would be so proud.

Later

[Frayed Knot]

I think it would be preferable to a longer term contract.

[Benjamin Grimm]

Me too. If they could get him for three years with a one-year opt-out, that would be perfect.

[Centerfield]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: Me too. If they could get him for three years with a one-year opt-out, that would be perfect.

Sign me up for this. And if he walks, FREE DRAFT PICK!

[dgwphotography]

3 years with a one year opt out would be perfect.

Must not get excited.
Must not get excited.
Must not get excited.

[Centerfield]

Wilmer Flores was interviewed on Mets Hot Stove last night. He was asked what kind of a teammate Yoenis Cespedes was, and he said (I'm afraid I'm paraphrasing here), "He wasn't special. He was a teammate who was there."

I'm trying to figure out how to read this. It could be:

"Eh. Whatevers. He's nothing special as a teammate. He's just there, youknowwhati'msayin?"

"He's great. Even though he's a superstar, he needs no special treatment. He's always there for you."

[Centerfield]

dgwphotography wrote: 3 years with a one year opt out would be perfect. Must not get excited. Must not get excited. Must not get excited.

Much too late.
Much too late.
Much too late.

[RealityChuck]

If this works out, we have Jason Papelbon to thank.

Cespedes certainly noted how Papelbon treats superstars.

[Ceetar]

Wilmer Flores was interviewed on Mets Hot Stove last night. He was asked what kind of a teammate Yoenis Cespedes was, and he said (I'm afraid I'm paraphrasing here), "He wasn't special. He was a teammate who was there." I'm trying to figure out how to read this. It could be: "Eh. Whatevers. He's nothing special as a teammate. He's just there, youknowwhati'msayin?" "He's great. Even though he's a superstar, he needs no special treatment. He's always there for you."

I figure it's "He was only here three months and we also had 2 other new guys plus David and Trav back and a dozen rookies, he didn't stand out particularly"

[Centerfield]

And now reports are that he's reached out to the Yankees.

Dude, he is totally playing up our rivals to make us jealous. I think he really likes us!

[Centerfield]

But all kidding aside, if the reports are true and he really wants to come back to the Mets, then that's awesome. He goes up a bunch of notches in my book.

That's partly why I love Wilmer Flores.

Wait, maybe he should try crying?

[nymr83]

Centerfield wrote: And now reports are that he's reached out to the Yankees. Dude, he is totally playing up our rivals to make us jealous. I think he really likes us!

Yoenis Cespedes is back in junior high

[Ceetar]

Centerfield wrote: And now reports are that he's reached out to the Yankees. Dude, he is totally playing up our rivals to make us jealous. I think he really likes us!

I think he enjoyed his time here, but I don't think he particularly 'loves' the Mets any more than he thinks they're his best bet and he's trying to drive up teh price.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Still, the Metsrumblings are getting louder and growing in number.

[Benjamin Grimm]

For some reason, this is starting to remind me of Juan Gonzalez.

[Guest d'Kong76]

Juan Signs! Memories.

[ashie62]

d'Kong76 wrote: Still, the Metsrumblings are getting louder and growing in number.

All over the uniweb today.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: This was posted three hours ago: @Buster_ESPN Sources: Mets, Cespedes discussing an opt-out clause after the 1st year of a three-year deal. Would allow him to test market again Fall '16.

I wish the Mets would get their story straight. Because part of the party line is that Cespedes just isn't a good fit given the Mets current makeup (even though Cuddyer's now out of the picture). But now it appears that he'll fit quite nicely so long as the Mets don't have to commit as much money as they thought they would've had to. And how come the Mets never raised this issue of Cespedes not fitting last year when Cespedes was going Bambino on the competition and Cuddyer was an extra outfielder taking up a roster spot?

It's always about the money.

[Ceetar]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: And how come the Mets never raised this issue of Cespedes not fitting last year when Cespedes was going Bambino on the competition and Cuddyer was an extra outfielder taking up a roster spot? It's always about the money.

During the stretch between Cespedes first 2-hit game and his last, 8/3 to 9/25

Michael Cuddyer .343/.390/.500

Yoenis Cespedes .301/.344/.650

[batmagadanleadoff]

Ceetar wrote: batmagadanleadoff wrote: And how come the Mets never raised this issue of Cespedes not fitting last year when Cespedes was going Bambino on the competition and Cuddyer was an extra outfielder taking up a roster spot? It's always about the money. During the stretch between Cespedes first 2-hit game and his last, 8/3 to 9/25 Michael Cuddyer .343/.390/.500 Yoenis Cespedes .301/.344/.650

Doesn't this support my last post? If Cuddyer, who's now retired, was so valuable to the Mets over the last two months of 2015 doesn't this make Cespedes more valuable? More needed?

Unless you're trying to make some other point with Cuddyer. I dunno.

[Ceetar]

I wasn't really trying to make a point, just pointing out he wasn't quite taking up a roster spot.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Ceetar wrote: I wasn't really trying to make a point, just pointing out he wasn't quite taking up a roster spot.

Well then how many roster spots was Cuddyer taking up, if not one?

[Ceetar]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: Ceetar wrote: I wasn't really trying to make a point, just pointing out he wasn't quite taking up a roster spot. Well then how many roster spots was Cuddyer taking up, if not one?

well, he wasn't wasting it anyway for that month.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Sports biz report: The stakes for the Mets and Cespedes

By Howard Megdal 11:30 a.m. | Jan. 22, 2016

Let's be clear about what the stakes are for the Mets and Yoenis Cespedes. We're not talking about the team using anywhere close to the total amount of revenue power that comes with playing in New York, the largest MLB market even split in two, let alone that plus a 65 percent ownership stake in SNY, the sports network whose exponential rise in value after the trustee for the Madoff victims left Fred Wilpon, Saul Katz and the other partners who own the Mets for financially dead has given them an ability to hang onto their assets. We're not even talking about the Mets using most of the enormous financial windfall that came with their unlikely 2015 World Series run—an estimated $45-60 million in postseason revenue, a 19.6 percent jump in regular season ticket sales, all generating money that Fred Wilpon and Sandy Alderson had promised would be invested back into the team. No, even signing Yoenis Cespedes would put payroll for 2016 somewhere in the $130 million range. Put another way, that would leave the Mets on par with the Kansas City Royals, in a metro area approximately 1/10 the size of New York. It would leave them in the bottom half of MLB payrolls. That's how enormous the constraint has been from Mets ownership diverting payroll to finance debt for years. It has gotten bigger and more noticeable due to the 2015 windfall, but comparing Mets payroll to past Mets payroll doesn't capture the scope of it. Comparing them to the rest of baseball does. With the team's elite, cost-controlled young pitching, the Mets are still contenders in 2016. However, the potential of losing Yoenis Cespedes, a big reason the Mets finally found adequate offense in the final two months of the season, would only happen if the team failed to exercise its most basic due diligence as a competitive baseball team and business, and instead gave itself over once more to serve as a vehicle to service Wilpon/Katz debt. That the Washington Nationals, a team with a larger payroll already, a lack of television revenue due to an unfortunate deal made with MLB that has them in litigation, and a better starting outfield than the Mets have right now are willing to make a five-year offer to Cespedes says everything about the quality of player involved. That the Mets won't have to even match the Nationals, a rare thing when players generally go to the highest bidder, but simply get competitive, only further emphasizes the potential missed opportunity were they to let him go. Cespedes wants to stay in New York, reportedly willing to consider a shorter deal for the chance to do so. Meanwhile, the Mets have tried mightily to make it politically tenable to lose Cespedes, leaking to the Daily News information about his timeliness and smoking habits. They've attempted to portray him as a positional misfit—this, despite using Cespedes in center field during the team's glorious 2015 run, despite signing Alejandro de Aza, a non-center fielder, as a budget replacement to pair with the elbow-compromised Juan Lagares, despite Curtis Granderson in right field having just two years remaining on his contract, opening a spot for Cespedes in 2018, despite Granderson and left fielder Michael Conforto both hitting lefty, meaning that Cespedes can spell both of them against lefties for the next two years, despite indications that the designated hitter could come to the National League as soon as 2017, opening up a spot for Cespedes or another hitter next year. There's only one argument against the Mets signing Yoenis Cespedes. It isn't competitive, it isn't philosophical, it isn't logical. It comes down to whether the Mets owners are going to act in a minimally responsible way as stewards of a big-league baseball team. Sign Cespedes, and the team is still woefully shy of the basic fiscal upkeep that would come close to maximizing a team in New York. But fail to do so, in this moment, with this player and this team's very specific needs and opportunity, and it won't be any clearer than it is now precisely how damaging the owners' financial problems are to this baseball team.

http://www.capitalnewyork.com/article/city-hall/2016/01/8588856/sports-biz-report-stakes-mets-and-cespedes

[Benjamin Grimm]

batmagadanleadoff wrote: But now it appears that he'll fit quite nicely so long as the Mets don't have to commit as much money as they thought they would've had to.

It may be more about committing the years than the money. I don't discount that money is an issue, but it's one thing to have Cespedes jamming up center field for one season than for five.

I would try to structure the three-year contract as something like 25-16-16, if he'll go for it, of course. Yoenis would then be guaranteed $57 million if he sticks around, but will have incentive to opt out, if that's what the Mets are not-so-secretly hoping he'll do.