It’s a Cespedes miracle. Despite long odds of the Mets retaining their prized acquisition from this past trade deadline, the 30-year-old outfielder has agreed to a three-year deal worth $75 million with an opt-out after the first year, a source confirmed to The Record.
Yoenis Cespedes’ return makes the Mets perhaps the World Series favorites, and is a crushing blow to the rival Nationals since Cespedes passed on a long-term deal with them.
The Mets were considered long shots to sign Cespedes since they were never willing to do a long-term deal that he entered free agency seeking, but Cespedes made a concession in years to land a deal that will pay him the most per year of any deal signed by a free agent position player this winter.
Cespedes said prior to free agency he wanted to land a deal of at least six years.
Cespedes’ free agency took longer than expected but intensified Thursday when reports surfaced about the Nationals’ offer, and it appeared momentum was building toward Cespedes uniting with Daniel Murphy in our nation’s capital. The Nationals’ offer was close to the parameters of Cespedes talked of for his next deal, but Cespedes’ heart was in New York and he passed on the longer deal.
The one-year opt-out is a key clause in the deal since it allows him to enter free agency next offseason and try to get a better offer than he did this offseason. Cespedes was one of four premier outfielders on the market this offseason, along with Jason Heyward, Justin Upton and Alex Gordon. The other three were all signed before Cespedes, and received at least four years with their contracts.
Next year’s class is not nearly as stacked, but Cespedes is still taking a gamble that he will earn more combining his 2016 contract and any potential deal he signs next season if he opts out.
Cespedes will earn $27.5 million in 2016 if he opts out, according to multiple reports.
The Mets signing of Cespedes is a coup for the team since they managed to land the slugger despite not wavering from their stance to not do a long-term deal. The Mets were patient throughout the process and waited until Cespedes came to them, and landed him on terms they were amenable to.
While they could lose Cespedes after one season, they will have a deep lineup in 2016 while they attempt to win back-to-back division titles, and it keeps the Nationals from fortifying their roster. The best-case scenario for the Mets is Cespedes stays for all three years and performs like he did after being acquired July 31. Cespedes hit .287 with 17 homers and 44 RBIs in 57 games with the Mets in 2015.
In retaining Cespedes, the Mets blew past their projected budget for 2016, and also showed good will to their fans who held the front office to its word to spend when the attendance increased. Mets general manager Sandy Alderson projected the team’s payroll to be around $115 to $120 million in 2016, but Cespedes’ signing pushes the payroll toward $135-$140 million, the team’s highest since 2011.
Cespedes will start in center field and once again pushes Juan Lagares, who received a contract extension in 2015, to the bench. Cespedes can shift to left field when the Mets play against lefties since the corner outfield duo of Michael Conforto and Curtis Granderson are both lefties.