While the New York Mets want to keep Yoenis Cespedes, they might be unable to financially, which opens a window for the San Francisco Giants and Baltimore Orioles to sign the gold glove winning left fielder from last season, who also showed an impressive improvement when it comes to blasting home runs.
The New York Mets would love to keep Cespedes, who hit 17 home runs for them last season in just 57 games to literally power them into the playoffs, while not doing as well in the postseason, but it’s a matter of money. With a long term or short term deal, the Mets recently signing Alejandro De Aza means there’s probably not enough money for the Cespedes realm of demands, even if he is looking for a one year deal in order to make the most of a slimmer market next season.
The Orioles are looking for power. They have probably given up on signing Chris Davis or at least are playing hard ball with their slugger. Cespedes hit 35 home runs last season for the Tigers and Mets, and might not be in the realm of Davis numbers, but perhaps it has something to do with the stadium he’ll be playing in: It’s easier to spike up the home run numbers with 81 games a year playing at Camden Yards. The Orioles have money for short and long term solutions, although the 30-year old is looking for a $100 million deal if he’s going to stay in one place for more than one year.
Another team that can afford Cespedes and is on the lookout for some power is the San Francisco Giants. Despite already putting big money into the Johnny Cueto and Jeff Samardzija signings, the Giants wouldn’t mind bringing Cespedes back to the Bay Area as long as they don’t have to commit too much money to the project, which means they’re more than open to make it a one year deal, which as we mentioned, might be the thing Cespedes is looking for.
The 30-year old Cuban has managed to move around quite a bit since beginning his MLB career in 2012, playing for the Athletics, Red Sox, Tigers and Mets. He has batted .271 through 575 games with 106 home runs. His OPS broke the .900 mark during his time with the Mets last season, suggesting that National League pitching might be better for him. He made $10.5 million in each of the last two seasons, and will probably be looking for around $15 million on a one-year deal.