Why the Cardinals avoided Yoenis Cespedes

With Cespedes electing to return to NY after turning down a reported $110 million contract with Washington, the Nats are now left without any blockbuster acquisitions this offseason. The Mets get the PR boost of retaining arguably their best position player for 2016, while Cespedes will make $27.5 million next season and has the ability to opt out after the year to get a lucrative long-term deal with a much weaker free-agent class. Once Davis had signed his deal with Baltimore, most people thought the Orioles were out of the running for Cespedes and pulled their offer, but maybe they didn’t pull the offer. Alderson said he realized from the outset that convincing Cespedes to accept fewer guaranteed years would require an unusual contract, and the Mets didn’t hesitate the grant the opt-out. Cespedes batted. 291 with 35 homers and 105 RBIs last season while splitting time between the Detroit Tigers and the Mets.

Cespedes reportedly was looking to sign a six-year deal worth $150 million.

Alderson said the team’s off-season did not have a lot of “sizzle” before re-signing Cespedes, but the Mets landed the big fish and look poised for a strong campaign.

Cespedes played briefly for the Tigers previous year.

“We’re a destination now where players want to be”, Mets Chief Operating Officer Jeff Wilpon said. Cespedes also has a one-year opt out in his deal.

The Mets announced Wednesday that they have designated outfielder Darrell Ceciliani for assignment, clearing a spot on the 40-man roster for Yoenis Cespedes. Your voices were heard, not only by Mets brass, but by the NY sports pope, too. The new deal also places the Mets’ payroll at $140 million, the highest in five years. But for now, the team feels comfortable with Piazza, especially as just the second Met to wear that cap on his Hall of Fame plaque. Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndegaard, Steve Matz, and Zack Wheeler lead a rotation with a combination of youth and talent that Major League Baseball probably has never seen before.

Now all he needs to do is prove he is worthy of the deal offered to him. But Van Wagenen said not to start preparing for life after Cespedes just yet. They got to the World Series, but did not win the fall classic, and now they are hungry to return.

In the end, both Cespedes and the Mets organization made concessions in order to achieve a mutually desirable outcome.