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MLB free agency: 5 possible landing spots for Yoenis Cespedes

By Cody Williams

Oct 12, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets center fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) runs the bases after hitting a three run home run during the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the NLDS at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 12, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets center fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) runs the bases after hitting a three run home run during the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the NLDS at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 12, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets center fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) runs the bases after hitting a three run home run during the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the NLDS at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 12, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets center fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) runs the bases after hitting a three run home run during the fourth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers in game three of the NLDS at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

Where will Yoenis Cespedes land in MLB free agency?

Yoenis Cespedes and the New York Mets are going to part ways this summer as the big-hitting outfielder enters MLB free agency. If you’re a Mets fan, hopefully you’ve already come to terms with that; if you’re a Mets fan and you haven’t, then you need to get there because—by all accounts of the situation—it’s merely a formality at this point that Cespedes won’t return to the team he just played for in the World Series.

Once you get past that fact and look towards the future for Cespedes, things are incredibly interesting. Cespedes is entering free agency as part of one of the most loaded free agency crops in recent memory. However, there’s an argument to be made that there is no position player on the open market this offseason that is as valuable or that will demand the money that Cespedes will.

Splitting time between the Detroit Tigers and the New York Mets last season, the 30-year-old Cuban had his best season since his debut campaign for the Oakland Athletics in 2012. For the entire 2015 season over his tenure with both the Tigers and Mets, the right-hander hit .291 with an .870 OPS. However, he wasn’t just hitting for average, but showed off the best power-hitting season of his career.

Cespedes ended the regular season with 35 home runs to go with 105 RBI. Players with the potential to hit for that kind of power in addition to hitting for average are incredibly valuable to have in the heart of a lineup.

It’s obvious where the value in bringing in a player of Cespedes’ caliber would be, but there is a slight drawback that throws a monkey wrench into the process. Again, Cespedes turned 30 years old in mid-October. While he’s hardly past his prime and is coming off of the best season of his career, he’s also no longer a player that has the advantage on the free agency market of being a young talent that teams could watch grow further. However, his production will likely outweigh that in the eyes of any team looking to sign him.

Now the question becomes where Cespedes will ultimately land in free agency. There are plenty of teams around Major League Baseball that could use his bat in their lineup and several more who could use a major upgrade in the outfield in terms of overall production. Ultimately, this only makes the market for Cespedes even more cutthroat.

With all of this in mind, these are the top five landing spots for Yoenis Cespedes in MLB free agency.

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