Why did Detroit Tigers trade Yoenis Cespedes?

The Detroit Tigers ended up being sellers at the deadline, and traded outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to the New York Mets.

When the MLB trade deadline arrived, there was plenty of drama that unfolded when it came to Detroit Tigers outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. After dealing away ace David Price, it appeared that the Tigers were going to be big sellers at the deadline and as the clock started to tick louder, they began to dig in more and more about trading their slugger.

Eventually, the New York Mets were the ones who pulled the trigger on a Cespedes trade and they took the two-time Home Run Derby champ off the Tigers hands.

So, why did the Tigers trade Yoenis Cespedes to the Mets?

Some fans were shocked that the Tigers were sellers at the deadline — especially with the Mets — when Detroit is closer to the American League Wild Card than the Mets are to the National League Wild Card.

This trade had less to do with the short term and more to do with the long term impact of moving Cespedes. If the Tigers had kept Cespedes beyond the deadline and didn’t trade him in the waiver trade period, they would be in a situation where they either re-sign him to a massive deal he’s bound to get or they would deb out of luck.

The way that Cespedes’ deal was structured with the A’s when he signed it, he’s not longer eligible to be offered arbitration and therefore the Tigers can’t be compensated with a draft pick if they lose him in free agency. The Tigers will not be brining back Cespedes on a new contract this winter, meaning they had less than zero incentive to keep him beyond the deadline.

It might be a hard thing for Tigers fans to accept, but it was the right move to make as Detroit avoided gambling with gaining nothing and ended up adding something for a player they’d have gotten nothing for.

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