MLB Free Agency: Cespedes race down to rival Nationals, Mets
The Nationals and Mets are said to be in bidding war for a key component in last year’s National League East race.
There has been much written, and even more said, about where Yoenis Cespedes could potentially land this offseason. It seems that no less than half of teams in Major League Baseball could be a potential fit for the multi-tooled outfielder, but thus far his exact market has taken longer to come together than any other marquee free agent.
Yet that could be changing today, as two National League East rivals have emerged as being the most serious about bringing him aboard. The Washington Nationals and New York Mets have stepped ahead as the favorites to land the 30-year-old outfielder, and at least one side as officially offered a deal.
The Nationals are said to have submitted a five-year offer that will reach at least $100 million to Cespedes over the past day or so. Meanwhile, the Mets are continuing to engage Cespedes, albeit with a shorter term pact that could offer him a chance to retest free agency again in upcoming years.
For both teams, it is understandable why pursuing him is such a priority. For the Mets, finding a way to retain Cespedes keeps the catalyst that launched them to the NL East title over the final two months of the 2015 season is essential. He provides the type of game changing bat that picks up an otherwise average lineup and takes it to the next level.
In his two months as a Met, Cespedes nearly outproduced the entirety of his season to that point. From August through end of the year, he hit for a .287/.337/.609 split, while accumulating 17 home runs and 44 RBI in 57 games. Prior to the trade that brought him over from Detroit, his season totals in 102 games were 18 home runs and 61 RBI, with a .293/.323/.506 split in 178 more plate appearances.
His impact on the Mets’ place in the standings was seismic. In the four months B.C. (Before Cespedes), they carried a .520 win percentage, working to a 53-50 record and averaging 3.5 runs per game.
Yet in the “After Cespedes” era, their run production soared immediately and their win total followed suit. From August on, the Mets went 37-22 (a .627 win percentage) and upped their run production per game to 5.3. This propelled the Mets to a seven game spread in their NL East championship effort over, you guessed it, the Washington Nationals.
It’s easy to understand why the Nats would get so hot at the chance to take away such a catalyst from their chief in-division competition. Despite the very best efforts of Bryce Harper during his prodigious MVP campaign, the Nats never seriously got in gear last year and largely became the season’s most disappointing team.
In response, they have been bullish in bidding for many of the frontline names available this offseason, pursuing Jason Heyward, Ben Zobrist and Brandon Phillips, however they came up largely short. The Nats were able to wrangle the Mets’ postseason hero, Daniel Murphy, to shore up their infield, as well as add center fielder Ben Revere, but none of them are of the caliber of Cespedes.
So it makes sense that the Nationals have made the most aggressive and long-term lucrative offer to Cespedes thus far, because acquiring him both immediately upgrades their potential, in addition to weakening their closest rival. However, it is said that Cespedes favors playing in New York and that could offer an advantage to the Mets if they come with a creative enough offer.
It appears that the saga of where Cespedes will land is reaching its twilight hours, but for as unpredictable as his tenure on the open market has been thus far, it is reasonable to expect that anything is still possible as the zero hour approaches.