Yoenis Cespedes: Top 5 Fantasy Friendly Locations to Sign With
By Bill Pivetz
Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes will opt out of his contract when he is allowed to do so. Where are the most fantasy-friendly options for him to sign?
New York Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes announced that he will opt out of his three-year contract with the New York Mets after just one season. This makes him arguably the biggest free agent available this offseason. With many teams looking to add a big power bat, which team would help his fantasy value in 2017 and beyond?
Cespedes increased his power production year over year while maintaining a career .272 average. He is also an excellent defender with a career .981 fielding percentage. If any team is going to sign him, they need to use him for his arm, not just for his bat.
With that, I think some of the American League teams can be ruled out, especially if they have their core outfield set. While he would be a dangerous bat as a designated hitter, that’s only half of his value. He played in the AL for most of his career, so there is a possibility he goes back there.
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I will list my top-five teams Cespedes could sign with that will help his fantasy value. It will also be a realistic list. I won’t have teams that either aren’t financially able or don’t have a spot for him on the team.
Cespedes is expected to be asking for five years and at least $100 million. There are only a few teams that can, and will, shell out that kind of money.
Honorable Mention: Texas Rangers
The Rangers have great offensive pieces, but adding Cespedes would put them over the top. The Ryan Rua experiment doesn’t look like it’s working.
Signing Cespedes would put him in the middle of a lineup with two more 30-home runs hitters in Rougned Odor and Adrian Beltre.
Cespedes can make a big difference on whatever team he signs with. Here are the five that I think will have the biggest fantasy impact.
The Mets made a big surprise last season when they re-signed Cespedes last off-season. The caveat is that the team gave him an option to opt-out after the first year of the three-year deal. The result? The situation we are in now.
Cespedes had a great season with the Mets. In 132 games, he had 31 home runs, 86 RBI and a .280 average. He was one of the few pieces that kept the Mets in the playoff race, especially after all the injuries to the starting rotation.
The Mets have a lot of questions in their outfield. Whether it’s an older player like Curtis Granderson or an undeveloped player in Alejandro De Aza, Cespedes would be welcomed back with open arms.
The only downside is the Mets ownership’s unwillingness to offer a big contract. While I haven’t spoken to Cespedes, it looks like he enjoys playing in New York. I just think the odds he re-signs there again are low.
The Baltimore Orioles hit a lot of home runs this season. They had three batters with at least 37 and another three with at least 22. Overall, the offense isn’t the problem with the Orioles, but I think the addition of Cespedes makes sense from both sides.
As of now, the Orioles outfield set up is as follows. Hyun Soo Kim in left, Adam Jones in center and Mark Trumbo in right. Added in this mess is Pedro Alvarez as the DH. The reason I bring him up is that Alvarez is a free agent.
This gives the opportunity to move Trumbo to the DH, Kim over to right and Cespedes slots in at the left fielder. With the defensive alignment taken care of, the lineup situation is next.
The Orioles most-used lineup was Jones, Kim, Manny Machado, Chris Davis, Trumbo, Alvarez, Matt Weiters, Jonathan Schoop and J.J. Hardy. With Alvarez out and Cespedes in, the lineup would be Jones, Cespedes, Machado, Davis, Trumbo, Kim, Weiters, Schoop and Hardy. That’ll be hard to get passed in the AL East.
Sorry, Cincinnati Reds fans. This isn’t for you. I think signing with the St. Louis Cardinals is another good option. Their offense can use the pop Cespedes would provide.
The team had zero 30-home run and just three 20-home run hitters. A solid 30 home runs from Cespedes in the middle of this lineup could turn the tide in the National League Central.
Another obvious reason for the Cardinals to sign him is their current left fielder, Matt Holliday. He will turn 37 this January, and the Cardinals hold a $17 million option for this season. The other two outfield options are over 10 years younger than Holliday, so I think it’s time to move on.
Cespedes will cost a little more than Holliday, but the performance would be more than worth it. With the Pirates not making any moves to take over the division, a big free-agent splash like this could put them back in the playoff hunt.
As for Cespedes, the protection he would get from Stephen Piscotty, Randal Grichuk and Kolten Wong would help his value. He’ll have the opportunity to drive in runs and get on base. And, the pitching, from top to bottom, isn’t all that great in this division.
Los Angeles Angels offense did not perform well this season. Superstar Mike Trout hit just 29 home runs while driving in 100 RBI and posting a .315 average. The never-aging DH, Albert Pujols crushed another 31 home runs. However, outside of those two, there was no one worth owning on a daily basis.
The Angels started nine different players in left field. Having a constant option in Cespedes would create less stress for management and more consistency in the everyday lineup.
I know that the Angels are still paying millions to Josh Hamilton even though he is no longer on the team. So, putting up another $100+ million contract doesn’t seem like it would happen.
Another negative is that they do not have a power-hitting left-handed batter in their lineup. Adding Cespedes would bring the team further away from that. However, I don’t think it should matter. The team needs another bat in the middle of their lineup.
It is a win-win for Cespedes and the Angels.
The Houston Astros are heading in the right direction. Seven of the nine players in the starting lineup are under the age of 30. The front office did a great job developing talent in the farm system and some of them have become fantasy stars right before our eyes. So, why would the team disrupt that by bringing in Cespedes?
It’s easy. He would be a big improvement over their current left fielder, Colby Rasmus. Rasmus, 29, hit .206 in 107 games. While the team does have other options in Jake Marisnick and Preston Tucker, they haven’t been able to put it all together.
Going down to Houston and joining the young stars in Jose Altuve, George Springer, Carlos Correa and Evan Gattis could make this a dangerous offense.
The Astros aren’t known for handing out big contracts, mostly because any good player signs with a big-market team. The most expensive player is Luke Gregerson with his 3-year, $18.5 million deal. Signing Cespedes to anything close to what he wants could change the outlook of the franchise.
Wherever Cespedes signs, it’s going to be big news on all fronts. Fans of that MLB team are going to be excited for his potential and fantasy owners want to see how he will perform in his new home.
Considering he’s done well everywhere he’s played, any place Cespedes goes will not affect his fantasy value. He will still be a top-20 outfielder with 30 HR/90 RBI/.280 ceiling.
Even though he will be 32 next season, he is the No. 1 free agent hitter this offseason. Unless he signs somewhere ridiculous, I would feel confident drafting him to my team next season.
Next: Do Current Struggles Affect Carlos Correa's 2017 Value?