New York Mets Rumors: Yoenis Cespedes Not Coming Back To Mets [Breaking News]
New York Mets rumors indicate Yoenis Cespedes is not coming back. These Mets rumors about Cespedes appear to have been confirmed by vice president and assistant general manager John Ricco. In an interview on MLB Network Wednesday night (December 9), Ricco stated that, “we think he’s going to be on a level contract wise that we wouldn’t be comfortable with.” This contradicts an earlier report from the New York Times that stated Cespedes “was the guy” for the Mets this offseason.
The Mets acquired Cespedes from the Detroit Tigers right before the 2015 MLB trade deadline. The team needed an offensive push and got it in a big way from the All-Star outfielder. In 57 regular season games with the Mets, Cespedes had a.287 batting average, 17 home runs, 44 RBIs, and 39 runs scored. Cespedes was in the discussion for National League MVP, finishing the year with 35 home runs, 105 RBIs, and 101 runs scored. It has also driven up his asking price in free agency.
There have been a number of New York Mets rumors this offseason, including whether the team would have enough money to re-sign Yoenis Cespedes to a long-term contract. One of those rumors is whether the team will bring back starting pitcher Bartolo Colon. While the team is still in contact with his agent, it appears the team might look toward its younger pitchers to fill the rotation. The team did make a deal on December 9, though, trading Jonathan Niese to the Pittsburgh Pirates for second baseman Neil Walker.
Regarding Cespedes, there had been rumors that he could be looking at a new contract worth about $200 million for the 2016 MLB season and beyond. He just turned 30 and has played only four seasons in the league. To this point, he has 106 home runs, 367 RBIs, 37 stolen bases, a.271 batting average, and an.805 OPS in his career. Cespedes has been named to one All-Star team as a member of the Oakland Athletics and just won a Gold Glove Award playing for the New York Mets and Detroit Tigers.
Though he has only been in the league four years, Cespedes has already played for four teams as well. After playing the first two and a half seasons of his contract with the Oakland Athletics, Cespedes was traded to the Boston Red Sox at the 2014 MLB trade deadline. In the offseason, the Red Sox traded him tot he Detroit Tigers, where he played just 102 games before heading to the Mets. Now it’s possible that he could be heading to another new team as a free agent.
As the 2015 MLB Playoffs approached, New York Mets rumors about a contract offer to Yoenis Cespedes had surfaced. Cespedes stated that, “I’m not thinking about a contract, but I do know that I will be looking for a contract that is six years or more, has to be six years or more. We’ll see what happens.” As he continued to play well for the Mets, it started to look like he might have priced himself right out of New York. The statements from John Ricco may have confirmed that fact.
There have been more rumors about Cespedes, with the Detroit Tigers linked to him again in free agency. A report from ESPN seemed to bring an end to those stories, raising interesting questions about which franchise has enough money to offer him a long-term contract. Teams that are now getting mentioned in the Yoenis Cespedes rumors are the Kansas City Royals, San Francisco Giants, and Los Angeles Angels. Each of the teams has a bigger budget than the New York Mets in free agency and could use added power in the outfield.
[Photo by: Al Bello/Getty Image]
