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MLB Rumors: 5 Teams Most Likely To Sign Free Agent OF Yoenis Cespedes

By Jason Fletcher

From the archive: published Nov 5, 2016, 10 years ago. Details may have changed since.

On Saturday, the New York Daily News reported that outfielder Yoenis Cespedes officially informed the New York Mets that he is opting out of the three-year contract that he signed last offseason. This move was something that was expected as Cespedes has been rumored to be looking for a five-year contract worth over $100 million.

With Yoenis becoming a free agent, the Mets will undoubtedly offer him a $17.2 million qualifying offer. Even though Cespedes will assuredly decline the qualifying offer, the Mets will then earn a draft pick in the compensation round after the first-round of the 2017 MLB Draft if Cespedes signs elsewhere. It could also be a hindrance for other teams considering Yoenis as they would have to forfeit their first-round pick if they sign him.

Yoenis Cespedes just turned 31 years old in October and is coming off of a season in which he hit .280 with a .354 OBP, 31 home runs, and 86 RBIs. He put up those numbers despite only appearing in 132 games and receiving 479 at-bats as he battled a couple of different injuries throughout the season.

Despite the injuries, the New York Daily News has Cespedes ranked as their No. 1 free agent heading into the 2017 offseason. After doing some evaluating, I’ve come up with the five most likely teams to sign Yoenis this offseason.

New York Mets

The Mets must do everything in their power to retain Cespedes or risk a serious decline. While Sandy Alderson did go out and acquire Jay Bruce prior to the 2016 MLB trade deadline, New York still has some serious question marks in its lineup. Lucas Duda, David Wright, and Neil Walker all missed a large portion of the season with injuries and may not come back 100 percent right off the bat. New York needs Cespedes to be in the middle of the lineup.

New York Yankees

While the Yankees made a commitment to their young players in the second-half of 2016, it doesn’t seem to be a long-term philosophy as Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner both plan on putting the Yankees back in contention next season. If that’s going to happen, the Yankees need to add a big bat to the middle of their lineup and Yoenis Cespedes would fit the bill.

Washington Nationals

Bryce Harper is entrenched as the starter in right field, but center and left aren’t quite as clear for the Nationals. Jayson Werth is entering the final year of his deal and will likely get the first crack in left field, but signing Cespedes would be a major upgrade and could allow the Nationals to move Werth to a fourth outfielder role. Washington was in on Yoenis last offseason and should be interested once again.

Los Angeles Angels

The Angels did just make a trade for Cameron Maybin who is certainly an upgrade for the team, but there’s still no one to protect Albert Pujols in the lineup. If Los Angeles goes out and adds Cespedes, a 3-4-5 combination of Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, and Yoenis Cespedes could be enough to win the AL West in 2017.

San Francisco Giants

Angel Pagan and Gregor Blanco are both free agents which means the Giants have an opening in left field heading into 2017. Neither Jarrett Parker nor Mac Williamson really showed the ability to be an everyday starter for San Francisco last season. If the Giants could get Yoenis Cespedes to join Hunter Pence, Buster Posey, Brandon Belt, and Brandon Crawford in the middle of that lineup, San Francisco could be scary good in 2017.

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