In breaking news Tuesday afternoon, the New York Post’s Joel Sherman has reported that the New York Mets have adjusted the language of Yoenis Cespedes’s contract.
Sherman reports that the Mets have made an alteration to Yoenis Cespedes contract giving the club the power to negioate with the star outfield throughout the unrestricted free agent signing period.
Confirming/reiterating Shermans report the Mets released a statement Tuesday afternoon stating:
…the amendment to Yoenis’ Cespedes contract provides us the opportunity to negotiate with the player’s agent during the entire unrestricted free agent period
Thus, the Mets are no longer limited to resigning Yoenis Cespedes in the short five days after the completion of the World Series. However, the team will still be forced to release Yoenis Cespedes after the season.
The Mets are still not able to make a qualifying offer to Yoenis Cespedes, meaning there will be no draft compensation for the Mets if Yoenis Cespedes signs elsewhere.
Nevertheless, today’s news comes as a major positive development for the Mets in their hopes of re-signing Cespedes.
The chances of the Mets re-signing him under past contract language was incredible slim. With todays news, the Mets, theoretically, have the same chance as any other team in Major League Baseball.
Possibly, even more significant than the mere facts of the situation are the inferences that can made from the Mets orchestrating today’s move.
Without getting too far ahead of ourselves, it appears quite clear that the Mets will at least attempt to re-sign Cespedes. Something that couldn’t be said yesterday.
For an organization that always has one ear to the street, the Mets just put a lot of public pressure on themselves.
(Should this be a positive signing?)
Not re-signing Cespedes under prior contract language would have been looked at as an inevitable sequence. Something the Mets couldn’t have helped.
A lack of re-signing him will undoubtable be looked at as yet another example of the Mets owners being cheap. If there is one thing in particular that gets Mets fans fired up, it is owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon.
No one knows if the Mets will or will not re-sign Cespedes. One thing is for sure, this is bound to be one of the hot topics of the Mets offseason.
Today ramping up the proverbial interest meter.
Photo by Keith Allison
