Yoenis Cespedes has made a massive impact for the New York Mets since his arrival in 2015. What can they do if he doesn’t return next season?
It has been unofficially official for a while now, but New York Mets star OF Yoenis Cespedes has now actually opted out of his deal with the team, including the remaining two years on the contract, worth $47.5 million.This is déjà vu from last offseason for Mets fans, as the process of bringing back their beloved slugger has officially restarted. But if Queens really is where Cespedes wants to end up, he better hop on that train before Mets GM Sandy Alderson starts pulling away.
The Mets and Alderson waited out Yo’ last offseason, choosing to let him test the free agent market. Cespedes finally decided to return to New York on Jan. 23, signing a three-year $75 million deal, including that all-important opt-out clause after one season, which he exercised.
But Alderson has made the Mets’ intentions much clearer this offseason, telling the New York Post, “Certainly from our standpoint, between now and the Winter Meetings, and through the end of the Winter Meetings, would be the right time to get some of these issues resolved,” referring to the Cespedes situation.
The Mets have offered a one-year, $17.2 million qualifying offer to Cespedes, but this is just a mirage offer — a way to ensure they receive a compensatory draft pick if Cespedes signs elsewhere.
So with the Cespedes situation just beginning to unfold, here are seven ways the New York Mets can make do without Yo’ in the lineup in 2017.
Jose Bautista
As of now, this is the most “real” signing scenario for the Metropolitans, as NY Post journalist Mike Puma reports that the Mets’ front office has officially reached out to Jose Bautista‘s management, starting the dialogue on a possible future deal.The slugging 3B and RF is coming off a down season for the Toronto Blue Jays, during which he batted .234 with 22 homers and 69 RBI. While those aren’t terrible numbers, they are disconcerting when you consider the past stats Bautista has put up, combined with his 36-year-old age.
Over the course of eight full seasons with Toronto, Bautista amassed 262 HR and 691 RBI, paired with a .261 AVG. When split per 162 games played, that equates to 41 homers and 106 RBI a season. He also garnered three Silver Slugger awards, six All-Star appearances, and placed in the top-10 in AL MVP voting four times during his time with the Jays.
Bautista has had his share of defensive issues in his career, though, as he currently ranks 23rd on the active outfield errors list with 33. His arm, however, is something for runners to hold back on, as he has 86 outfield assists, good for ninth on the active player’s list. But even with no DH spot for Bautista in an NL lineup like the Mets, he could still be a solid, impact bat in the fourth, fifth, or sixth hole for manager Terry Collins.
It would be a mistake, though, for fans and the front office alike, to expect a production renaissance for Bautista in 2017 and beyond. He’s just not the same guy he once was during his MVP level seasons of the past.
Mark Trumbo
Baltimore Orioles free agent OF Mark Trumbo is coming off a career season as the premier power hitter for manager Buck Showalter. He produced 47 HR, 108 RBI, and a .256 AVG, while also making the All-Star game.
Trumbo’s bat, if he can recreate the magic and consistency he displayed in 2016, would possibly outperform Cespedes’s production of last season. What remains to be seen, though, is whether Trumbo can be a lineup’s premier bat, being that he was protected by big hitters 1B Chris Davis, 3B/SS Manny Machado, and CF Adam Jones in Baltimore.
For Mets brass, the downside to Trumbo is that he’s much more of a “hit or miss” type batter than the Mets typically go after in free agency or breed in their farm system. But with the pure power he possesses, even in a pitcher’s park like Citi Field, Trumbo could be a big help for a sometimes stagnant Mets lineup.
The Mets would need to buck up and pay for Trumbo if they want him, though, as worse teams will overpay for anyone who has hit over 40 homers the season prior.
Dexter Fowler
Cubs free agent OF Dexter Fowler could be an intriguing, possibly lower-cost option for the Mets. By signing Fowler, they would finally have a true centerfielder, as Curtis Granderson, Cespedes, and even Michael Conforto all spent time there last season.
The one time Rockies prospect was a valuable lead-off bat for Cubs manager Joe Maddon during their championship 2016 season, something the Mets have lacked since Jose Reyes was in his prime.
In just 125 games, Fowler posted 84 R, 13 HR, 48 RBI, 13 SB, with a .276 average and a .393 OBP. In actual words, he can do a little of everything.
That sort of consistency ahead of the Mets middle-of-the-lineup hitters would go a long way in bringing the streaks characteristic of the 2016 season to a halt. So, although he may not be the one big bat to replace Cespedes’s production totally, he could make the Mets a much more well-rounded lineup.
NEXT: Ian Desmond
Ian Desmond
The former Washington Nationals SS and Texas Rangers CF had hoped for a massive contract last offseason. But unfortunately for Ian Desmond, he only got a one-year ‘prove it’ deal from Texas after a down year for the Nationals in 2015 (.233 AVG/19 HR/62 RBI).The joke was on the rest of the league as Desmond raked in 2016, posting a .285 AVG with 22 HR, 86 RBI, and 21 SB. On top of his great season at the plate, he learned to use his once great SS range and plus arm in center field, giving him versatility at two of the games most difficult positions.
With Asdrubal Cabrera at SS next season, and top prospect Amed Rosario in line to take over short after him, the Mets would most likely use Desmond in center. But being that he wanted a long-term deal last offseason and didn’t get one, he’ll surely want one now, with analysts expecting the 31-year-old to receive 3-5 year offers on the open market.
Edwin Encarnacion
On the surface, 1B Edwin Encarnacion, while obviously a great hitter, doesn’t really fit what the Mets are looking for this offseason. 1B Lucas Duda is due to be back by Spring Training and, for the future, prospect 1B Dominic Smith isn’t far off from the majors.But Duda has been a very streaky bat for the Mets since taking over the starting role a few years ago, while Encarnacion has been very consistent. In fact, the 33-year-old has had at least 34 HR and 98 RBI in each of the last five seasons, with no average below .263 during that time.
Encarnacion’s signing would most likely mean the Mets would be done with Duda, or at the very least he might be a bench/platoon player in LF, although his defense is below average there.
Even with Encarnacion in his mid-30s, he will still command a multi-year deal and will no doubt get paid some big numbers. So Alderson will need to pay up if the Mets want him in the lineup on Opening Day 2017.
Andrew McCutchen
Former 2013 NL MVP Andrew McCutchen has been a popular name thrown around as a potential Mets’ trade target, with McCutchen’s value being the lowest it’s been in his impressive eight-year career.The Mets have been reluctant to give up arms in trades, especially after Tigers starter Michael Fulmer blossomed into a ROY candidate in 2016 after being traded to Detroit for Cespedes. But the Pirates, as they’ve always been, are on the eternal hunt for starting pitchers, and the Mets have them to give – if they want to.
McCutchen is coming off a solid 24 HR, 79 RBI, and .256 AVG season, but those numbers are a bit low by his standards. The center fielder produced no less than a .292 AVG, 21 HR, and 84 RBI from 2011-2015, and even stole at least 20 bags three times over that span.
Cutch’ is exactly the type of disciplined hitter that Alderson has always been attracted to. But in a trade scenario, the Mets will need to part with a blue-chip prospect at least to reel him in. If they got him, though, the Mets would owe McCutchen just $14 million next season, with a $14.75 million team option for 2018, giving them valuable control over him for the next two years.
In-House Options
Two internal players are in line for much more playing time if the Mets don’t resign Cespedes or get a significant replacement for him: OFs Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo.Fans were surprised to see the usually cautious Mets front office call up Conforto during his very first professional season in 2015, but the then-rookie did not disappoint. In 56 games, the smooth-swinging lefty hit .270 with nine homers, 14 doubles, and a .335 OBP – strong numbers for anyone, but especially for a guy who was in college just a calendar year prior.
The all too real ‘sophomore slump’ attacked in 2016 as Conforto was sent to AAA Las Vegas for part of the season to help him work out of his struggles. During his time in Queens, though, he did amass decent power numbers with 21 doubles and 12 homers in 304 ABs, although he did sink down to a .220 average. Conforto featured some ability to play all three OF spots too, showing versatility to Mets management.
Nimmo has been a top prospect in NY’s farm system since 2011, profiling as a fast, capable outfielder, who, with some weight training, could fill out his 6’3″ frame to become a strong gap-to-gap hitter. At 205 lbs, Mets brass felt confident enough to pull him up to the majors in 2016, where he hit .274 over 32 games.
Although he may not be totally ready to take over a starting job, a combination of Nimmo, Conforto, and Granderson could help fill the possible OF gap left by Cespedes. If the Mets choose to sign the likes of Encarnacion, 3B Justin Turner, or really anyone who isn’t an outfielder, Mets fans can expect to see a combination of the above three, along with Jay Bruce, patrolling the Citi Field outfield grass next season.