Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes said today that he will look for six or more guaranteed years in the free agent contract he signs this winter, as Marly Rivera of ESPN Deports reports (Twitter link).
Cespedes has, of course, greatly improved his open market value with a very good first half and an outstanding run down the stretch in New York. All told, he owns a .294/.330/.555 slash with 35 home runs in 624 plate appearances on the year.
That is all but certain to represent the most impressive platform year among soon-to-be free agent corner outfielders. There’s still plenty of competition, of course, as both Jason Heyward and Justin Upton are younger and arguably have better prior overall track records. But Cespedes isn’t exactly old — he’ll turn thirty in October — and has every chance of cashing in on a significant contract right alongside those players.
All told, it’s far from surprising to hear that Cespedes hopes to get six or more seasons on his next deal. There’s ample precedent, in fact, for even more. Players like Shin-soo Choo, Carl Crawford, and Jayson Werth are among those outfielders who have taken down seven years (and well over $100MM) in open-market deals.
It doesn’t hurt that Cespedes is ineligible to receive a qualifying offer, while both Heyward and Upton — to say nothing of Alex Gordon and perhaps some others in the next tier of the market — will almost certainly be tied to draft compensation. That’s a relatively minor consideration at that level of the market, but could move the needle somewhat.
And, of course, Cespedes will be free to re-sign with the Mets after tweaking his deal with the team. Whether or not a return to New York is likely, the club will surely feel pressure at least to engage in a hearty pursuit of its newfound star, and that can only help his market situation.
If you’re interested in hearing a bit more on where Cespedes stands at this early stage, check out the analysis of Steve Adams and myself in a recent edition of the MLBTR Podcast.
Pretty sure every player or anyone would want piece of mind for the next 6+ years lol… The hot stove sure is getting boring tho
If it’s $120 for 6 years, it’s not completely unreasonable, but I wouldn’t go any/much higher than that.
He deserves to get and will get significantly more than that based on the market. In a world where Werth got 7/$120+ and Choo also got a ridiculous contract, someone of Céspedes’ caliber is worth something close to 7/$150.
Both Mets and Angels will be the Chumps and over pay !
I think he will have a hard time playing for both clubs.
I think he’s gonna get is 6 year contract, he prove he can be a gamechanger with the mets
I honestly think he could end up being the next Sandoval contract, except he is coming off a career year. I personally wouldn’t want to give him a 6+ year contract, especially with his poor OBP numbers.
Sandoval also wasn’t a 5-tool CF with 70 power.
It will be interesting to see if the DH rule will tip the scale for an AL team to win the bidding war. He may be only suited as a DH in that 6th or 7th year, and a AL team may go 7 to land him..
Really? Players with his body type (running back) age extremely well. He’s the type of athlete you could expect to play a solid corner outfield even at the end of that contract.