MLB: Best Options for Yoenis Cespedes

The past year and a half has been a relatively fun time for the New York Mets. Their rebuilding phase is now in the past, and all of their dark days of losing records, collapses, and struggles is seemingly behind them.

Over the past year and a half, the Mets have been led offensively by outfielder Yoenis Cespedes after acquiring him in a trade with the Detroit Tigers in July 2015. Last season, Cespedes joined the Mets the day of the trade deadline, and ultimately helped turned their season around. With Cespedes’ production, the Mets suddenly became unstoppable, overtaking the Nationals for the lead in the NL East. As a result of their unstoppable run, the Mets clinched their first division title since 2006 to make the MLB playoffs. After defeating the Dodgers and the Cubs in the first two rounds, the Mets were defeated by the Kansas City Royals in the World Series.

Following the conclusion of the season, it became increasingly likely that Cespedes’ short run as a Met was over. To everyone’s surprise, Cespedes returned to the Mets on a three-year deal. Once again, Cespedes became the focal point of the Mets offense. His first half production immediately put him in MVP talks heading into the All-Star break. A quad injury limited his production throughout the second half of the season, but Cespedes still led the team in several offensive categories. Now, we are back to square one.

The three-year deal signed by Cespedes included an opt-out after the first season, which he is reportedly planning on using. This will make Cespedes one of the more sought-out free agents this offseason. Because of this, it is highly unlikely that the Mets will try and offer him anything of worth. Cespedes is in the prime of his career, and seems to be getting better by the year. With the free agency period rapidly approaching, it’s incredibly likely that Cespedes will get the biggest contract of his career. The question is: where does he go?