MLB Trade Deadline Retrospective: Yoenis Cespedes to the Mets
Taking a look at the mlb trade deadline from a year ago today when the Detroit Tigers sent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes to the New York Mets for two young pitchers.
In the offseason before the 2015 season, the Detroit Tigers traded away pitcher Rick Porcello and in return, acquired outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. Just half a season later, a year ago today, the team would send Cespedes to the New York Mets.
Right around the trade deadline of last season, the Tigers had to make a tough decision. Become buyers and compete, or sell off expiring contracts and rebuild for next season. Sitting 3.5 games behind the second Wild Card spot held by the Minnesota Twins, the Tigers opted to sell.
As for the Mets, after being absent from postseason play since 2006 including two collapses down the stretch of the regular season, the team looked for an extra bat in the middle of the lineup that could change the outcome of the game in one swing.
They had been rumored to acquire Milwaukee’s Carlos Gomez, but after a failed physical and some memorable on-field tears, locked their eyes on Cespedes. The Mets had pitching, but all they needed was a star outfielder.
The rebuild began with left-hander David Price being the first Tiger to go. Price was traded for three prospects including one of MLB’s top pitching prospects, Daniel Norris.
The next day, the Tigers shipped off power-hitting outfielder Cespedes to the Mets. In return, the Tigers acquired two pitching prospects, Michael Fulmer and Luis Cessa.
Next: Mets March On
On August 1, the day before Cespedes made his debut as a Met, the team sat at 54-50, a game behind the National League East-leading Washington Nationals. In the Wild Card race, they were 3.5 games behind a playoff spot.
Over the next couple of months, the Mets went on a hot streak with Cespedes leading the pack. The team finished 90-72, or 36-22 over the last 58 games. They won the NL East with a seven game lead on the Nationals and had the fifth best record in the National League.
Cespedes finished the regular season batting .287 with 17 home runs and 44 RBI in 57 games. To prove how good of a stretch that was, in 102 games with Detroit, Cespedes hit .293 with just 18 home runs.
Pre-Cespedes:
New York Mets: 54-50
Washington Nationals: 54-48
Post-Cespedes
New York Mets: 36-22
Washington Nationals: 29-31
The playoffs would be a similar story. In a pitching-dominant series, the Mets edged out the Los Angeles Dodgers in the last game of the series. While Cespedes struggled, hitting only .250, he did have a pair of home runs in the series.
The next series would be a step forward for Cespedes, hitting .286 with three RBI. But the spotlight was on Daniel Murphy and Lucas Duda, who were two of the main factors in the team’s four game sweep of the Chicago Cubs.
After not making a playoff appearance since 2006, the team finally had won another National League pennant. The team geared up for a tough World Series where they would face the contact-hitting Kansas City Royals.
As the story would go on to tell, the Royals won in five games. Their bats were too much for the Mets’ pitching and the bats that were hot in the NLDS and NLCS cooled down. Cespedes hit a mere .150 with just one RBI.
Cespedes’ contract was up and after a successful run, ending with disappointment, and the Mets front office knew that if they were to make another deep run, re-signing Cespedes was the first step.
While the trade was originally a three month rental, it turned into a huge payday for Cespedes and for him to stay in blue and orange for a few more years.
To date, he is hitting .297 with 22 home runs and 58 RBI and has led the Mets to a 53-48 record. The team is now third in the NL East, 6.5 back from the first place Nationals. In the Wild Card race, the Mets are just 1.5 games back.
Next: Not a Bad Return
While Cespedes was a huge addition for the Mets, the Tigers may have landed an ace of the future in the same deal.
After being traded to Detroit, Fulmer made six starts in Double-A, going 4-1 with a 2.84 ERA and 1.07 WHIP. He was striking out 9.4 batters and walking just two per nine. His dominant second half earned him MLB.com’s No. 53 prospect entering the year.
In 2016, Fulmer made three starts at Triple-A. He struggled, sporting a 4.11 ERA and walking almost an extra batter per nine. But, his K/9 ratio was up to 11.7. Three starts is a small sample size, but his dominance over hitters portrayed the endless potential Fulmer had to be a top-tier pitcher in the majors.
He was added the the big league rotation after those three starts and has failed to disappoint. In 16 starts, he is 9-2 with an exceptional 2.50 ERA. While his K/9 is just under 8.0, he has been nothing short of dominant.
As for the other pitcher sent in the deal, Cessa was packaged with Chad Green in an offseason deal to the New York Yankees for Justin Wilson. Cessa did not make his major league debut until 2016 as a member of the Yankee bullpen, and has jumped around Triple-A and the majors since.
Next: MLB Trade Retrospective: Jonathan Papelbon to the Nationals
However, selling off an expiring contract for a couple of prospects was a big win for the Tigers. Fulmer turned out to be another gem in the Mets’ farm system and will now be in the Tigers’ rotation for the foreseeable future.