New York Mets: Yoenis Cespedes A Hundred Million Dollar Player?
By Kit Anderson
Yoenis Cespedes has proven to be a key part of the New York Mets offense. Is that value to the team enough to make him a $100 Million player?
The New York Mets offense has looked much better over the last few months. That is, in part, due to the boost that Yoenis Cespedes provides in an otherwise star free Mets lineup. The problem for the Mets is that at the end of this season, Cespedes more than likely will opt out of his contract and be looking for a large payday.
If he does indeed opt out of his contract at the end of this season, is Cespedes worth the $100 Million contract that he will more than likely be looking for? To answer that question, you have to look at the free agent market, to understand just how expensive comparable talent would be.
Last off-season, seven players signed contracts over four years and $100 Million. Three of those seven were position players – Jason Heyward, Chris Davis, and Justin Upton. You could easily argue that Cespedes is more talented offensively then any one of those three sluggers.
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The next step would be to look if any of these $100 Million deals are truly worth it? While that question may be hard to answer after one season with their new teams, it is easy to say that both Upton and Heyward have struggled badly this season and made their teams rethink the off-season deals they were handed this off-season.
Upton and Heyward, in fairness, are very streaky players who have never had back-to-back seasons like the years that Cespedes has put together with the New York Mets. While it is hard to say that any player is truly worth a $100 Million contract, there is no arguing in today’s free agent market Cespedes is well worth that price tag.
The next problem for the Mets or Cespedes’ new prospective team will be how many years to give the slugger? He will be 31 years old next year, and giving him anything over four to five years would seem to be a big mistake. While the asking price will certainly be five years or more, Cespedes more than likely will be forced to settle for less than that.
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A four year, $100 Million deal seems like the most achievable deal for Cespedes. While his play may suggest he could land a longer deal it is doubtful that any team is willing to go much farther then four years. Regardless of the exact details Yoenis Cespedes is headed for a payday this off-season that should make him baseball’s next $100 Million man.