There is definitely a level of comfort with Cespedes returning to NY, and having come over from Cuba at the age of 26, there is reason to believe he is truly coming into his prime right now.
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“Really happy to have Antonio with us”, Alderson said. The Mets already had made a number of important upgrades, but as Alderson mentioned Wednesday, their offseason lacked “sizzle” before signing Cespedes. “It was hard to read into the market because of how (Van Wagnen) described it, the shifts and so forth that were taking place”.
“[Bastardo’s] not a left-handed specialist, but given the fact that Jerry Blevins is kind of a left-on-left and [Josh] Edgin is still not 100 percent and probably won’t be at the beginning of the season, we felt this was an area that we needed to buttress”, Alderson said.
The Mets’ core is set for the next few years.
Van Wagenen and Cespedes were open to creative deal structures ranging from short-term to long-term proposals, and talks intensified with NY during the middle of last week. The deal, which has yet to be confirmed by the club, will run for three seasons at around $25 million per year and includes an opt-out clause after the first year. Three years and $75M or five years and $77M?
Alderson said he and fellow Mets executives were not being untruthful when they said they didn’t expect to re-sign Cespedes, but they stayed in contact with Van Wagenen in case Cespedes’ demands dropped. Wilpon denied those were major factors, but did say later in an e-mail that “Mets fans are among the most passionate in all of sports” and added “it’s great they’re as excited as we are about the season ahead”. And he also disputed the notion that the Washington Nationals’ reported interest had spurred the Mets into action. “We understood the magnitude of this issue with the media and our fans”.
During negotiations, Van Wagenen asked Alderson, “Are you in it to win it?”
With the provision of good health, this rotation could perform even better in 2016, especially with Zack Wheeler’s hopeful return in the summertime and Harvey no longer needing to worry about the stupid innings limit. The answer, again, was yes. If Cespedes opts out, the Mets will be able to give him a qualifying offer.
“That was part of the equation”, Alderson said. New York’s most imposing hitter from last season has agreed to a three-year contract worth $75 million.
DODGERS: The team outrighted right-hander Brandon Beachy to its Triple-A roster, although he’s still expected at spring training as a non-roster invitee.
“Late in the day Friday it got serious, and Sandy asked me to get on the phone with him and Brodie, and it did move very quickly from there”, Wilpon said.
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