Will Cespedes opt out of his Mets contract next winter?
By admin - 2016-10-25 03:59:55

Yoenis Cespedes has signed a massive deal to re-up with the New York Mets after they brought him aboard last season for a run at the World Series. But there’s questions over whether he’ll opt out of the deal next winter.

The Mets signed the slugging outfielder to a three-year deal for $75 million, and the contract allows Cespedes to reenter the market in 2017, potentially allowing the team to sign him for less — but he may not, and if Cespedes regresses, the Mets could be way overpaying him for the last two years, according to a Fox Sports report.

Cespedes posted an OPS of over 900 last year, making him one of the best hitters in the game, but in the past he has posted below .800 in 2013 and 2014, so if he regresses in 2016 he may not want to test what could be a weaker market in 2017 and stay with his contract with the Mets.

Of course, the Mets probably didn’t expect him to repeat last season’s numbers anyway, but Cespedes could be worth far more than $25 million based on last season’s numbers, the report argues. Even a regression may put him at the figure in his contract in terms of value.

Also, overpaying is not as big of a deal in Major League Baseball, where there is no salary cap. If owners pay a few million dollars more than a player is worth, the only reason it would affect fans if the owner was stingy — and Mets ownership probably isn’t.

The bigger concern could be the length of contract, and since that’s not an issue, the situation is a good one for the Mets and Cespedes.