Danny Abriano | Rising Apple- Free agent outfielder Justin Upton has agreed to a six-year deal with the Detroit Tigers worth $132.7 million which includes an opt-out after the second year. Signing with the Tigers takes another potential Yoenis Cespedes suitor out of the equation, but the length of contract Upton received can’t be viewed as a good development for any team that was hoping to get Cespedes on an extremely short-term deal.
(Chris Soto: This contract is a bit of a mixed bag for Cespedes. The 6 year length of the contract bodes well for Cespedes chances of securing a longer term contract, however, on the flip side, the Tigers were one of the few remaining teams capable of providing that kind contract length. The $22M per season value of the deal also seems like it bodes well for the Cespedes camp considering he is capable of playing CF which increasing his value. Only problem there....multiple teams are already brushing up on the top end of their budgets, including the LA Angels, who are only ~$15M under the $189M limit before they have to start paying luxury taxes. At the end of the day a 4 yr/$80M is still probably what I would guess is the contract he will end up signing.)
Barry M. Bloom | Mets.com- Mets pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Port St. Lucie, Fla., in exactly 31 days, and manager Terry Collins said he's already getting ready for it. "I talked to Sandy today, and hopefully we'll continue to move forward in those [Cespedes] negotiations" said Collins. "I don't know where Cespedes is at contract-wise with anybody else, but I know he wants to come back to New York if he can. He's a great player and we'd love to have him back." Collins also said he anticipates no restrictions this year on younger pitchers Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom. "No, fortunately we're not going to have to worry about innings this year. We're going to be fine," he said. "One of the things I've learned is that you've got to be careful early in the year. If you're planning on having them pitch in October, then they have to be ready."
(Chris Soto: Here is the interesting part of Collins comments. Over the weekend, when discussing the possibility of signing Cespedes. Baltimore manager, Buck Showalter, was adamant about NOT wanting a guy like Cespedes. Meanwhile Collins is speaking the opposite tune. It sounds like the Mets are really trying to market themselves as "home" for Yeonis so that he should provide a discount on his services in order to stay "home.")
(Chris Soto: This contract is a bit of a mixed bag for Cespedes. The 6 year length of the contract bodes well for Cespedes chances of securing a longer term contract, however, on the flip side, the Tigers were one of the few remaining teams capable of providing that kind contract length. The $22M per season value of the deal also seems like it bodes well for the Cespedes camp considering he is capable of playing CF which increasing his value. Only problem there....multiple teams are already brushing up on the top end of their budgets, including the LA Angels, who are only ~$15M under the $189M limit before they have to start paying luxury taxes. At the end of the day a 4 yr/$80M is still probably what I would guess is the contract he will end up signing.)
Barry M. Bloom | Mets.com- Mets pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in Port St. Lucie, Fla., in exactly 31 days, and manager Terry Collins said he's already getting ready for it. "I talked to Sandy today, and hopefully we'll continue to move forward in those [Cespedes] negotiations" said Collins. "I don't know where Cespedes is at contract-wise with anybody else, but I know he wants to come back to New York if he can. He's a great player and we'd love to have him back." Collins also said he anticipates no restrictions this year on younger pitchers Matt Harvey and Jacob deGrom. "No, fortunately we're not going to have to worry about innings this year. We're going to be fine," he said. "One of the things I've learned is that you've got to be careful early in the year. If you're planning on having them pitch in October, then they have to be ready."
(Chris Soto: Here is the interesting part of Collins comments. Over the weekend, when discussing the possibility of signing Cespedes. Baltimore manager, Buck Showalter, was adamant about NOT wanting a guy like Cespedes. Meanwhile Collins is speaking the opposite tune. It sounds like the Mets are really trying to market themselves as "home" for Yeonis so that he should provide a discount on his services in order to stay "home.")
I love discounts. Come home, Yoenis Cespedes.
ReplyDeleteOnly about a month to pitchers and catchers...yay.
At first glance it would appear the market immediately went up big time for hitters.....
ReplyDeleteBut IMO Chris davis was just an odd decision by a team reportedly competing against themselves with him. And upton is 28yrs old, not 30.
So I would say cespedes still only gets a 4 yr max deal from somebody......and the behavior stuff behind closed doors opinions around league him keep mounting.
I think I read somewhere last night that the Tigers owner was trying to get Davis, but GM Avila talked him out of it. So he might have had an offer out there, not Just Boras's smoke and mirrors this time.
DeleteI really expected Detroit to sign Cespedes... interesting.
ReplyDeleteThere really doesn't seem to be that many options left for Cespedes at this point.
Like you always say mack...... "its not my money" so if it was up to me I'd offer cespedes a full $25mil for one year. Let him get his swagger back, show hustle, have a monster year and then get a sizable 4-5 year deal next year from somebody.
ReplyDeleteErnest -
ReplyDeleteWhat is it about this guy that prevents either him signing a multiple year deal or being offered one?
Mack
ReplyDeletePerhaps its a similar reason as to why a certain physically gifted but flare for the dramatic outfielder on the dodgers hasn't long since gotten the full support from his organization and has randomly seen a few less starts then I could recall last year or whatever.
I don't see other teams clamoring to trade for the excess they have in the outfield by taking him.
Ernest -
ReplyDeleteI understand the comparison but Puig is both a thug and a pain in the ass. I don't see Cespedes in this 'class'.
I did think that he started to hot dog it a little when he was playing CF in the playoff but it could have been a reaction to not inflame his wrist injury which obviously was still healing.
I don't know...
It's an interesting decision by Detroit choosing "the devil they don't know" (Upton) over "the devil they know". (Cespedes) In most circumstances, and as the saying goes, people choose the latter. There is probably fire where there is the smokescreen of all that talk about Cespedes' character and work ethic. Also, the fact that 4 teams have let him go in the last 2 years speaks volumes.
ReplyDeleteBut it is truly an odd situation where there is a constant stream of chatter coming from the Mets, both positive (like Terry's statements quoted here, and Thor's a little while ago) and negative (doesn't take batting practice, smokes between ABs, square peg, etc.) which only make sense in one scenario. I have no idea if this is true, but it sounds to me like the Mets are confident they will land Cespedes, (hence all the positive statements) but they are trying to set him up to accept a lower price, with the negative stuff.
I read this as the Mets wanting him to a 1-2 year prove it deal - they don't want him long term, but recognize he can help get them a title next year
DeleteI read this as the Mets wanting him to a 1-2 year prove it deal - they don't want him long term, but recognize he can help get them a title next year
DeleteI remember when having a smoke in between innings was a manly man thing.
ReplyDeleteIs everyone forgetting the golf during the playoffs? That strongly suggest a me first mentality - if you don't think it does - try to imagine Wright doi ng that
ReplyDeleteLew
ReplyDeleteMaybe it is one of those athlete superstition situations.
Maybe Cespedes always plays golf before games and his superstitious nature demanded that he continue. In his mind it would be doing everything he can in order to still perform.
I have no knowledge of this. Just putting out a possibility..
Please remember though, whatever that golf story is/was Collins and Syndergaard apparently did not see it as Cespedes hurting the team.
From what I have noticed about Collins And Syndergaard, I would assume they would definitely speak up if there was a problem with Cespedes.
Instead, both are campaigning for Cespedes.