Yoenis Céspedes

Mets convinced Yoenis Cespedes is leaving

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Say it ain’t so, Yo!

As the early part of the offseason rolls in, Mets fans everywhere are curious to see where some of the favorite players from this year end up. The big question going into this winter has to be whether Yoenis Cespedes sticks with his current contract or opt-outs in search for an even bigger payday.

While we’re unlikely to know the answer to this question for a few weeks, if not months, there’s some suggestion that the Mets aren’t confident Yoenis will be wearing orange and blue next year.

The Mets seem pretty convinced that not only will Cespedes opt out, he will also depart. They were skeptical last year, too, though. https://t.co/TKOcfyPyKv

— Adam Rubin (@AdamRubinESPN) October 26, 2016

According to ESPN’s Adam Rubin, the front office doesn’t just think Cespedes will opt out, they also believe he’ll be heading to another team instead of re-signing with New York.

Meanwhile, Jon Heyman reports that while the Mets are aware Cespedes plans to opt out, the two sides have had an “open dialogue.”

Rubin goes on to note that GM Sandy Alderson and company had similar feelings last year about Cespedes leaving — as we all did — and we all know how that turned out: Yoenis signed a gigantic three-year $75 million deal.

Technically, the same scenario could be the case this time. As we know, the Mets are taking their time with Cespedes, so it’s possible this is just another part of the slow play strategy.

If we recall last offseason, not too many teams showed interest in acquiring Cespedes’ services at the price he was looking for. This was the case even after that monster two months he had that propelled the Mets to the postseason.

Ultimately, the Cespedes rumors had the Mets and Nats as contenders with the Amazin’s emerging victorious after ponying up the big bucks.

I’m not entirely sure his value has gone up over last offseason. Sure, his numbers were still pretty great this year overall, but he hit less home runs (31) than in 2015 (35), and had a lower batting average (.280 in 2016 vs .287 in 2015) and OPS (.884 in 2016 vs .942 in 2015) as well.

I’m not saying Yoenis shouldn’t get paid next year — he deserves his money. But the contract the Mets worked out for him definitely seems fair. If other teams weren’t willing to beat the Mets’ offer after his 2015 season, I doubt they’ll be willing to after his 2016 season.

Yoenis’ future will surely be a hot topic for the Mets this offseason, so buckle up, because we’re just getting started with the rumors.