Mets Re-Sign Yoenis Cespedes for 4 Years and $110 Million

I was hoping for a 5-year deal, but whatever. He's back and that's all that matters because the Mets window for winning is now.

SNY's Mets Hot Stove checks in with Wilmer Flores

What can David Wright still contribute to the New York Mets?

So Jose Reyes, who should be playing every day and batting leadoff anyway, will be backing up Wright at 3rd?

What's Next for Jeurys Famila and the New York Mets Bullpen?

Bring back back Jerry Blevins and sign Boone Logan too, then make Addison Reed your closer while Familia's gone...there's your answer.

Neil Walker Accepts Mets’ Qualifying Offer; Yoenis Cespedes Rejects It

NYTimes.com:

Second baseman Neil Walker informed the Mets just before a 5 p.m. deadline on Monday that he would accept a $17.2 million qualifying offer for 2017, a decision that keeps one of the team’s two most important free agents in Queens.

The other, the star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, rejected the Mets’ qualifying offer, as expected, making him perhaps the most attractive free agent on the market.

Although Cespedes declined the offer, that does not preclude the Mets from continuing to pursue him. General Manager Sandy Alderson made clear last week at the annual general managers’ meetings in Scottsdale, Ariz., that the team was serious about re-signing Cespedes.

Alderson had also said the Mets wanted to keep Walker, 31, for next season — and beyond that, if possible. Walker, a switch-hitter, replaced Daniel Murphy at second base in 2016, hitting a team-leading .282 with an .823 on-base plus slugging percentage, second on the team only to Cespedes’s .884. Walker also hit 23 home runs and emerged as a clubhouse leader.

I like Walker, but his injury is a tough one to come back from and with Reyes and TJ Rivera around for next to nothing and capable of playing 2nd base, I figured that the Mets could save some money and put it on a quality relief pitcher instead. Now the question is: do you possibly move Walker to 1st base, let Reyes play 2nd full-time? Because I don't see how Reyes doesn't leadoff and play every day.

Bartolo Colon Signs With Braves, Big Sexy Era With Mets Ends

"Key component" is an understatement as without Colon we don't make the playoffs this year. His pitching, durability and of course, his hitting will be missed. By guess is that Zach Wheeler, Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellmann will all have a shot at being the 5th man in the rotation.

Yoenis Cespedes Opts Out of Mets Contract, Walks Away from $47 5 Million

NYTimes.com:

Eight hours after the final out of the World Series on Thursday, the first of many critical periods in the Major League Baseball off-season calendar began. Starting then, teams knew they had until Monday to extend a $17.2 million qualifying offer to any of their players eligible for free agency, who would then have a week to accept.

Teams can exclusively negotiate with their pending free agents until a minute before Tuesday. If no deal is reached, the players may sign with anyone.

Saturday, however, brought one of the most significant dates of the hot stove season: Mets outfielder Yoenis Cespedes exercised the opt-out clause in his contract ahead of a midnight deadline. He will forgo the $47.5 million and two years remaining on his contract, but given his strong 2016 season, many in baseball think Cespedes could draw offers of $100 million.

During Cespedes’s year and a half with the Mets, his powerful bat helped carry them to the World Series in 2015 and to the National League wild-card game this season. He hit .280 with 31 home runs and a .884 on-base plus slugging percentage in 2016. The Mets would like to retain Cespedes and could employ the same strategy they used last off-season, when re-signing him initially appeared to be a long shot.

Mets General Manager Sandy Alderson waited out the rest of the market, and Cespedes, who wanted to stay in New York, signed a three-year, $75 million deal in late January that included the opt-out clause.

Since it's all about the money and how much Lamborghini's this guy can buy, a part of me is tempted to say Hasta la vista to Cespedes. But frankly speaking, we need him...bad. Sandy Alderson and Mets ownership just have go to get this down and sign him to a longterm deal.

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Terry Collins Talks New York Mets Future

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