According to the New York Post’s Mike Puma, Yoenis Cespedes “would like to play for another four seasons” and has echoed that sentiment to his friends.
Cespedes doesn’t currently have a job in Major League Baseball but he still wants to play not one, not two, not three, but FOUR more years. Puma wasn’t clear on if Cespedes wants to play four more years in the majors or just four years professionally, which could include playing in the Dominican Republic.
Cespedes wanting to play four more seasons in the big leagues seems like a goal that isn’t in reach. While there were eleven teams present at his workout on Tuesday, he is already 35 years old and comes with a lot of baggage.
Cespedes’ Injuries Can’t Be Shrugged Off
He was one of the best hitters in the league in 2015 and 2016. He was playing nearly every game and hitting more than 30 home runs a year. But, he hasn’t been the same player since. He played just 81 games in 2017 and 38 in 2018 due to multiple injuries including a heel problem. His heel became an issue again in 2019 and he had season-ending surgery.
Then the wild boar incident came in 2020 that put an exclamation point on his unsuccessful four-year contract with the Mets that should’ve been for $110 million but ended up being $74 million.
When he was on the field, he was productive but never was going to provide a big enough impact to the Mets when he was in the trainer’s room more than he was in the lineup.
Four More Years of Being a Bad Teammate?
Cespedes is talented but he is like Yasiel Puig–a loud voice in the locker room that isn’t worth the headache. When Puig was producing at an All-Star level, the Dodgers were willing to put up with his antics (bat licking included). But once his numbers dropped, suddenly there were only a couple of teams who were interested in even talking to him.
It’s the same with Cespedes. When he was an All-Star and winning the Home Run Derby, his employer was fine with the way he acted because he helped them win games. But now, his actions aren’t going to be tolerated–especially after how he acted in the middle of the 2020 season.
Cespedes was a part of Luis Rojas‘ lineup on most days, but that wasn’t good enough for Cespedes. He wanted to play just about every day because if he did, then he would earn performance bonuses. And because he felt like the Mets were purposefully not playing him (even though they were just trying to win some games), he decided to leave the team in the middle of a road trip without telling the team.
If I were a GM, I wouldn’t want that type of player in my locker room regardless of how talented he may be, so it’s really hard to envision a team taking a chance on Cespedes in each of the next four years assuming he only signs one-year deals.
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