Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com and Jon Heyman of MLB Network are both reporting that the Orioles have made Yoenis Cespedes a five-year offer thought to be in the $90 million range and now Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports that Cespedes is “believed to be weighing” that offer vs. a one-year offer to return to the Mets.
Cespedes might be disappointed in the lack of $100 million-plus offers he’s received as a free agent, but returning to the Mets would still be placing a very big bet on a) his having a strong 2016 season, and b) the market for him being a lot more robust next offseason. And considering he’s already coming off a career-best year--including a big second half with the Mets--that seems like an iffy assumption.
From the Orioles’ point of view they apparently see Cespedes as an alternative to Chris Davis, who’s taking his sweet time deciding on a long-term home despite Baltimore already offering him $150 million at the beginning of the offseason.
