Yoenis

Cespedes

Cespedes -- who hasn’t played in the big leagues since appearing in eight games with the Mets during the truncated 2020 season -- was hitting just .188/.239/.406 with four homers and 11 RBI in 71 plate appearances before the injury. It’s likely that we have seen the last of the 37-year-old slugger in the big leagues.

Cespedes is now 35 and hasn’t played a full season since 2016, so the idea that he could play four more years is pretty far-fetched. He was reportedly impressive during his showcase for clubs on Tuesday, so it seems like he should be able to latch on with a team soon. Cespedes figures to be limited to designated hitter duty at this stage of his career.

DiComo adds that “close to a dozen teams” were in attendance for the workout, including the Blue Jays, Brewers, Rays, Tigers, Padres, and White Sox. It was a quiet winter for the 35-year-old slugger, who went just 5-for-31 (.161) in eight games last summer with the Mets before opting out of the remainder of the season in early August. A scout in attendance Tuesday suggested to DiComo that Cespedes “could go be someone’s DH” but probably lacks the overall mobility at this point in his career to be a regular starting outfielder.

The showcase will take place in Fort Pierce, Florida. Cespedes, 35, appeared in just eight games with the Mets in 2020 before deciding to opt out due to COVID-19 related reasons. Odds are he’ll have to prove himself on a minor league deal.

We’ve heard very little about Cespedes this offseason after he posted just a .622 OPS over eight games in 2020 before deciding to opt out. That, of course, was after he missed considerable time due to injury. Now 35, Cespedes might have to accept a minor league deal.

Cespedes apparently felt like Mets management was trying to prevent him from triggering certain contract bonuses and became increasingly disgruntled when he was not written into the lineup for Sunday afternoon’s series finale in Atlanta. He didn’t board any of the team buses to Truist Park and instead packed his bags and had his agent contact the Mets to inform them of his decision to opt out over concerns related to COVID-19. That notice from the agent didn’t reach Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen until Sunday’s game was well underway, which led to hours of concern and speculation around the baseball industry. Never a boring day in Mets land.

Cespedes finally told Mets general manager Brodie Van Wagenen that he was opting out of the 2020 season in the middle of the team’s Sunday afternoon game against the Braves. He apparently packed his bags and departed the team hotel without initially informing anyone of his intentions. Van Wagenen called it a “disappointing end” to Cespedes’ four-year tenure with the club. Dom Smith stands to see more playing time moving forward.

This story sure unfolded in an odd way, as the Mets announced prior to first pitch on Sunday against the Braves that Cespedes was missing from the team and had not offered any explanation to management for his absence. During the game on Sunday, which the Mets ultimately lost 4-0, the only information that came out was that there were no concerns about the veteran slugger’s safety. Now comes word that Cespedes has officially opted out after logging only 34 plate appearances and recording only five hits.

General manager Brodie Van Wagenen said in a statement that the team’s attempts to contact Cespedes “have been unsuccessful,” although the word is they have no reason to believe his safety is at risk. We will surely hear more about this bizarre situation later Sunday. Cespedes has hit a couple home runs for the Mets this season but overall has posted just a .622 OPS.

He and Wilson Ramos are receiving routine days off. Dominic Smith is in left field, J.D. Davis is the designated hitter and Tomas Nido is catching for the Mets.