New York Mets Should Make Trade Offer For Yoenis Cespedes
By Timothy Downs
@Tidow1212
Getty Images
The New York Mets are in need of offensive talent. One of the positions that is still heavily up in the air for the 2015 MLB season is left field, which saw a revolving door of inadequacy in 2014. The 2015 free agent class is hopelessly barren when it comes to offensive talent, which leaves the Mets almost certainly needing to find their next left fielder via trade, and current Boston Red Sox OF Yoenis Cespedes profiles as exactly what the club needs to bring to Flushing.
Another year of Eric Young and players like Chris Young just isn’t gonna cut it, and GM Sandy Alderson and the Wilpons must know this by now. Not only would it be insufficient, but it would also be an insult to the Mets’ stellar young pitching staff that has an opportunity to carry even an average offense into the 2015 postseason.
While Cespedes is not going to overwhelm offensively, he’s extremely solid and finished the 2014 campaign hitting .260 with 22 HRs and 100 RBIs while splitting time between Boston and the Oakland Athletics. Some players might have been severely affected by being traded from a contender like Oakland to the floundering Red Sox. But pout Cespedes did not, as he hit .269 with five HRs and 33 RBIs with Boston. Essentially, he put up exactly what he would have had he stayed in Oakland.
No one wants to see a talented young pitcher traded away and wonder what could have been, but the Mets currently have a plethora of pitching. Cespedes is a free agent after the 2015 season, so he is essentially on a one-year deal, which means it won’t take a king’s ransom to bring him to New York.
Perhaps the Red Sox might want to see how they fare until the midway point of 2015 to deal Cespedes, but his value right now is as high as it is going to be from now until then, and it doesn’t appear that Boston wants to lock him up to a long-term deal.
If the Mets could negotiate an extension with Cespedes prior to a deal, I think RHP Noah Syndergaard could get this done. If no deal is to be struck immediately, New York should start with RHP prospect Rafael Montero and take it from there. However, although this is thinking completely outside of the box, perhaps Boston could have interest in Daniel Murphy (whom the Mets might deal this offseason) as a fit to play first or third base.
A Murphy-for-Cespedes deal would be beneficial for both clubs and about as fair of a swap for MLB-level players fans have seen in years.
Timothy Downs is a fantasy sports writer for www.RantSports.com. You can ‘like him’ on Facebook add him on Google or follow him on Twitter @Tidow1212.
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