Mets Trading Yoenis Cespedes To Dodgers?
Are the Mets trading Yoenis Cespedes to the Dodgers?
Cespedes, 34, came to an agreement with New York this week to reduce his upcoming 2020 salary.
The move is seen as a pathway to helping secure a trade for him in the near future.
Cespedes is said to have agreed to a pay cut of approximately $20 million. That would take his salary from $29.5 million to $10 million.
With the star outfielder’s salary now being viewed as far more manageable, multiple teams now appear to be interested in acquiring his services.
Cespedes originally signed a four-year, $110 million extension with New York before the 2017 season. Since then, he has only played 119 outings over the subsequent two seasons as a result of injuries.
In 2018, Cespedes hit .262 with nine homers and 29 RBIs through 38 games.
One interesting effect of Yoenis Céspedes’ contract restructuring: the Mets have had teams reach out the past week regarding his availability in trades, according to a source. Nothing close or imminent or even all that likely, but some initial conversations have taken place.
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) December 19, 2019
The big question at this point is: who will step up to take Cespedes? Obviously doing so would come with a certain mount of risks, given his injury history.
An obvious answer would be the Dodgers.
To date, LA has struck out on every notable free agent that the organization wanted to sign. Trade talks for Francisco Lindor similarly seem to be going nowhere at this point.
If the Dodgers want to make a move this offseason and improve their team in some capacity, this might be the only thing they can do at this stage.
Will Cespedes ultimately end up in Los Angeles? Time will tell. But it is clear that his days in a Mets uniform are numbered.
Related: Indians Trading Francisco Lindor To Reds?
Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
