In the "cutthroat world of New York City baseball," the Mets have "won the 2016 offseason" after re-signing LF Yoenis Cespedes to a three-year, $75M contract, according to Wallace Matthews of ESPN N.Y. It will be "interesting to see" how N.Y. baseball fans "respond to that turn of events, and the apparent seismic shift in the balance of power from the once-mighty Yankees to the kid-brother Mets." It is "obvious from their respective offseasons that the two organizations have shifted positions." The Yankees are "clearly trying to get younger and cheaper," while the Mets are looking "no further than the upcoming season." The Mets, "not the Yankees," are "rolling the dice on 2016 and are built to win now" (ESPNNY.com, 1/26). SNY’s Sal Licata said the fact that Mets ownership "went out there and spent" $75M on Cespedes shows that they "care most about trying to win a World Series, and that you have to love" ("Loud Mouths," SNY, 1/26). SNY's Jonas Schwartz called the Mets a "win-now ball club." However, the N.Y. Daily News’ Andy Martino warned the Mets' payroll needs to around the current $140M mark because “what they’ve done is create an expectation for themselves.” Martino: “No amount of reasoning, no amount of ‘this guy’s not worth it’ or ‘that guy’s not worth it’ will make it so the public will accept anything less. This is the dark underbelly of what they created with this one signing that got people all excited. You cannot go under ($140M) again so they better be prepared to stay there.” The N.Y. Daily News’ John Harper said the Mets "should be contenders for a while." Harper: "You’re going to have people in the ballpark. If attendance is up, there’s no way you can justify that payroll going back down” ("Daily News Live," SNY, 1/26).
STICKING TO THE PLAN: The Mets officially announced the Cespedes signing yesterday, and team COO Jeff Wilpon said, "We had a plan, and [GM Sandy Alderson] and his team executed on that plan. My job is to support that. The fact that a player of his magnitude wanted to be a New York Met, we’re a destination now where players want to be." On Long Island, David Lennon writes the Mets' offseason "lacked 'sizzle' before signing Cespedes." But "kudos to upper management for finally understanding the importance of that." The franchise "added a charismatic difference-maker that moves the needle." Wilpon: “We knew that the fan base would be happy with this. But it had to make business sense and had to be part of the plan" (NEWSDAY, 1/28). Cespedes' agent, CAA Baseball co-Head Brodie Van Wagenen, said that Alderson "showed a 'rare' willingness to discuss various concessions that would make a three-year deal possible." Meanwhile, also on Long Island, Marc Carig notes an opt-out clause after this season "gives Cespedes the option to test the free-agent class next winter, which features a less competitive class of outfielders." Even if Cespedes "opts out, the Mets would be allowed to make a qualifying offer, which makes it possible to receive a draft pick as compensation" (NEWSDAY, 1/28).
OPTIONS GAME: In N.Y., Tyler Kepner writes "across baseball, this has been the winter of the opt-out clause." Once "an exception, the opt-out clause has become the norm.” Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski: "For years we’ve negotiated dollars, length of contract, awards packages and other benefits like suites. But now, all of a sudden, this has become another point of negotiating. Some people are willing to give it, and if you don’t give it, you know you have a chance of losing the player" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/28).
