Another name may be thrown in the ring of outfielders that could help the Mets by the July 31st trade deadline as the Tigers, currently 46-46 and 9.5 games out of first place in the AL Central, are reportedly ready to become sellers.
While Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski has said that the team has yet to make a decision on their deadline approach, baseball executives believe Detroit is prepared to move major league assets, including power-hitting outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports.
Cespedes, 29, will be a free agent come season’s end, and with where the Tigers are are in the standings coupled with the fact that they cannot make him a qualifying offer due to a stipulation in his contract, it would make sense to move him out and try to get something for him.
If Cespedes is in fact moved, he will be playing for his fourth team in the last two seasons after already being traded from the A’s to the Red Sox last summer and then to the Tigers last winter.
Cespedes does not profile as a guy you’d expect to be moved around so much, however, as he’s having yet another productive season, hitting .289/.314/.482 with an American League-leading 27 doubles, 13 home runs, 52 RBI, 53 runs scored and a .796 OPS in 92 games playing left field.
According to FOX Sports’ Jon Morosi, the Tigers could be looking to move players such as Cespedes and starting pitcher David Price in hopes of a quick rebuild. This means that if and when Detroit moves assets such as these, they’ll likely be looking for young players close to or already in the major leagues, rather than players that will take longer to develop.
Cespedes was a fit during last offseason for the Mets, who instead forfeited a first-round draft pick and signed Michael Cuddyer–who could be heading to the disabled list–to a two-year contract.
It’s difficult to project what exactly the Tigers will be looking for in return for a pending free agent, although it’s reasonable to believe if the Mets showed renewed interest, they wouldn’t have to part with players such as Noah Syndergaard or Steven Matz.
After all, the the Tigers ultimately traded Rick Porcello – who was coming off a solid year – to acquire Cespedes. So certainly, the Mets have no interest in moving these core assets in exchange for a rental, anyway.
The Mets have reportedly been shopping outfield prospect Brandon Nimmo – among other prospects at Double-A – in potential trade discussions this month, and could potentially see interest in pitcher Rafael Montero, who is now working his way back from rotator cuff stiffness in a minor league rehab assignment.
For a Mets lineup that doesn’t have much of any thump to it, Cespedes would provide an immediate threat to opposing pitchers. He’s shown his ability to hit for extra-base power ever since his major league debut in 2012 with Oakland, which is something this team has lacked all season long. He’s also a whizz in the outfield, and would provide an immediate boost to their outfield defense.
In three and a half seasons in the majors, Cespedes has hit .268/.315/.467 with 109 doubles, 17 triples, 84 home runs, 314 RBI and 286 runs scored in 508 career games.
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