Just Mets

With the deal which would have brought Carlos Gomez falling through late Wednesday, the Mets still find themselves in need of acquiring an outfielder with just over 24 hours to go before the non-waiver trade deadline passes.

Previously, the Mets were uninterested in Yoenis Cespedes, Mike Puma of the New York Post reported on Wednesday.

According to Martino, the Mets are not interested in acquiring a rental to fill their need, including Cespedes and Justin Upton.

But with their need still glaring and time running short, it’s possible the Mets might reconsider their stance on Cespedes and attempt a run at the pending free agent, Puma said on Thursday.

Cespedes is a perfect fit talent-wise for the Mets. He has great power from the right side, has decent speed and is a fabulous outfielder. He has been more productive away from Comerica Park this season, but aside from the home runs he’s been generally fine at home and his splits have been even historically in the Oakland Coliseum. So, if the Mets were to acquire him, they probably wouldn’t have to worry about a drop off at Citi Field.

He has always been more productive against right-handed pitching in his career, but has badly struggled against left-handed pitching this season which isn’t indicative of his history. It could be a fluke, but it’s worth noting in the evaluation process.

The problem is, Cespedes will be a free agent at the end of the season. Like Justin Upton, Cespedes has absolutely no reason to consider an extension this summer and limit his negotiating power to one team. So, there’s significant risk in acquiring Cespedes.

In addition, the Tigers will probably want this “reboot” process to be quick, meaning they may want players who are ready to contribute now, or will be ready to contribute next season. And with Sandy Alderson being clear about his unwillingness to move the four young starting pitchers in the rotation now along with Michael Conforto, the Mets don’t have much that would fit that criteria at the moment.

On the other hand, the industry is well aware of the fact the Tigers cannot make Cespedes a qualifying offer this winter, which will probably serve as extra motivation to get a deal done. Conceivably, that could mean it will be a sellers market for Cespedes, which could lower the ask. But that might mean there will be more suitors for Cespedes, which could negate that factor.