Just Mets

Earlier this week, Tigers GM Dave Dombrowski decided to “reboot” his struggling Tigers, opting to. To load up in hopes of earning a play-in game for the Wild Card in 2015.

That reboot included Dombrowski dealing both Yoenis Cespedes and David Price for a large haul of prospects including Mets pitching prospects Michael Fulmer and Luis Cessa.

But Dombrowski is hopeful his reboot process includes bringing Cespedes back into the fold, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today said the Tigers hope to re-sign his All-Star outfielder to a new contract this winter.

The Mets showed a commitment to win right now by adding four players, including Cespedes, ahead of the trade deadline. That is indisputable, very refreshing and they’ve clearly passed a very important test in terms of changing the perception and discussion about the club.

The next test will be whether or not they can play with the muscle of the Tigers in free agency this winter. It remains to be seen if they can.

The Mets have taken quite a bit of risk in acquiring Cespedes this summer, as he can be a free agent this winter. They gave up at least one excellent pitching prospect to get him, so retaining Cespedes – who is the kind of player this front office has coveted for years – should be a priority for 2016 and beyond.

Presumably, it will take a long-term and significant commitment to do this. He is going to be one of the premier right-handed power hitting bats on the market who is also an outstanding outfielder, a rare combination in a player for this era of the game. 

But if the Mets could get this done, they’d get the hitter they need for the future without having to give up their first-round pick in next year’s draft, something they can ill afford to do after surrendering their first round pick in 2015 for Michael Cuddyer.

But perhaps most importantly, it would show the Mets can and are willing to compete for quality players in free agency, and they would pass perhaps their most significant test of all.

It’s going to be complicated, however.

Per the terms of Cespedes’ contract, his team must release him at the end of the deal, and a released player cannot be re-signed by his former club until May 15 the following year. 

So the Mets will only have five days after the World Series concludes to get a new deal done with Cespedes. After that time period, the Mets will probably lose him to another club.