Just Mets

There are a number of reasons why Yoenis Cespedes is perhaps the most valuable mid-season acquisition the Mets have made since they traded for Mike Piazza in May, 1998.

Obviously, one of those reasons is for for nights like he had on Monday in Miami, during which he slugged three doubles, scored two runs and drove in four out of the third spot in the Mets lineup.

His new manager agrees.

“That’s why we got him,” Collins said. “We got him to be that guy in the middle of the lineup who drives in those big runs, so hopefully we keep getting guys on.”

The latter portion of Collins’ remark about his new slugger is an under-discussed benefit of having Cespedes in the lineup everyday. He offers star-studded protection to for the other hitters ahead of him in the lineup, which will unquestionably afford the likes of Daniel Murphy and Curtis Granderson better pitches to hit ahead of him.

But Cespedes can provide a benefit to the hitters behind him in the lineup as well.

Take the situation in the eighth inning of Saturday’s win over the Nationals as an example. The Nationals chose to walk Cespedes with first base open to face Lucas Duda with LHP Matt Thornton on the mound. Duda of course made the Nationals pay for that decision, as he slugged a go-ahead double the other way to give the Mets a 3-2 lead they would not relinquish.

But in another reality, perhaps Duda is up in that situation, or a lesser hitter than Cespedes, and the Nationals either walk Duda in that spot or they pitch to that other player instead.

In another reality, perhaps the Mets don’t win that game, as Cespedes was playing for another team at the time.

But that’s the difference between having a true, middle-of-the-order threat on an everyday basis and what the Mets had before, which is a core reason why the Mets were only scoring 3.4 runs per game prior to acquiring Cespedes on Friday afternoon.

A player like this completely transforms the Mets lineup, and makes them into a capable, run-scoring machine on a nightly basis. He may not be the force he was on Monday in every game, but his presence alone changes the dynamic of the lineup, forcing players who belong down in the lineup down, and affording more opportunities for the table setters ahead of him to create the chances he, along with Lucas Duda and eventually Michael Cuddyer and perhaps David Wright will take advantage of more often than not down the stretch of the most meaningful season for the Mets since 2008.

This really shouldn’t have to be explained. But because it’s been so long since the Mets had a player and a lineup like this, it serves as a glorious reminder.

“He’s the real deal,” Collins emphatically said about his new toy in Cespedes.

And that deal landed the Mets in sole possession of first place on Monday, the first time they’ve had such a possession since September 19, 2008.

The Mets really shouldn’t let this player get away. He’s a keeper, and wouldn’t even cost them draft compensation if they were to retain him, something they can’t afford to do again after last winter and all of the players they’ve traded away to retro-fit their roster in the last two weeks.

It’s nice to have a capable, big league power hitter in the middle of the Mets lineup. It’s been a long, long time. Hopefully they can keep him.