Yoenis Cespedes was the hottest soon-to-be free agent in the MLB during the second half of the season. His offensive surge with the New York Mets was unprecedented, but the slugger fell off towards the end of the year and in the postseason.
There is expected to be much demand for Cespedes this offseason, however, he probably won't earn as much as many previously expected. In the midst of his second half performance there were reports suggesting he could make up to $175 million.
He also said he'd be seeking a six-year deal, but after batting just .222 with seven runs scored, two home runs and eight RBI in 14 postseason games, the life of his contract may be affected. Additionally, he sustained shoulder and knee injuries over that span, so that will play a factor as well.
Let's take a look at our top three destinations for Cespedes.
3. Detroit Tigers
The Tigers need some pitching too, but they could look to sign Cespedes after trading him to the Mets. Rumors suggested earlier in the season that the two sides would be open for a return even after the trade. Coincidentally, the Tigers will be in need of a left fielder.
The only problem is that Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander, Victor Martinez, Ian Kinsler and Anibal Sanchez make up a majority of the team's payroll through 2017. Can they afford another (potential) $100 million contract on the books?
Maybe new GM Al Avila will move one of those players (except Cabrera) to clear up some space on the payroll. However, there is still work to be done with the starting rotation and bullpen, so signing Cespedes might be out of their budget.
Then again, their window to win a World Series is rapidly closing and owner Mike Illitch might dig deep into his pockets this offseason.
2. Miami Marlins
Why not?! Miami just got manager Don Mattingly under contract for four years. The team wants to trade center fielder Marcell Ozuna, which would then allow Christian Yelich to shift over to center and have Cespedes take over in left (he can also play some center field as well).
Rumors regarding the Marlins signing Cespedes surfaced back in the beginning of October.
The slugger would be a hit in Miami because it's so close to Cuba, but owner Jeffrey Loria will have to make it happen with a big contract. The NL East is pretty weak and the Marlins can easily make themselves a contender for the division title in 2016 with the addition of Cespedes. With a healthy Giancarlo Stanton and Dee Gordon, the Marlins would become an immediate threat. (And don't forget about youngsters Adeiny Hechavarria, J.T. Realmuto and Justin Bour).
However, they could also use some upgrades to both their rotation and bullpen, so we'll see where they decide to allocate their funds.
1. Los Angeles Angels
This is too close of a match, which makes me think it maybe won't happen. But still, in my opinion, the Angels are the frontrunner for Cespedes due to their aggressive owner (Arte Moreno), high payroll and vacancy in left field.
Earlier today it was mentioned the Angels are likely to be a suitor for the slugger.
"The World Series exposed his occasional inattentiveness and other flaws, but some of those struggles perhaps stemmed from a shoulder injury," writes FOX Sports' Ken Rosenthal. "The bigger problem for Cespedes might be generating enough interest from high-revenue clubs. Two of his former teams, the Mets and Red Sox, are almost certainly out. The Yankees might be, too, along with the Cubs and Dodgers. Then again, all it takes is one team to jump - and the Giants, Rangers, Angels and Mariners all are potential volunteers."
Now, Rosenthal mentioned three other clubs, but they don't match up with Cespedes as well as the Angels do. The Giants are going to focus on upgrading the starting rotation first and foremost and while they do have a need in left field, they still might opt to re-sign Nori Aoki or even explore the trade market to address that void; the Rangers have a full outfield and just traded for Josh Hamilton this past season (he's pretty much playing for free because the Angels are paying for most of his salary); and new Mariners' GM Jerry Dipoto is not keen on signing high-profile free agents when building a team.
So now we have the Angels, who have given out lucrative contracts to Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton and others. While that was under Dipoto's tenure as manager (he resigned in the middle of the season), rumors suggested it was mainly the work of Moreno, who demanded the Angels sign such superstars.
This offseason could be another vintage case of that, and with rookie GM Billy Eppler in the front office, he probably won't have much of a choice if Moreno exerts his influence.
Nonetheless, Cespedes is a fit here, and it's seemingly the most likely scenario considering each and every factor.
Free agency begins at midnight. The madness will be underway in just a few hours and Cespedes will be in the thick of it.
