New York Mets Rumors: Yoenis Cespedes Wants More Money From Mets As He Opts Out Of Contract

New York Mets rumors reveal Yoenis Cespedes wants more money. Cespedes will opt out of his Mets contract in order to visit free agency during the 2017 MLB offseason. In a ploy to get more money in a long-term deal, Cespedes has made the Mets aware that he will opt out of his current deal with the team. A report by the New York Daily News indicates that the team could have a lot of competition when Cespedes becomes available in free agency again.

Until he officially opts out, Cespedes has a player option with the Mets of $23.75 million for the 2017 MLB season. He also has an option for the 2018 MLB season at the same rate. This was part of a short-term deal he agreed to sign with the Mets that served as a way to prove that he could continue to hit at an MVP level in New York. For the 2016 MLB season alone, Cespedes earned $27.5 million in base salary.

There are going to be a lot of New York Mets rumors in the coming MLB offseason, but a lot could hinge on how the negotiations go with Yoenis Cespedes. He is coming off a season where he posted 31 home runs, 86 RBIs, and a 0.280 batting average. Cespedes has now appeared in 189 games for the Mets, connecting for 48 home runs and posting a combined OPS of 0.903 that ranks among the best in Major League Baseball. His numbers have been impressive for just a season and a half of work.

It is now expected that Cespedes will opt out of his contract with the Mets five days after the World Series ends. This is when Mets fans will have to start worrying about which teams might be willing to offer Cespedes the long-term deal that he is seeking. The prime candidates to lure Cespedes are the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, and Los Angeles Dodgers. Several other teams could also show interest if he is willing to sign an affordable contract to play with a contender.

Teams close to contention like the Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Washington Nationals could also join in on the MLB rumors. It wouldn’t be a baseball offseason if one of the big-name free agents didn’t get linked to the New York Yankees as well. Would the Yankees open the pocket book again to add a proven slugger to the middle of a young lineup, or will the franchise learn a valuable lesson from the Alex Rodriguez deal?

Amid the New York Mets rumors about Yoenis Cespedes, the team will get linked to other offensive options as well. The front office will have to approach the MLB offseason as though they are going to lose Cespedes to another team, which will become a real possibility if another owner is willing to offer him north of $100 million to play for the next four or five seasons. It could all be a ploy to get more money out of the Mets, and it might just work, as the team cannot afford to take a huge hit on the offensive side of things.

The Mets have already announced the return of Jose Reyes, as the front office exercised a team option to bring him back at the minimum salary. The Colorado Rockies are on the hook for the rest of his 2017 MLB salary, making it an easy decision for the Mets’ brass. The team will also buy out Jon Niese for $500,000 instead of paying him $10 million for next year. There are still some holes to fill, with big free agents like Aroldis Chapman and Edwin Encarnacion seemingly the big prizes in free agency.

Future New York Mets rumors could link the team to both stars, but for now, the team will have to decide if it’s worth pursuing Yoenis Cespedes (again).

[Featured Image by Rob Foldy/Getty Images]