Good morning! And fire up the hot stove! Here’s the news:
- The Mets brought back Yoenis Cespedes on a four-year, $110 million pact signed Tuesday.
Former Phillies Nation scribe Michael Baumann says it well at the Ringer: The Mets need Cespedes. He provides New York a sure thing amid plenty of questions. As for the Phillies, getting him would’ve probably required a five- to six-year deal at about $25 million per season. The Phils just shed that kind of AAV from the payroll, and in the middle of a rebuild, it’s not smart to add it (especially for a corner outfielder older than 30).
Because the Mets needed Cespedes, and consequently were willing to overpay for him, this deal will live on an island. Look more at Josh Reddick‘s four-year, $52 million agreement with the Astros as an indicator of the outfield market. If the Phillies wanted their low-risk outfield option, they could still score it for two years and $15 million per season. That’s more manageable right now.
- The Cespedes deal does create a logjam in the Mets outfield, leading Matt Gelb to wonder if the Phillies may be in on a trade (for, say, Jay Bruce or Curtis Granderson).
I’d love to see the Phils kick more than tires about Granderson. The lefty hitter isn’t much for contact, but he walks often and can still blow 20-30 home runs. Bruce has more power, but he’s become much more one-dimensional in recent seasons, causing his on-base percentage to slip. Both have one year left on deals at around $15 million, and can be flipped at the deadline for something/anything.
Honestly, Quinn/Herrera/Franco/Granderson/Joseph/Kendrick/Rupp/Galvis (with a Hernandez trade) looks pretty decent heading into 2017.
- Ryan Lawrence has a good Q&A with Scott Franzke over at the Philly Voice. The Phils’ radio voice just inked a five-year deal to stay on air doing Phils games.
- Also, check out the first piece from our newest contributor, Kirsten Swanson! She wrote about how John Middleton, of all people, may be the new face of the franchise.
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