The Cuban Yoenis Céspedes chose not to continue the season with the New York Mets, as confirmed by the general manager, Brodie Van Wagenen, ensuring that fortunately the player is safe and healthy, but that concerns about the risks of COVID- 19 forced him to stay out of the team for the rest of the year.
Thus concludes one of the most confusing and troubling stories of the 2020 season yet. Since both Van Wagenen and the Mets weren’t sure what was wrong with the Cuban, they were unaware of his whereabouts at the time of his opening statement, which was issued for the sake of transparency. After sending a security team to Cespedes’ hotel room, they discovered he had left, and it was only by contacting his agent that the team learned of his decision not to play for the remainder of the season.
With his decision, the Mets’ tenure of Cespedes has come to an alleged end, and his contract will expire at the end of the season. And perhaps today’s hazy saga was the only proper way to wrap up the 34-year-old Mets’ career, which has been a captivating sight for Mets fans, from his heroic plays in 2015 to blunt injuries that cost him nearly two whole years.
Céspedes becomes the 20th player to opt out of the season (not counting Nick Markakis, who reversed his decision and will play this year), and the last in a string of players to do so since the COVID-19 outbreaks. within the ranks of the Marlins and Cardinals for the past week.
Céspedes does not appear to have opted for an existing health condition, and if he is not considered a “high risk” person, he will lose the prorated amount of his base salary of $ 11MM for the season, and will reach free agency in the season. low season. To be sure, Céspedes is relatively well positioned to absorb a year without pay, given his considerable career earnings; Still, it’s significant given the steep decline in salary he’s seen in the past two years, with his 2019 and 2020 wages taking a hit due to the circumstances surrounding his ankle injuries.
From a baseball standpoint, the Mets will be well-equipped to deal with Cespedes’ absence for the rest of the year, with a pool of position-supplied players that includes a handful of DH and left-field options. Cespedes had gotten off to a slow start this year, striking out 15 times in 34 plate appearances and hitting just .161 / .235 / .387 for the season. In fact, his departure should bring some clarity to the Mets’ lineup, with Dominic Smith likely handling most of DH’s duty from now on, while JD Davis settles into a regular role in left field. (GG) (Taken MLB Rumors)