Chris Davis has reportedly reached agreement on a seven-year, $161 million contract to return to the Orioles. This presumably takes a potential landing spot off the table for Yoenis Cespedes, who was mulling a five-year, $90 million offer from the club. Where does Cespedes go from here?
According to Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com, Cespedes was weighing the Orioles’ offer against the knowledge that he could return to the Mets on a one-year/short-term deal. The Mets haven’t made a formal offer, but the thought is that they are open to such a scenario. The thing is, if Cespedes is truly receptive to signing a short-term deal, there are likely a handful of teams who would also be interested and could potentially offer a higher guarantee. It’s far from a given that he’s returning to Queens. And heck, he still may end up getting the lucrative long-term deal he covets.
Where things get tricky is when you try to think of the teams who could be in the mix here. The Braves have reportedly expressed interest in Cespedes while teams like the Tigers, White Sox, and Cardinals could have an opening for an outfielder. The Angels have also been mentioned as a possibility, but they are reportedly reluctant to go over the luxury tax threshold. The other big variable here is that Justin Upton and Dexter Fowler are also still trying to find homes.
