Mailbag: What Can We Expect From Yoenis Cespedes In 2020?

Dan K. asks…

I’ve seen a lot of talk about J.D. Davis and Jeff McNeil in the outfield, but nobody is talking about where Yoenis Cespedes fits in. Considering he’s the highest paid Met isn’t he a lock for left field? So how does all this play out?

Rob Piersall answers…

Hey Dan, thanks for the question.

I think sometimes it’s easy to forget about Yoenis Cespedes because he A.) was limited to just 81 games in 2017, 38 games in 2018 and missed the entirety of this season, and B.) because the team seldom gives any update on the outfielder.

In 2018, Cespedes was playing through issues caused by calcification on both of his heels. He decided to bite the bullet and get surgery on both of his heels, which required an estimated recovery time of 8-10 months.

Then in May, Cespedes reportedly fractured his ankle on his ranch, which ended all hope of a return in 2019.

Around that time, there had been talks about possibly voiding Cespedes’s contract, but since then there have been no talks about it.

It’s really hard to know what exactly the future does hold for Cespedes. No one really seems to know what he is even doing. He’s not really ever around the team, and like I mentioned above, the team hardly ever gives updates on him anymore.

Since he has one year left on his deal and is being paid the most on the team next year ($29 million), I’m sure we will hear some updates this winter, but as of right now it’s really uncertain what his future holds.

Another important thing to remember is that Cespedes is going to be 34-years-old next season, and is essentially exiting his prime years. That, combined with being sidelined for most of 2018 and all of 2019 raises many questions of how good he would even be if he returned in 2019.

At the very least, his bat would likely still play at a high level, but after undergoing a major procedure on his heels, and fracturing his ankle, his mobility and durability in the outfield are likely to be compromised.

I think you have to go into next season with the mindset that Cespedes might play, but might not, and also might get injured again. New York still needs to bolster their outfield regardless of if Cespedes returns or not, and that’s the bottom line.

We would all like to see Cespedes come back and be the big bopper he was for the Mets in 2015-16 but there’s no guarantee that that happens.

As it stands right now, I think we are likely to see J.D. Davis or Jeff McNeil out there in left field, and perhaps a depth piece or two brought in to round out the outfield.

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