Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the New York Mets celebrates his eighth inning home run against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citi Field on September 2, 2015 in the Flushing neighborhood of the Queens borough of New York City. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
With seemingly every swing of his bat, New York Mets left fielder Yoenis Cespedes carries his team closer to a postseason berth and himself closer to a big payday.
Cespedes is set to become a free agent this offseason, and he surely will be in high demand given his performance since being traded from the Detroit Tigers to the Mets on July 31. In 44 games with New York (through Friday's action), he is hitting .289/.338/.647 with 17 homers, 42 RBI and 36 runs. Despite his short tenure in his new league, he is getting NL MVP consideration.
And he already has some thoughts on his next contract.
Cespedes, 29, told ESPN Deportes that he will seek at least a six-year deal.
So, what are the odds the Mets will offer the kind of package necessary to keep Cespedes around? MLB.com notes GM Sandy Alnderson never has committed more than $60 million to a free agent since joining the Mets' front office.
Asked about the chances of him staying with the Mets, Cespedes was non-committal.
"At the moment I'm not thinking about any of that ... I'd say 50-50. We'll see after the season ends," Cespedes told ESPN.
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