Outfield Deals

A couple big names are now off the board in free agency with Cespedes and Jay signing deals earlier today. First off, Jon Jay signed a deal taking him out of luxurious southern California and over to the Windy City of Chicago with the Cubs. Jay signed a one year, $8 million deal as the former Cardinal outfielder joins their main enemy. The Cardinals swapped Jay to the Padres for infielder Jed Gyorko, but will now get to face him regularly in the NL Central. This deal makes it seem that free agent Dexter Fowler will not be returning to the World Series Champs. Fowler was a big piece at the top of the order for the Cubs and is due for a good paycheck. Look for teams such as the Yankees, Giants, and Dodgers to be offering Fowler a deal with the openings in their rosters and extra money to spend.

One of the biggest names is now off the board with the four year, $110 million deal Cespedes agreed to with the New York Mets. Cespedes is now the highest paid Met in history signing this contract. I am honestly surprised he went back to the Mets, as I expected a crazy six maybe seven year deal from the Dodgers or one of the other loaded teams, especially after he opted out of the three year deal the Mets gave last offseason. Cespedes is getting a full no trade clause and has the highest average annual value of all outfielders and is behind on Miguel Cabrera when it comes to position players. The 31year old has made a positive difference for New York, as they have a positive record with him in the lineup and negative one with him out of it since they picked him up. Injuries are a bit of a worry when it comes to Cespedes with his history, but he should be a key piece to the Mets success and I expect them to be making the playoffs again with him back on the team. A few other big bats still remain, as name such as Trumbo, Encarnacion, Beltran, and Bautista are out there but wont be cheap. We will see where they end up and what kind of difference among other free agents decisions. There are also some big closer names out there, as teams in the West are in need of signing a big name player.