Cespedes Re-signs with the Mets

[Bob Sacamano]

so you can count.... impressive, however according to baseball ref he is 30 now.... do the counting.

 

i will like the contract to end at age 34... but that is me... baseball FO has their own mind.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cespeyo01.shtml

 

He is 30 now correct and a 5 year deal would take him through his age 34 season. Just turned 30 a couple months ago.

[SoCalSox]

You use the word "could" in your post a lot. And rightfully so.

 

It's easy to say when it isn't your money. Fathom is right, you are talking about a 100 million dollar commitment.

 

And I don't think signing Cespedes increases ticket sales that much. The Sox have been so mediocre for so long, it's going to take a very hot start to get people back out the park on a consistent basis, which as we know isn't a guarantee, even with Cespedes.

 

Why are we treating ticket sales like that source of income is that big of a deal, especially in this scenario...

 

The Cubs doing good & the Sox doing good have much more bearing on the Sox budget than attendance does, due to their TV revenue.

 

The Sox probably have the money if they want to, question is, do they want to spend it or keep half ass'ing everything they do? I have the feeling it'll be the latter.

[Lip Man 1]

With the way money is literally pouring in to all MLB teams...ANY team that says they 'can't afford' to do something is total unmitigated BS.

 

Period. End of story.

 

The points about ticket sales not being as important today are correct. TV money drives the train (and given the Sox dismal ratings they damn well need to do something and fast before their deal expires in 2019).

 

Just my opinion.

 

Time for the Sox to show some flexibility and tell Cespedes agent "we'll go four years" maybe even include an out clause after two.

 

With Davis signing now is the time to move. Not when it's to late. If you are "all in" (yet again) fine...BE all in.

 

Mark

Edited January 17, 2016 by Lip Man 1

[caulfield12]

You can guarantee their financial position with no playoffs the next two seasons would make it even more difficult after 2017 to add talent, or next year for that matter...with more dollars chasing even less talent.

 

If the Royals can spend $135-140 million with a regional rights deal that pays them $50 million less per season than the White Sox...and go up another $15 million the following season, they need to figure out some way to increase fan interest and excitement. Dexter Fowler is not it.

 

 

[reiks12]

The Sox will be in some serious trouble if they have another string of catastrophic seasons. How many young baseball fans would want to cheer for the Sox over the Cubs at this point? IMO getting this team to a couple of playoff years in a row will do wonders to the fan base. I don't care who they get, but they better be confident that whoever it is will lead them to the postseason. I honestly believe the best candidate is Cespedes but my gut is telling me otherwise. I'm not sure if that is the disappointment of Dunn and his brother LaRoche in the back of my mind though.

 

 

[LDF]

With the way money is literally pouring in to all MLB teams...ANY team that says they 'can't afford' to do something is total unmitigated BS.

 

Period. End of story.

 

The points about ticket sales not being as important today are correct. TV money drives the train (and given the Sox dismal ratings they damn well need to do something and fast before their deal expires in 2019).

 

Just my opinion.

 

Time for the Sox to show some flexibility and tell Cespedes agent "we'll go four years" maybe even include an out clause after two.

 

With Davis signing now is the time to move. Not when it's to late. If you are "all in" (yet again) fine...BE all in.

 

Mark

 

and

 

Why are we treating ticket sales like that source of income is that big of a deal, especially in this scenario...

 

The Cubs doing good & the Sox doing good have much more bearing on the Sox budget than attendance does, due to their TV revenue.

 

The Sox probably have the money if they want to, question is, do they want to spend it or keep half ass'ing everything they do? I have the feeling it'll be the latter.

 

great post.... that has been my rant for the last 2 yrs.... and i will like to politely add, that 28 mil will come off the books at the end of 2016 which should help the ... ummm cash strap owners in 2017.

 

but that is a quick fix, for lousy draft and lousy mismanagement from the high up. things are correcting itself, but the time is now......

[LDF]

The Sox will be in some serious trouble if they have another string of catastrophic seasons. How many young baseball fans would want to cheer for the Sox over the Cubs at this point? IMO getting this team to a couple of playoff years in a row will do wonders to the fan base. I don't care who they get, but they better be confident that whoever it is will lead them to the postseason. I honestly believe the best candidate is Cespedes but my gut is telling me otherwise. I'm not sure if that is the disappointment of Dunn and his brother LaRoche in the back of my mind though.

 

i agree, a lot of luck has to come into play with talent and right now, i am not demeaning the northside club or the talent they assembled, all i am say is get field a team that can compete, esp to get to the playoff..... anything can happen in the playoff. this will do wonders for the fan based.

 

this time will be a buffer for the yrs when the farms starts to produce viable players....

[LDF]

You can guarantee their financial position with no playoffs the next two seasons would make it even more difficult after 2017 to add talent, or next year for that matter...with more dollars chasing even less talent.

 

If the Royals can spend $135-140 million with a regional rights deal that pays them $50 million less per season than the White Sox...and go up another $15 million the following season, they need to figure out some way to increase fan interest and excitement. Dexter Fowler is not it.

 

but with smart drafting, the prospect should start knocking on the door.

 

a team can not depend on players to supplement a team, and then have them to continuously go this route, it will be too expensive... the team salary will be north of the 170 mil..... but the position of this team was the results of poor management from the higher ups.

[Lillian]

After reading that article in the NY Daily New, I am even more convinced that giving Cespedes a long term guaranteed contract would be unwise.

I have argued that such contracts are generally not a good idea because it is human nature to lose a little motivation, once guaranteed a huge amount of money.

This guy seems to be just the kind of player who would be affected by such a disincentive. There are guys who have the make up to overcome the inherent

temptation to let down, once on "easy street," but Cespedes doesn't strike me as one of them.

 

If the Sox were to sign him, I really believe that the amount of money would be less important than the deal's structure. There should be enough incentives built into

the contract, to keep him focused on being the best baseball player he can be. If the guy is already playing golf every day, during the season, and smoking cigarettes,

during the game, I'd hate to see what he would be doing once he has signed the final contract of his baseball career!! One of the best ways to keep a guy like

this on the right path, is to have him playing for his next contract. It probably isn't a coincidence that he played the best baseball of his career, during that last half

of his free agent year.

 

Giving him an opt out, with the prospect of being able to earn more money with a new contract, seems to me to be the best way to keep him motivated. If there is a realistic, better way to keep him motivated, then the front office should try it, but whatever they do, I hope that they don't just give him a 5 year deal, at the same annual salary, each year.

 

Remember, there are much worse things than golf and cigarettes, and a guy with millions of dollars laying around, will easily find them, and sometimes they will find him.

Robbie Robertson, the lead guitar player of the great rock group, The Band, once said; "What is it about fame and fortune, that immediately leads one to ask;

"Has anyone got any arsenic, or a gun?"

[LDF]

After reading that article in the NY Daily New, I am even more convinced that giving Cespedes a long term guaranteed contract would be unwise.

I have argued that such contracts are generally not a good idea because it is human nature to lose a little motivation, once guaranteed a huge amount of money.

This guy seems to be just the kind of player who would be affected by such a disincentive. There are guys who have the make up to overcome the inherent

temptation to let down, once on "easy street," but Cespedes doesn't strike me as one of them.

 

If the Sox were to sign him, I really believe that the amount of money would be less important than the deal's structure. There should be enough incentives built into

the contract, to keep him focused on being the best baseball player he can be. If the guy is already playing golf every day, during the season, and smoking cigarettes,

during the game, I'd hate to see what he would be doing once he has signed the final contract of his baseball career!! One of the best ways to keep a guy like

this on the right path, is to have him playing for his next contract. It probably isn't a coincidence that he played the best baseball of his career, during that last half

of his free agent year.

 

Giving him an opt out, with the prospect of being able to earn more money with a new contract, seems to me to be the best way to keep him motivated. If there is a realistic, better way to keep him motivated, then the front office should try it, but whatever they do, I hope that they don't just give him a 5 year deal, at the same annual salary, each year.

 

Remember, there are much worse things than golf and cigarettes, and a guy with millions of dollars laying around, will easily find them, and sometimes they will find him.

Robbie Robertson, the lead guitar player of the great rock group, The Band, once said; "What is it about fame and fortune, that immediately leads one to ask;

"Has anyone got any arsenic, or a gun?"

 

excellent post, and you make a great point.... esp in the bolded. i have said and many has come back and said , to put it mildly, i was wrong in my thinking process. if the players has a opt clause, there should be one for the owners as well. not a buyout, but i know the agents will never agree to that.

 

that is why these contracts of 5-6 yrs or taking the player to age 35+ is wrong in my way of thinking.

[WBWSF]

This subject on Cespedes has produced over 3,000 replies AND 0ver 190,000 views. Its obvious that White Sox fans want Cespedes on the South Side of Chicago. I think he would be the final piece on the team and help the team contend in 2016. My gut reaction is the White Sox are not going to sign him. I hope I'm wrong.

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

so you can count.... impressive, however according to baseball ref he is 30 now.... do the counting.

 

i will like the contract to end at age 34... but that is me... baseball FO has their own mind.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/cespeyo01.shtml

 

Are you mentally challenged ? You said he would be 36 after a 5 year contract ends . I even counted out the age he was during 99% of last season and every year after it . Even if we go by your strange logic of how old he will be AFTER the contract ends he still would be 34 unless in that 5th year the team is in the playoffs . Then he will turn 35 not 36 during the playoffs. The Sox last game of the season this year was October 4th so if we assume most seasons end for a non playoff team in early October he would be 34 when a 5 year contract ends if we can agree the contract ends as soon as the season ends. No matter how you slice it he will not be 36.

 

Yes he is 30 now. After all it is past Oct 18 . Apparently you can't count. Just get your info right and we have no problem. Just look at baseball reference under standard batting .The 1st column is the year, the second is his age during that year since you gave me a link for baseball reference I suggest it would do you more good.

Edited January 17, 2016 by CaliSoxFanViaSWside

[LDF]

Are you mentally challenged ? You said he would be 36 after a 5 year contract ends . I even counted out the age he was during 99% of last season and every year after it . Even if we go by your strange logic of how old he will be AFTER the contract ends he still would be 34 unless in that 5th year the team is in the playoffs . Then he will turn 35 not 36 during the playoffs. The Sox last game of the season this year was October 4th so if we assume most seasons end for a non playoff team in early October he would be 34 when a 5 year contract ends if we can agree the contract ends as soon as the season ends. No matter how you slice it he will not be 36.

 

Yes he is 30 now. After all it is past Oct 18 . Apparently you can't count. Just get your info right and we have no problem. Just look at baseball reference under standard batting .The 1st column is the year, the second is his age during that year since you gave me a link for baseball reference I suggest it would do you more good.

ok, let see if we can finally sort this out i said

 

name='LDF' date='Jan 16, 2016 -> 05:33 PM'

first, 5 yrs of Cespedes too many yrs, that will make him 36 when the contract ends. i think 4yrs is just about right.

 

however i am already acknowledging the fact that the team will not invest in anymore if any fa's..... that is a ship that has moved into another horizon.

 

however, i wonder about some minor trades. i mean they can do that, at least...... but will they???

 

going into the sox convention, there will be many media news of how the sox couldn't spend b/c of budgetary reasons, or no money or any kind of b/s. i wonder if there will be any fans who will have the balls to address this there????

 

you are keying on one thing to make you look great. ok i will stand corrected in that area.... are you happy, but does it make my point any less, it is the same point i have been saying, no contract beyond 34 yrs of age for me.

 

now.... it is nice to see how the admin and or mods doesn't do anything here with the personal attack.... oh yeah, they only care when one of their owns is guilty of such an attack.

 

oops my bad.

 

[CaliSoxFanViaSWside]

ok, let see if we can finally sort this out i said

 

name='LDF' date='Jan 16, 2016 -> 05:33 PM'

first, 5 yrs of Cespedes too many yrs, that will make him 36 when the contract ends. i think 4yrs is just about right.

 

however i am already acknowledging the fact that the team will not invest in anymore if any fa's..... that is a ship that has moved into another horizon.

 

however, i wonder about some minor trades. i mean they can do that, at least...... but will they???

 

going into the sox convention, there will be many media news of how the sox couldn't spend b/c of budgetary reasons, or no money or any kind of b/s. i wonder if there will be any fans who will have the balls to address this there????

 

you are keying on one thing to make you look great. ok i will stand corrected in that area.... are you happy, but does it make my point any less, it is the same point i have been saying, no contract beyond 34 yrs of age for me.

 

now.... it is nice to see how the admin and or mods doesn't do anything here with the personal attack.... oh yeah, they only care when one of their owns is guilty of such an attack.

 

oops my bad.

 

I didn't post about the anything you said except the wrong info you posted .I just want to make sure other Soxtalkers are not mislead by misinformartion. That's all . I don't care about anything else you said.

[LDF]

I didn't post about the anything you said except the wrong info you posted .I just want to make sure other Soxtalkers are not mislead by misinformartion. That's all . I don't care about anything else you said.

 

and since your org post, i further explained that i do not like a contract to exceed 34 yrs of age for a FA.....

 

a strange inconsistency in your excuse.... post.

 

 

[Bob Sacamano]

and since your org post, i further explained that i do not like a contract to exceed 34 yrs of age for a FA.....

 

a strange inconsistency in your excuse.... post.

 

And a 5 year deal wouldn't take him past 34. He would turn 35 the October of the final year. So a 5 year deal does not exceed the age of 34 really. They'd have him for his age 30-34 seasons.

Edited January 17, 2016 by soxfan2014

[LDF]

And a 5 year deal wouldn't take him past 34. He would turn 35 the October of the final year. So a 5 year deal does not exceed the age of 34 really. They'd have him for his age 30-34 seasons.

 

and in my post, my org post, i said a 4 yr deal is the way to go. now i am paraphrasing the actual post, but i think you can figure it out for yourself.

 

all this just to prove something that is not there..... nice.

[Saufley]

In my opinion, Cespedes is a very low risk move for the Sox. Yes, it's a lot of money to commit to one player, but that's all he'd require. Sacrificing a draft pick/minor leaguers wouldn't be necessary to get him, and it's important for the Sox to build up their farm system.

 

Furthermore, I believe that this is the Sox time to compete if they intend on doing so. It isn't every day that a team has multiple stars like Sale, Quintana, Abreu, Eaton, Rodon, and potentially Anderson and Fulmer all on EXTREMELY team friendly contacts for the next 4-5 years. As it stands now, the Sox have a solid team, but not a playoff worthy one in my opinion. Cespedes would change that. Like I said, it's an awful lot of money to give to one player, but I believe that Cespedes is worth it. It isn't a coincidence that just about every team Cespedes is on has been competitive for the most part and they fall apart once he leaves (i.e., the A's and Tigers). Cespedes is a game changer no matter how you put it and he would completely change the lineup and team that the Sox have as a whole.

 

The argument could be made that the Sox would be in trouble if he busts, but if he does, so what? The Sox would be in a great position to have a major selloff in 2018 or 2019 if they aren't competitive anyway, and Cespedes could just be added to the trade list. If necessary, trading Sale, Quintana, Rodon, Abreu, Cespedes, etc could rebuild the farm system and rejuvenate the franchise in a blink of an eye.

 

In other words, while the possibility exists that the could bust if they sign Cespedes (well, they could bust without him too), I 100% believe that it is worth whatever the Sox would have to pay him to bring him on board. The division is wide open and the Sox would have as good of a chance as anyone if they can land Cespedes. Detroit is a wreck and have no farm system, Kansas City has just about a 2 year window left before their stars go elsewhere, Cleveland is decent but who knows how they'll be in the future, and Minnesota has good young prospects but not enough pitching to do anything significant.

 

This is the Sox chance to become relevant in Chicago again and I think they'd be foolish to pass up that chance just because of money.

 

I like your post. I have said it before and will say it again. After acquiring Lawrie and Frazier, for the next two years, the future is now!

 

[BlackSox13]

Good grief I can only imagine how badly this thread will blow up if Cespedes signs with another team. We'll be right back to the " JR is cheap" , "who's running the Sox, KW or Hahn?" , " Sox are stupid for not going beyond 3 years" , " team is doomed for eternal suckdom" type of comments. On the other hand, it will be a funny thread to read, so there's that.

[caulfield12]

More like all these posts to prove or disprove something that might never have been realistic...

 

I suppose if both Cespedes and Upton end up in the AL, someone will argue we raised the contract value enough to damage those franchises n terms of their financial flexibility.

Edited January 17, 2016 by caulfield12

[bear_brian]

I like your post. I have said it before and will say it again. After acquiring Lawrie and Frazier, for the next two years, the future is now!

 

Amen to that sentiment - either the Sox are "all in" or they need to strip out anyone making more than the minimum and totally rebuild the team.

 

The arguments about "over budget" are all crap. The money is there, period. If the issue is total unreasonableness from his agent - six years or nothing - that is one thing. But if we lose this guy because we would not budge from the artificially created three year maximum contract, then shame on us.

 

As to the comments about his character: would it not be extremely helpful to him to be playing alongside a friend and fellow countryman who has an outstanding attitude and work ethic? Where Renteria can also provide support?

 

I guess my frustration is starting to show. We need one more power bat in our lineup, and he is probably the best solution.

[caulfield12]

Good grief I can only imagine how badly this thread will blow up if Cespedes signs with another team. We'll be right back to the " JR is cheap" , "who's running the Sox, KW or Hahn?" , " Sox are stupid for not going beyond 3 years" , " team is doomed for eternal suckdom" type of comments. On the other hand, it will be a funny thread to read, so there's that.

 

No more energy left for that...

It will be more resignation to the fate of being a White Sox fan.

 

In all seriousness, though, if they don't make anything more than cosmetic changes over the next month...this whole media fixation will have perhaps done more harm than good.

 

Rick Hahn..."It was just an elaborate ruse to light a fire under Avi. Our scouts always believed in him."

[ptatc]

More like all these posts to prove or disprove something that might never have been realistic...

 

I suppose if both Cespedes and Upton end up in the AL, someone will argue we raised the contract value enough to damage those franchises n terms of their financial flexibility.

y

You won't be able to prove or disprove anything as you won't know what other offers were out there other than the one he signs. Everyone on the board will explode with what their guesses are but it won't prove anything. There will be posters blaming KW if they don't get him and praising RH for tough negotiations if they do.

Thre will 2000 posts of how wasted this off season was or how they will now be ready for the world series. It's either black or white, doomed or championship.

 

It will be really entertaing either way.

Edited January 17, 2016 by ptatc

[BlackSox13]

This is interesting....

 

http://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2016/1/17/1078...ets-chris-davis

 

"That one-year non-offer from the constantly cash-poor Mets may not just be a way for the team to control payroll. John Harper of the New York Daily News says Mets don't want Cespedes around long term because he can be a "headache." The reasons aren't new or surprising, with lack of hustle and lateness both on the list. Not a lot of headaches come with the benefits that Yoenis Cespedes does (at least I haven't had one), but the Mets aren't the only team that feels this way. Also from Harper's NYDN article, Orioles manager Buck Showalter was apparently vehemently against bringing Cespedes on board. Showalter wanted Baltimore to sign Justin Upton, but that obviously didn't fly with GM Dan Duquette."

 

 

Harper's article: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball...ticle-1.2499299

 

I'm curious if these are the "red flags" some people have spoken of?

 

I trust the Sox to make the right decision since they know more about the players than us fans. If the Sox see Cespedes as a fit and sign him then great, I trust the FO. If the Sox choose not to give in to Cespedes long term/big money contract demands, I'll completely understand because I'm not a fan of going that route either. If the Sox are outbid by another team, well that's just FA Baseball. No matter what, life goes on and there are other options available to upgrade the OF. s***s out of my control so there's no reason to get pissy about it.

[LDF]

Good grief I can only imagine how badly this thread will blow up if Cespedes signs with another team. We'll be right back to the " JR is cheap" , "who's running the Sox, KW or Hahn?" , " Sox are stupid for not going beyond 3 years" , " team is doomed for eternal suckdom" type of comments. On the other hand, it will be a funny thread to read, so there's that.

 

well all those comments can stem from the org history of not finishing the job or going all the way....

 

i also think, and this is my opinion, the fans are feed up with, the problem is as a die hard fan, there is no alternative to white sox baseball. so we have to deal with what is given.