35 Years of Misery & Counting
Of course, the way he handled this, going M.I.A. on the team was bad. But I’m not sure that he’s telling the truth about Coronavirus being the reason for opting out. I think his poor start, but moreso his wanting to play the outfield are why he really quit on the team. Anyway, whatever happens next with Cespedes, I’m sure he’ll bounce back with an MVP-like season because we’re talking about the Mets here.
Cespedes arrived in camp well before Saturday’s official reporting date for position players, but team media relations officials indicated he would not speak to reporters for the first time since spring training 2019 until this week. But Cespedes issued only a brief message Monday when approached by a group of reporters who asked if he had a few minutes to talk.
“Not today, not tomorrow, not at all year this year,” Cespedes said.
Why not?
“Because I don’t want to,” Cespedes said.
Cespedes, who is recovering from multiple right ankle fractures sustained after encountering a wild boar on his ranch last May, was asked if he could say how he was feeling. He declined.
Hey, if Cespedes is healthy and has a big year with the bat I could care less he stays mute for the whole year.
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Off hand, the Santana no-hitter, the last game from that 3-game sweep of the Nationals in September2019 and sweeping the Cubs in the 2015 NLCS to make it to the World Series are my Top 3.
It’s so obvious that they should use this extra money on Dellin Betances, but the Mets almost never do what’s obvious.
With Cespedes approaching his walk year, the idea that he wasn’t going to play in 2020 was always ludicrous to me. Of course, he’s going to play in 2020 and if he has a big year, of course, the Yankees would be smart to sign him and make him their full-time DH.
RELATED: Yoenis Cespedes batting practice video could have larger Mets meaning
Cespedes communicated to the team that, “He stepped in a hole and twisted his leg and foot into a difficult position,” Van Wagenen said. The rookie GM added it was his understanding that Cespedes didn’t fall off a horse.
While Van Wagenen wouldn’t say as much, the serious injury clearly means Cespedes will miss at least the duration of this season, with his availability for next year in question.
Van Wagenen made a point of noting that Cespedes suffered his injury from “non-baseball-related activity,” thereby leaving the team’s options open regarding an attempt to recoup some of Cespedes’ salary if it can prove the accident resulted from actions outlawed in the 33-year-old’s contract. Asked whether Cespedes’ activity might have compromised his right to be paid, Van Wagenen said, “We haven’t even thought about implications to the contract.”
Hey, with the help of Cespedes’ mighty bat, we got to a World Series in 2015 and a wild-card playoff game the following year. Since then Cespedes has barely played and the Mets coincidentally or not coincidentally have suffered greatly without him. And now with yet another setback that will presumably kill any chance he had of returning this season, I think it’s time for the Mets, if they can, to just close this chapter for good.
As far as the Mets are concerned, the idea of seeing Yoenis Cespedes in their lineup this season should be listed under the category of a pleasant surprise. And while that had been the team’s prevailing attitude when Cespedes needed surgery on both heels to remove bone spurs, the status of the slugger’s lengthy rehab hasn’t done much to alter that opinion.
“If he gives us anything this year, that is great,” special advisor Omar Minaya said Wednesday during an interview with MLB Network Radio. “We’re happy for that.”
The Mets have resisted providing any timetable for Cespedes’ return, and with their spotty track record for such projections, it’s probably a wise strategy in this case. At the very least, the Mets should be able to recoup a sizable portion of Cespedes’ $29-million salary this season through insurance, as he has been on the disabled list since July 24 of last year.
Wow. Wasn’t the point of Cespedes ending his 2018 season early and getting surgery on both his heels so he could come back at the beginning of 2019? And now this news? Well, I’m sorry but there’s just no way you go into the new season with a starting outfield consisting of Nimmo, Conforto and an injury-prone Juan Lagares. And word has it that a very-injury-prone-of-late AJ Pollock is asking for way too much $$$ long-term. So how about spending a lot less on Nick Markakis, who btw is way more reliable than Pollock and is coming off an All-Star season?
They just have to be really careful with Cespedes, DH him at every opportunity, rest him when feasible and hey if he really can play 1st base and it’s easier on his legs, why not? As for Smith, what “expense” was there exactly? The guy has just never taken advantage of any opportunity that he’s been given.
Of course, the idea that David Wright could return to the Mets lineup before Yoenis Cespedes is both funny and ironic considering what was thought to be the extent of each player’s injury. However, what if Wright really does make it back sooner than later? For starters, it’d speak a lot to Wright’s resiliency, fortitude, hard work and why at the very least, no matter how much he has left, maybe his return could be an inspiration in an otherwise dismal 2018 season. But secondly, if Wright does come back and resembles anywhere close to his old all-star self, where the hell do you play him?
The just-signed-in-the-off-season Todd Frazier is your everyday 3rd baseman and to the detriment of Dominic Smith, Wilmer Flores has pretty much established himself as your everyday 1st baseman (the only other position that’d make sense for Wright besides playing the outfield, which he has never done). So unless you’re trading Frazier to get some prospects so Wright can go back to his old (and much more taxing) position, what then? Some might think it’s a reach, but a Mets infield consisting of Wright and Smith at 1st, Flores at 2nd, Asdrubal Cabrera at short and Frazier at 3rd, could certainly work for me….hmmm.
This is just lame, especially considering how much the team has struggled during Cespedes absence. Your star player not talking also makes you sympathetic to the idea of why Cespedes has already been with 4 different teams in his career.
An offseason focused on flexibility and injury prevention did not allow Yoenis Cespedes to avoid the disabled list. Following days of consideration, the Mets opted Wednesday to place Cespedes on the 10-day DL with a strained right hip flexor, retroactive to Monday. Cespedes will be eligible to return May 24.
Injuring his hip in a May 6 game, Cespedes initially played through the injury, going 5-for-15 with two walks and a home run in five games. On Tuesday, he underwent an MRI, which revealed the strain, but the Mets still did not place him on the DL at that time. Only after playing shorthanded in their 12-2 win over the Blue Jays did the team decide to make a move, calling up utilityman Phillip Evans from Triple-A Las Vegas.
“The information I have is that he can get this resolved with some rest,” Mets manager Mickey Callaway said of Cespedes. “He could have continued to gut it out, continued to play. We were hoping with the off-day and days like that, the progression would be there at some point, maybe this would go away while he was playing. … [We decided to] take a different route and make sure that we are cautious with him and get him back to being the Cespedes he can be soon.”
Honestly, this has gotten ridiculous. It’s the same quad issue that pops up every year with this guy. And the Mets have way too much invested in Cespedes to not take this extra seriously, much less wonder how often it’s going to keep happening. It’s been reported that Cespedes has given up golfing in his spare time during the season and even changed his workout regimen (even taking up yoga) to prevent these quad issues from arising. But clearly, that hasn’t worked. And when your team’s struggling and the same health issue keeps happening to your best player, it’s beyond frustrating to a Mets fan.
