With the Mets re-signing of Yoenis Cespedes on Tuesday, the top outfielder on the open market has officially been spoken for.
The San Francisco Giants are in the market for a power-hitting outfielder this offseason, and were reported to be pursuing Cespedes to fill that void. Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper never believed San Francisco had a chance of adding the 31-year-old Cuban, however, telling Murph and Mac that the Giants are going to break the bank with a big name closer before looking to add anything else.
“He would be great in any lineup, but I never thought for one second that this was a guy they were going to target.” Kuiper said. “I think you have to call his agent and I think, as Brian Sabean likes to say, I think you do have to kick the tires on guys like that, but I didn’t see him in the lineup at all.”
“I think first and foremost, if you have x amount of money that you’re going to spend on free agents, then the first thing you do is get what you need the most, and that’s a closer. Then whatever you have left over, now you try to mix and match and see if you can get a bat in the outfield.”
Cespedes opted out of his previous deal that had two years and $47.5 million left to sign a four-year deal worth $110 million, the largest in New York Mets history.
Listen to the full interview below.