Maybe the Mets can sign Yoenis Cespedes after all

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The problem with the idea of the Mets signing Yoenis Cespedes is that they don’t have any money. They don’t have any money because all of their profits need to go toward paying loans that allowed the Wilpons to keep the team in the post-Madoff pyramid scheme era to begin with. So, while the Mets should have money, especially after making it to the World Series, that’s just not going to happen with the Wilpons in charge of the team, as their money is no longer their own. They shouldn’t own a baseball team anymore, especially not one in the largest media market in the country, but that’s a different story for a different Say Hey.

The thing is, maybe there is a way to balance their lack of money with their need for Cespedes. Ken Rosenthal came up with one such plan: a five-year deal for $120 million that’s loaded with deferred money and features an opt-out after two seasons. It’s the kind of deal that could keep Cespedes motivated to earn an extra pay day -- one he would likely sign elsewhere than with the Mets after opting out -- and it would offset enough present-day money to maybe keep those creditors off the Mets’ back. If the Mets are in a better position to keep making money, everyone is happier, especially the people they owe their money to.

Cespedes in center in New York isn’t ideal, no, but who knows what they will get out of David Wright with his spinal stenosis, and there are plenty of other questions around the roster on the offensive side that need answering. With their strikeout-heavy pitching staff, the Mets are also in a position to take a defensive risk, and if Cespedes sticks around past the opt-out, he would be able to move to right field after Curtis Granderson’s deal ends. Now, whether the Mets actually do this is unknown, but Rosenthal’s idea is a good one worth pursuing -- especially when compared to New York’s current plan of “hopefully no one else signs Yo so we can get him for a year.”