CORAL GABLES, Fla. — Fred Wilpon said he was in the dark concerning the Mets’ place in the Yoenis Cespedes sweepstakes, while Hal Steinbrenner playfully tried to make the situation even cloudier.
Wilpon, the Mets’ CEO, was noncommittal Wednesday when asked whether the Mets would re-sign Cespedes, the electrifying figure from their 2015 National League pennant run.
“Your guess is as good as mine,” Wilpon said at the Major League Baseball quarterly owners’ meetings. “I’ll stick with what Sandy said.”
On Tuesday night, Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said the Mets remained in conversation with Cespedes’ representatives and provided no further information. The Mets’ stance has not changed since the outset of the offseason: They don’t expect to retain Cespedes, but would be open to a short-term deal in case he can’t find the lucrative package he desires.
The Nationals, who signed Daniel Murphy, are pursuing the free-agent slugger, according to a report by FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.
Many industry executives anticipate Cespedes, the best remaining free agent, will get his nine-figure guarantee. Not from the Yankees, though, even as their managing general partner Steinbrenner stirred it up with the notion his club would make Cesepedes its first major league free-agent signing of the winter.
“We’re always looking to improve the club. I am comfortable with where the payroll is right now, but we’re always looking to improve the club,” Steinbrenner said. “You never know with us. We’ve surprised people in the past.”
There is zero indication the Yankees, who currently have four veteran outfielders, are engaged at all with Cespedes. A source familiar with the situation reiterated Wednesday the Yankees would not be signing Cespedes. Steinbrenner, it appears, just played it a little coy.
The future of Cespedes inspired much discussion among the owners themselves as they took a lunch break Wednesday. Among other teams regarded as potential matches are the Angels, Cardinals, White Sox, Blue Jays and Astros.
Bill DeWitt Jr., the Cardinals’ CEO, said Wednesday, “We like our club as it is.”
Sources from the Blue Jays and Astros recently have disputed the notion of a serious Cespedes pursuit.