MLB: Minnesota Twins at New York Mets

New York Mets center fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) hits an RBI single against the Minnesota Twins during the seventh inning at Citi Field.

(Brad Penner/USA Today Sports)

Yoenis Cespedes is officially a free agent and able to sign anywhere--as long as the team dishing out a contract to the slugger is willing to hand the Mets a draft pick in exchange.



Based on how the hot stove works, a team willing to offer Cespedes over $100 million likely won't blink at the idea of losing a draft pick in the process. As baseball insiders attempt to piece together where Cespedes could land if he does indeed depart Queens, several teams have been mentioned already.

Well, we can now add another to the Giants, Nationals, Angels and Marlins: The Phillies. That's right, Mets fans. The same Phillies team that went 71-91 in 2016 and hasn't had a winning record since 2011.



Joel Sherman of the New York Post came to the idea after an exercise designed to narrow down a potential list of legitimate Cespedes suitors. The Phillies fit the bill--if they choose to spend oodles of money this winter instead of waiting another year or two to add to a rebuilding team:



The only players to whom they owe money in 2017 are Matt Harrison and Pat Neshek. They have tons to spend, but indications are they don't want to do big stuff yet. If they do, Cespedes would be a homer machine in their park.



On the surface, the logic makes sense. The Phillies have a ton of money to spend and a desperate need for offense to add to Citizens Bank Park. With Ryan Howard officially off the books, a look ahead to future seasons shows that Philadelphia has exactly $0 dollars on the books for 2019. This is a sleeping giant when it comes to payroll flexibility.

Where Cespedes, top FA will land



With the No. 1 farm system in baseball, Philadelphia is more likely to wait out its rebuild and reinvest in a Cespedes-type in a year or two. But the logic behind the theory is intriguing as the hot stove begins to heat up.

Joe Giglio may be reached at jgiglio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoeGiglioSports. Find NJ.com on Facebook.