The power explosion that's coincided with his acquisition has led to increased curiosity and confusion about Yoenis Cespedes contract. Particularly among fans who hope the Mets can extend his tenure in Queens beyond 2015.

The following attempts to clarify the deal and answer why the two parties can't just mutually agree to extend the negotiating window. Many thanks to Jeff Euston, the founder of Cots Baseball Contracts for his insights and help in sourcing some of the facts presented below. For those of you unfamiliar with Jeff or his site I encourage you support his work by visiting Cots.

How Did We Get Here?

In February of 2012, a mysterious Cuban defector achieved the appropriate residency status to be granted unrestricted free agency. Rumored to be a bona-fide slugger and star of his own promotional video, Yoenis Cespedes soon signed a 4 year/$36m big league contract with the Oakland A's.

The contract uniquely required that Cespedes be "released" at the end of the four-year deal. This provision didn't get as much attention as the fact that the normally budget conscious Oakland A's were the club to outbid the big-market behemoths and spend $36m on a seldom seen Cuban player. As the years have proven Cespedes to be a bargain, the "release" clause began to loom larger.

Less than four months before the Cespedes signing Major League Baseball (MLB) and the MLB Player's Association (MLBPA) inked a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that runs from 2012 through 2016. The new CBA revised the free agent compensation system to now feature something called the "Qualifying Offer" (QO).

Isn't this is all about Cespedes avoiding a QO?

No.

The impact of the QO was largely unknown at the time of the Cespedes signing. Some saw the QO as a "win" for the players because it was believed that fewer free-agents-to-be would be subject to draft pick compensation than under the old "Type A/B" system.

They've been proven right. From 2010-2012 there were 85 free agents with first round draft pick compensation attached to them. From 2013-2015 under the QO, that number dropped to only 31. Yes, the QO tag still makes you less valuable as a free agent and the MLBPA wants to eliminate draft pick compensation entirely - but the current QO system is a vast improvement for mid-market players compared to the old system.

So while the Cespedes requirement to be "released" at the conclusion of the four-year contract wasn't driven by a need to evade a QO it is indeed a happy byproduct that will probably net him millions more as a free agent. But there was another much more important reason for the release clause . . .

Then why did Cespedes want the "release" clause added to his contract?

Because it's better to hit free agency at age 30 than 32.

Normally a talent like Cespedes would be controlled for his first six to seven big league seasons. That's the case for Matt Harvey, Mike Trout, Bryce Harper etc. Upon accruing enough service time (6-7 big league seasons) they are free to negotiate and sign with any of the 30 teams. Those guys are never "released" - their contracts simply expire along with the club's exclusive rights to renew their contract via arbitration.

Typically the only time a player gets "released" is if he's struggling so badly that the club is willing to eat the rest of the salary to have them gone. i.e. John Mayberry. It's normally a sign that a player is at or nearing the end of the line. Cespedes is different in that being released will be a very good thing for him. He's not the kind of player you want to release . . . unless you have to.

Cespedes and his agent didn't want to wait six years to get another crack at free agency but that's what the CBA requires. While his initial 4 year/$32m deal was unprecedented for a Cuban player at the time it was based on projection and thus netted a fraction of what he would command if he could prove the ability to thrive against big league pitching. The only way they could get him to free agency after 4 seasons was by requiring the signing club "release" him at the end of the deal.

They possibly left some guaranteed money on the table in the initial deal for a shot at getting a lot more money from a second bite at the free agency apple at age 30. It was a bet they won and some speculate his next deal will reach nine figures.

Free agency/released - what's the difference?

If the Mets weren't required to release Cespedes at the end of the season, they'd be able to offer him arbitration for 2016 and 2017. They'd pay him millions less than he'd be worth as a free agent and they'd avoid risking the five to six year commitment he's likely to get in his next deal.

That's what would happen if the current contract simply "expires" - the Mets would control his rights for two more years! Of course that's not the case - the contract language requires the Mets to "release" him.

Compelling the current club to "release" Cespedes is/was probably the only mechanism available to grant him free agency early. Yoenis reps were pretty clever to parlay the transactional mechanism that typically means the end of the line for borderline talents into the gateway to free agency for the dynamic slugger that is Yoenis Cespedes.

Cespedes negotiated a "release" clause because he wanted early free agency not to avoid having a QO. The latter is a nice additional benefit but without free agency to begin with the QO issue is completely moot.

But why can't the Mets have all winter to negotiate new deal like they would if Matt Harvey were a free agent?

Well, the contract compels the Mets to "release" him after no more than five days after the conclusion of the World Series. He's not being granted normal free agency. And the difference between releasing a player and his achieving free agency is huge.

For regular free agents his old club can continue to negotiate with him all winter long. But as soon as a club "releases" a player they lose the rights to negotiate with him until May 15th. The loss of negotiating rights is not some clause negotiated into the Cespedes contract. This restriction applies to all players that are released and is found in Major League Rule 8(i)(2) which reads:

Any player who has been unconditionally released between midnight, August 31 of any championship season and the opening day of the following championship season, may not be re-signed to a Major League Uniform Player's Contract by the releasing Major League Club until May 15 of that following championship season. (Hat tip to Jeff Euston for the cite)

So unless he signs in those first five days of the post-season - before the Mets are contractually forced to "release" him - the only way for the player to see action during the first six weeks of the season is to sign with a different club. It's hard to imagine Cespedes would sit out six weeks to simply again be able to negotiate with the Mets.

Again, since this is part of Major League Rules and not part of the Cespedes contract it cannot be "waived" even if both parties desire it. And both sides would probably love to be free of this restriction. It would give the Mets more flexibility to make a Cespedes deal happen and from where Cespedes sits, having another club like the Mets in the mix likely means a higher price tag. But it's not something in the contract that they can mutually agree to waive.

I'm not really sure of the specific reason for that provision but Jeff Euston has suggested that it may have something to do with preventing clubs from manipulating roster restrictions. i.e. The 40-man roster is full but you expect to be able make a trade in two weeks. But you need to sign Cespedes/Upton/Heyward now. So you "release" Wilmer Flores with the understanding that you're going to re-sign him two weeks from now after the trade is completed and you again have room on the roster. You've essentially manipulated roster limits. The rule prohibiting a club from releasing and immediately re-signing a player effectively prevents this.

But can't the Mets still sign him as long as it happens quickly?

Yes they can. But it looks like an long-shot. In the end, the "why's" don't matter nearly as much as the hurdles that need to be cleared to keep him in orange and blue. It would require:

The Mets to decide quickly that Cespedes is their highest off-season target.

The club to be confident they could clear out what appears to be a 2016 outfield logjam (Granderson, Lagares, Cuddyer, Conforto, Cespedes) without pinching their budget. Will they have enough time to make those moves before re-signing Yoenis?

The Wilpons to "make him an offer he can't refuse" - maybe 5/$100m+?

The Mets to jump-start negotiations in-season or as soon as their season concludes.

Cespedes to forgo what's likely his last shot at being wined and dined by other clubs interested in his services.

Nothing's impossible but it's kind of like hitting an inside straight on the river card - you probably don't want to bet the house on it.

Note: If you want to read more about the old "Type A/Type B" system this article may be of interest.



