Arguably the most prolific hitter on the market, Yoenis Cespedes is finally on the move after days of speculation. He will join the New York Mets. 760thescore's Bruce Levine first reported that Cespedes was headed to the Mets.
New York has been looking everywhere for outfield help this week and that search grew even more desperate after the Carlos Gomez trade fell through. Michael Cuddyer's knee continued to give him trouble and could continue to be a problem. Juan Lagares is a gold-glove caliber center fielder, but he offers little offensively. So New York buckled up and met the Tigers' asking price for Cespedes, beating out a tough, crowded mark for Cespedes.
The 29-year-old left fielder has hit .293 this season with 18 home runs, 61 RBI's and 28 doubles in 403 at bats. While his average slipped down in July with Miguel Cabrera on the disabled list, he stepped up as a power hitter with eight home runs and six doubles in 110 at bats. It is worth noting his splits versus lefties and righties.
In 321 at bats versus righties, Cespedes has slashed .321/.346/.551 with 15 home runs and a 62/13 K/BB ratio. Against lefties, he has a .183/.236/.329 slash line with a 25/6 K/BB ratio and three home runs. He is still an excellent bat that can be plugged in the middle of a lineup, but his struggles versus lefties keeps him from being an even greater hitter. But this is a major addition for the 52-50 Mets. You can't have pitching alone in the postseason and the Mets rank last in runs (353). This team needed a jolt for their lineup and Cespedes can provide exactly that.
Detroit had no option but to trade Cespedes if it wanted anything in return. They acquired Cespedes this offseason when he was on the final year of his contract nullifying any qualifying offer he could be offered. So Cespedes would have left in free agency and the Tigers would receive nothing in return.
This was the only move Detroit could make and now they will improve their farm system. Though it is not yet known what the Tigers will receive in return, though they obviously didn't land Zack Wheeler.
The 22-year-old Fulmer has dominated his opponents in 15 starts this year for Double-A Binghampton. He has limited opposing hitters to a .223 batting average with a 1.08 WHIP and 92/23 K/BB ratio in 93 innings over a 1.88 ERA. He ranked as the Mets seventh-best prospect in MLB.com's updated prospect rankings. His ability to miss bats is obviously something you love to see from prospects and he could quickly make his way up to the majors in 2016.
Cessa is a 23-year-old righty starting for Triple-A Las Vegas, having earned a promotion earlier in the year after compiling a 2.56 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP and 61/17 K/BB ratio over 77 1/3 innings. His time in Triple-A has been a little rougher through give starts with a 1.81 WHIP and 8.51 ERA, but his 24/4 K/BB ratio shows some potential.
This is an excellent trade for the Tigers, landing a cheap, young starter that they could plug into their rotation and rely on for the foreseeable future. Smart general managers know how to operate at the trade deadline and getting young pitching for a rental player is an excellent return.
Fantasy Spin:
Cespedes will be plugged into the center of New York's lineup immediately. Going from Comerica Park, which allows 0.815 home runs per game to Citi Field's 1.335 home runs per game is very nice news for Cespedes fantasy value. He won't have the protection around him in the lineup that he saw in Detroit, so more opposing pitchers could look to pitch around him. There should be a nice uptick in home runs and walks for Cespedes, though he is someone that will largely have to be avoided when he faces left-handed pitchers.