Sandy Alderson delivered quite the zinger when asked whether the Mets would watch their former star Yoenis Cespedes work out next month in hopes of securing another MLB contract.
“We’re going to rent horses and ride to the workout,” the Mets president told MLB Network’s Jon Heyman on Monday, making light of Cespedes, the outfielder who doubles as a rancher and rode a horse to Mets spring training in 2016.
The Mets are not expected to reunite with Cespedes, who opted out of last season after famously not showing up to a game in Atlanta.
Mets general manager at the time Brodie Van Wagenen said that Cespedes opted out due to “COVID-related reasons,” but The Post reported that Cespedes was frustrated with his lack of playing time potentially preventing him from earning performance bonuses.
Cespedes had his contract reduced from $29.5 million to $6 million — which amounted to a prorated $2.2 million during the shortened 60-game season — after The Post revealed the injury-prone outfielder fractured his ankle while trying to evade a wild boar on his Florida ranch in the spring of 2019.
Cespedes has played only 127 games since 2016 due to multiple injuries.
The 35-year-old native of Cuba was initially acquired by Alderson and the Mets in 2015, and led the Mets to the World Series that season.
After a two-year hiatus, Alderson returned to the Mets organization this fall after Steve Cohen purchased the franchise from the Wilpon family. The team has since has added multiple outfielders, leaving little if any room for Cespedes.
Due to his injury history, Cespedes would likely be better-suited for an AL team, for whom he could DH.
