Former Mets star Yoenis Cespedes hasn’t attracted a contract yet

Two weeks have gone by since former New York Mets star outfielder Yoenis Cespedes held a showcase for multiple MLB teams. Whatever teams saw at the showcase may not have been enough to give him the offer he was looking for.

Opening Day is less than two weeks away and Cespedes remains unsigned. This is the case for multiple once big-time sluggers in baseball.

The lack of a DH in the National League has hurt the chance Cespedes had at returning to action in 2021. Likely limited to this role and not someone any team would trust with a glove, the interest just isn’t there.

Has the former Mets star played his last MLB game?

I don’t project much to change anytime soon when it comes to Cespedes. His health issues during the final years with the Mets along with his wild boar hunting habits, which only made them worse, put him in a different category from many other free agents. Not only is there a question about his abilities on the field—but there’s also plenty of concern about how committed he actually is to baseball.

Even with the possible return of the DH in 2022 to the National League, I can’t see how this much time off will help change the mind of any team. Although teams did attend his showcase, it may have been for nothing more than morbid curiosity.

The Mets were never a likely match for Cespedes this year given how many DH options they already had on the roster. The team is already playing guys out of position just to get their bats in the lineup.

As each day passes without a new deal, it appears the big guy’s final at-bat in Major League Baseball could be a groundout to third base on August 1 against the Atlanta Braves. Cespedes went hitless in four at-bats that day in the Mets’ 7-1 loss.

Already 35, an investment in Cespedes isn’t a long-term thing for any team that may consider it. At best, maybe he can hope to catch on in an international league this year or maybe sign with a team midseason after someone suffers an injury.

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If Jed Lowrie can get a deal this offseason, perhaps there is a little hope we haven’t seen the last of Yo at the MLB level.