Yoenis Cespedes and New York Mets could benefit most from universal designated hitter
MLB is expected to use a universal DH this season, and that works out well for the Mets and Yoenis Cespedes.
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Assuming Major League Baseball's billionaire owners and millionaire players can stop haggling over which side will get "less rich" during this coronavirus-affected season – we're looking at you, Blake Snell – there's going to be a season. It probably will start July 4, include around 82 regular-season games and will a universal designated hitter rule.
To help limit travel as much as possible, teams will only play regional foes. So, an AL East team like the New York Yankees would play games against fellow AL East opponents as well as NL East opponents and that's it. Because of extended interleague play and to help prevent injuries to pitchers, MLB will have a DH in every game – and it may never go back.
On the surface, adding a DH in theory would help every National League team equally as their pitchers no longer have to it … but some NL clubs are going to have a major advantage over others. The Dodgers, for example, are so deep they could "rest" one of their top hitters each game at DH. The Washington Nationals could keep defensively challenged Howie Kendrick (usually plays first or second base) there the majority of the time.
One team sticks out as having the best advantage in adding the DH: The New York Mets, and specifically oft-injured outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. The Cuban slugger signed a four-year, $110 million contract with the Mets in December 2016, but he hasn't played for them since July 20, 2018 due to injuries.
Cespedes had surgeries to remove bone calcification from both his heels in 2018, which was expected to keep him out about half of 2019. Alas, last spring Cespedes was injured in a wild boar attack on his Florida, suffering multiple fractures in his right ankle that ended his season before it began. Because of that, his base salary of $29.5 million in 2020 was cut to $6 million.
Thus, putting Cespedes in the field this year was probably not going to go well, but having him hit most days could keep him in the lineup. There's no doubting that the 34-year-old can hit. His last full season (132 games) was 2016 and Cespedes batted. 280 with 31 homers and 86 RBIs. He also reportedly was killing the ball this spring.
Cespedes has reason to stay in the lineup and put up big numbers this year because he's set for free agency next winter, and he'd surely draw interest from AL teams if the DH solely stays in that league in 2021. When Cespedes needs a day off, the Mets could put Robinson Cano or JD Davis at DH as they both are defensive liabilities but good hitters.
At William Hill sportsbook, the Mets are +1700 fifth-favorites on the moneyline odds to win the 2020 World Series despite already having lost No. 2 starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard to season-ending Tommy John surgery.
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