Cross one possible free agent off the list for the Washington Nationals.
Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is taking an even bigger bite at the Big Apple.
Arguably the biggest bat on the free agent market, Cespedes reportedly agreed Tuesday to a four-year, $110 million contract with the New York Mets, pending a physical according to Yahoo Sports. The deal was first reported by FoxSports’ Ken Rosenthal.
The deal comes with a full no-trade clause with an average annual value of $27.5 million which is the most for an outfielder and the biggest deal in Mets history, according to Mets.com. The average annual value ties former Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez for the second highest among position players, behind only the $29.2 million the Detroit Tigers pay for Miguel Cabrera.
Cespedes became a free agent after opting out of his contract with the Mets this offseason. He hit 31 home runs and batted .280 in 132 games with the Mets last season.
Cespedes declined a one-year qualifying offer of $17.2 million from the Mets. As a powerful outfield bat, Cespedes drew interest from the Nationals, San Francisco Giants, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees, among other teams.
Cespedes was acquired by the Mets from the Tigers at the July 31, 2015 trade deadline. He was a free agent last season before agreeing to a $75 million, three-year deal to return the Mets and opting out after one year this past offseason.
Information used in this story was based on wire reports.
• Kevin Leitzell can be reached at kleitzell@washingtontimes.com.
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