October 20, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; New York Mets center fielder Yoenis Cespedes (52) hits an RBI single in the seventh inning against the Chicago Cubs in game three of the NLCS at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Outfielder Yoenis Cespedes, one of the top remaining free agents, received a contract offer from the Baltimore Orioles, MASN.com’s Roch Kubatko reported Thursday.
No details of the offer were published.
Cespedes could be an offensive backup plan for the Orioles in case they can’t reach an agreement with free agent first baseman Chris Davis, who hit a league-leading 47 home runs for Baltimore last year.
Davis reportedly rejected the Orioles’ seven-year, $150 million-plus offer in December.
Cespedes, 30, played for a total of four teams during the past two seasons. His cannon arm and power potential make him an intriguing player, but his skill set is offset by offensive inconsistency.
Last July, Cespedes was acquired by the Mets from the Detroit Tigers, and he almost single-handedly revitalized the New York offense, ultimately leading the team to the World Series. He hit .287 with a .337 on-base percentage, a .604 slugging percentage, 17 homers and 44 RBIs in 57 regular-season games for New York, then hit .222 with two homers and eight RBIs in 14 postseason games.
The runner-up for American League Rookie of the Year with Oakland in 2012, Cespedes made an All-Star team for the only time in his career in 2014. He was awarded an AL Gold Glove last year for his work in 99 games as the Tigers’ left fielder, though the Mets moved him to center field.
In four major league seasons with the A’s, Boston Red Sox, Tigers and Mets, Cespedes has a career .271/.319/.486 batting line with 106 homers with 367 RBIs in 575 games.
