‘Yo Gotta Believe!’ Yoenis Cespedes will remain with Mets

ANTHONY GRUPPUSO/USA TODAY SPORTS

After much distress for Mets fans, free agent outfielder Yoenis Cespedes will return to Queens on a three-year, $75 million no-trade contract, but Cespedes can opt out after the first year.

The deal comes after almost an entire offseason of speculation, especially after the 30-year old Cuban outfielder received a five-year $100 million contract offer from the division rival Washington Nationals.

The Mets had already made offseason upgrades at second base, shortstop and in the bullpen, and understood that their young pitching of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz were the best in baseball.

Now, with an offensive juggernaut in Cespedes, the Mets are likely favorites to repeat as National League East Champions and make a run late into October.

Playing for the Detroit Tigers and then the Mets in 2015, Cespedes batted .291 in 159 games with 35 home runs and 105 R.B.I.

Cespedes propelled an ailing offense and led the Mets to their first division title in nine seasons.

After Cespedes struggled in the month of September, batted .250 in the division round, .286 in the National League Championship Series, and just .150 in the World Series, which the Mets lost to the Kansas City Royals in five games.

The lack of performance allowed the Mets to stand tall on the order of a five-year $100 million deal, but in the end it was three-years and $75 million.

Either way Cespedes is returning to the Mets, and with Spring Training three weeks away, the Mets are ready to rumble. All in all, ‘Yo just gotta believe’.