Mets Morning News: Yoenis Cespedes is officially a Met, new collective bargaining agreement reached

Meet the Mets

Yoenis Cespedes signed his contract and officially became a Met for four more years.

A no-trade clause had to be part of the contract in order for Cespedes to agree to it.

Cespedes is very happy to be back with the ball club, and his manager is also pleased to have him back with the team.

The Cespedes signing was a big step forward for a sometimes frugal organization, but they can not stop there.

Payroll is currently estimated to be $145.5 million.

In order to clear room on the roster for Cespedes, the Mets traded Logan Verrett to the Orioles for cash considerations.

Sandy Alderson’s work is not yet complete. Other members in their crowded outfield are drawing interest from other teams, especially Curtis Granderson.

A case can be made for trading both Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson.

The Mets are also in the market for relievers, especially since Jeurys Familia’s future remains uncertain. One reliever they might target is Brad Hand.

If a reliever can not be found on the market, Zack Wheeler could be an option to fill that void.

Around the NL East

The Braves avoided arbitration with catcher Tuffy Gosewisch.

Despite signing pitcher Edinson Volquez, the Marlins are interested in adding Jason Hammel to their rotation.

The Good Phight believes Andrew McCutchen would be a good fit for the Phillies. They also took a look back on Jeremy Hellickson’s season.

The Nationals also remain interested in acquiring McCutchen from the Pirates.

Around the Majors

A lockout was avoided and a new labor agreement was reached between owners and the players’ union. With the new agreement, teams will no longer have to give up a first-round draft pick when signing key free agents, and the All-Star game will no longer determine home field advantage in the World Series.

The Veterans Committee will be voting on some interesting names for the Hall of Fame.

Free agent Edwin Encarnacion still has not found a team to sign with, despite having a few teams interested.

Outfielder Matt Joyce signed a two-year deal with the Oakland Athletics.

It is highly likely that Pirate outfielder Andrew McCutchen will be wearing a different uniform next season.

Yesterday at AA

The latest episode of the podcast celebrates the return of Yoenis Cespedes.

Milo Taibi discussed Matt Harvey’s injury shortened season.

David Capobianco reviewed Antonio Bastardo’s short tenure with the Mets.

Aaron Yorke took a look at Michael Conforto’s unsuccessful sophomore season.

Steve Sypa ranked the top prospects in the Mets’ system for 2016.

Eric Simon covered the Logan Verrett trade.

Jon Baturgil wrote about the trade rumors surrounding Curtis Granderson.

This Date in Mets History

In 1998, general manager Steve Phillips was involved in a three team trade that brought in Roger Cedeno and Armando Benitez. This trade would lead to Mets fans holding their breaths in the ninth inning for the next four seasons.