Mets broadcaster Howie Rose weighs in on Yoenis Cespedes, offseason

Legendary Mets announcer Howie Rose made an appearance on WFAN earlier this week and gave some of his thoughts on Yoenis Cespedes and the Mets offseason. You can listen to the entire interview here. Here are some of the highlights:

• On Yoenis Cespedes re-signing: The Mets knew the player and person and felt it was worth making the investment. They knew how badly Cespedes wanted to stay with them.
• Cespedes’s agents “read him the riot act” during the season because they felt he was talking too openly about wanting to stay with the Mets, and his agents felt it might hurt his bargaining position. Cespedes threw in some misdirection later in the year.
• From the moment Cespedes came to New York, the team cooks befriended him and made him his favorite Cuban dishes. The large Hispanic population in New York also gave him a comfort zone. Little things like this are part of the reason why he likes playing for the Mets so much.
• Howie is surprised Cespedes didn’t get a five-year contract.
• Sandy Alderson has always liked Travis d’Arnaud, and some inside the Mets organization still think d’Arnaud can be a “20 HR, 85 RBI” type player.
• Howie thinks Michael Conforto still “has a world of potential” and doesn’t like the idea of trading Conforto at all. He thinks Conforto will get reps at first base and center field this spring.
• The Mets think Peter Alonso will “come quickly, somewhat similarly to the way Conforto did.”
• Rose doesn’t think David Wright is a good fit for first base, as there’s a lot of bending and stretching there and it probably isn’t much easier on his back than third base.
• He thinks that if the entire starting rotation is healthy, Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo will start the year as starters in the minors rather than the major league bullpen.
• Rose would love to see the Mets bring Jerry Blevins back, who he calls “one of the great people that has come through the Mets clubhouse in forever,” but he might be too pricey.