Log In


Reset Password
Sports Youth Sports Professional Sports More Sports College Sports High School Sports

Cespedes headlines heavy MLB trade deadline day

Cespedes and Hammels change teams and leagues in a flurry of trading activity
Yoenis Cespedes was the biggest bat to move on Friday’s trade deadline. He’s headed to New York to play for the Mets.

NEW YORK – The Mets finally landed the bat they were looking for in Yoenis Cespedes just ahead of Friday’s trade deadline, and Cole Hamels confirmed he blocked a trade to Houston before Philadelphia dealt its ace to Texas.

Sixteen trades were made Friday ahead of the annual deadline for deals without waivers, but San Diego was among the buyers, not the sellers, to the surprise of some.

Hamels was the only top starting pitcher dealt following earlier trades that sent Scott Kazmir to Houston, Johnny Cueto to Kansas City and David Price to Toronto. The Blue Jays scheduled a blowout news conference at Rogers Centre to introduce Price, but instead the left-hander was sidetracked by a blowout to one of the tires on his gray sports car.

The 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner, traded by Detroit on Thursday, tweeted just after 10 a.m. saying he’d blown a tire. About an hour later, he posted again to say he couldn’t find anyone to fit a new tire on his car.

Blue Jays fans tweeted back, telling him they’d pick him up wherever he was waiting. One fan cautioned “If you change the tire..RIGHT HAND ONLY!!!”

Eleven of 15 AL teams began the day within five games of a playoff berth, and seven of 15 in the NL.

“There are a lot of buyers out there,” Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said. “And that probably has something to do with the second wild card, and maybe just the reality of that second wild card has sunk in and the tightness of various races around both leagues.”

Cespedes, eligible for free agency after the season, hit .293 with 18 home runs and 61 runs batted in through 102 games for the Tigers. Seeking to make the playoffs for the first time since 2006, the Mets have a talented starting rotation but rank last in the majors in runs and batting average and 29th in on-base percentage and slugging.

“He’s a very dynamic player,” Alderson said. “We think he’s going to impact us in a number of different ways. But I think also just his presence in the lineup and his presence on the team will raise the energy level – and I hope it raises the energy level in the dugout and in the stands. I think that this is the kind of player that could have a big impact both in terms of the game on the field and how the team is perceived.”

New York already had added infielders Juan Uribe and Kelly Johnson, and reliever Tyler Clippard. The moves increased New York’s payroll by about $8.2 million within the last week. Milwaukee general manager Doug Melvin said a trade fell through Wednesday night that would have sent outfielder Carlos Gomez to the Mets.

“When you’re in the hunt, what you want is general managers on your team to be somewhat aggressive,” injured third baseman David Wright said as news of the Cespedes trade was breaking. “And it seems like Sandy has done that. So give him credit.”



Reader Comments