Yankees: Yoenis Cespedes’ opt out proves why Mets will never be New York’s team

Mets fans were once again high on this team heading into 2021, and now we’re here.

Sorry guys, we were too focused on sweeping the Boston Red Sox to address the circus once again surrounding the New York Mets, but we’re getting to it now. Better late than never.

Mets slugger Yoenis Cespedes appeared to go missing on Sunday, per an announcement from the team, prompting everyone on social media to be gravely concerned about his whereabouts. The Mets’ poorly-delivered announcement elicited a ton of unwarranted emotions, especially when we learned of the end result.

Cespedes didn’t show up to Sunday’s game and didn’t contact the team because he packed up, left Atlanta and opted out of the 2020 season for “COVID-19-related concerns.” Yeah … OK.

It was later reported Cespedes was “disgruntled” and “frustrated” with the team, but the exact reasons why weren’t disclosed. For a guy who has played in 127 games since the start of 2017 and has made nearly $75 million over that span, it’s truly difficult to put one’s finger on why he’s upset.

The Mets have had no positive coronavirus cases. Sure, they’re losing once again and disappointing the fan base in typical fashion, but was Cespedes unable to comprehend over the last five years that that’s in this team’s DNA?

All in all, this is why the Mets will never be New York’s team. That honor is the Yankees’ and there’s no way around it. The Mets quite often find ways to be shrouded in controversy when there’s no reason for it and this is yet another example of that.

Blame the Mets, blame Cespedes, blame whomever you want. Everyone knew this marriage would be a disaster. When the Mets acquired him at the trade deadline in his contract year back in 2015, they had no choice but to sign him to an extension after he put forth one of the most electrifying second halves in baseball history and helped the team to the World Series.

There was no other option, but the red flags were there. The Mets, as dysfunctional as they are, simply couldn’t handle a loose cannon like Cespedes, who was mired with character concerns both on and off the field. This was not a fruitful long-term pairing. It was a summer fling that turned into an emotionally trying relationship.

The wild boar incident on his ranch that forced him to miss all of 2019 pretty much sums all of this up. Regardless if the Mets further fractured this relationship or not, this is part of who they are — downright bad decisions, good decisions somehow turned disastrous, inability to handle anything PR-related, unable to provide their fans with a reprieve from heartbreak and controversy.

That’s why they’ll never be the Yankees.

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