PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Hitting coach Kevin Long was among those worried that slugger Yoenis Cespedes might not re-sign with the New York Mets after a torrid two months with the ballcub last season.
"Why?” Cespedes playfully replied. “You should've called me. I would have told you I was coming back.”
With perhaps the most fanfare since Pedro Martinez arrived in Port St. Lucie more than a decade ago, Cespedes sent a buzz into Mets camp when he reported Sunday -- three days before the required date for position players.
Cespedes re-signed with the Mets for three years, $75 million late in the offseason, catching even team officials off-guard.