Gooden talks about Cespedes and Stroman opt outs.

art by @grafixjoker

Dwight Gooden is saying Yoenis Cespedes might get blackballed in baseball next season. I personally don't see that happening. Will he get lowball offers on contracts? Sure. Will he be a starting outfielder? Probably not. DHing is probably in his future. But it is interesting in what Doc is saying. The other thing is don't forget, Doc also let his teammates down with his actions during his career too.

From the NY POST

Dwight Gooden sees how Yoenis Cespedes handled opting out of the Mets season as a “weak move” that could hurt the slugger next season.

“He may get blackballed [in baseball] next year and I’m OK with that,” the former Cy Young winner said on the latest episode of The Post’s “Amazin’ But True” Mets podcast. “Number one, you put yourself in that position by the stuff you’re doing off the field. Now you miss two, three years when they said throughout baseball don’t give this guy a contract and the Mets did it anyway, and that’s the way you show them. You owe those guys. You owe your teammates, bro. That was a weak move.” Cespedes opted out of the season over coronavirus concerns on Aug. 2 and did not show up for the Mets game against the Braves that afternoon in Atlanta. The 34-years-old packed up his things in his hotel and left without informing the team he was opting out, GM Brodie Van Wagenen said that day. The Post reported that Cespedes, who was seen out salsa dancing in Garden City three weeks before calling it a season, was unhappy with how the Mets were using him because needed to be in the lineup as much as possible to reach lucrative performance bonuses in his contract.

Gooden also talked about Stroman.“I understand if that’s the reason,” he said. “Be a man enough to say it, ‘I don’t want to take a chance. I may only get five or six starts. So I don’t want to chance it. I want to get as strong as I can, get healthy and come back next year.’ Say it. Nobody’s gonna shoot you. You good. But don’t give me that bulls–t about I talked to my family and we’re doing what’s best. You’re bringing in the checks, you the man, it’s your call.”

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