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Mets' Wright: Cespedes is not a bad teammate

Rob Tringali / Major League Baseball / Getty

Even before the Mets reportedly reached a three-year deal to keep Yoenis Cespedes in New York, franchise stalwart David Wright attempted to dispel rumors that the dynamic Cuban - an immediate fan favorite upon arriving in Queens in July - was a disruptive force in the clubhouse.

"I will put my name behind the statement that Yo was a good teammate on the field and a great teammate off the field," Wright told Kristie Ackert of the the New York Daily News on Friday afternoon. "And I hope we find a way to bring him back."

Wright, an All-Star seven times in his dozen seasons in New York, got his wish shortly thereafter, as the Mets and Cespedes agree to a three-year, $75-million contract Friday night that will pay him $27.5 million if he exercises the opt-out clause that activates after the 2016 campaign.

Related: Report: Mets agree to 3-year, $75M deal with Cespedes

Despite reportedly receiving a larger offer from the Washington Nationals, the 30-year-old preferred to stay with New York, and, evidently, the club was happy to bring him back even though, according to John Harper of the New York Daily News, Cespedes occasionally irritated club officials by not taking batting practice, not hustling, and constantly smoking cigarettes between innings.

Wright was presumably elated after learning of Cespedes' new deal, as the 33-year-old third baseman was understandably apprehensive about the possibility of him going to the Nationals, a team the Mets play 19 times this season.

"I am competitive and want us to sign all the great players we can. That month or six weeks Yo had with us was unbelievable, one of the greatest things I've ever seen in baseball, " Wright said. "You certainly do not want to see him go to a division rival."

Acquired in a deal with the Detroit Tigers ahead of the non-waiver trade deadline, Cespedes hit .287/.337/.604 with 17 homers in 57 regular-season games for the Mets before posting just a .584 OPS throughout New York's playoff run.

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