Mets, Cespedes alter contract to extend signing period

Yoenis Cespedes and the New York Mets won't have to rush into negotiating a deal this offseason.

The two parties have changed a clause in the outfielder's contract that would have given the Mets just five days after the World Series to either sign the outfielder long term, or have to wait until May 15 for another opportunity to do so.

The alteration now allows the Mets to negotiate with and sign him at any point.

General manager Sandy Alderson confirmed Major League Baseball and the players association have signed off on the agreement.

Cespedes will not be eligible for a qualifying offer, which means the Mets won't receive draft pick compensation if Cespedes departs for another club.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports the sides came to the agreement in the past 10 days. He explains how things would have panned out before the new agreement:

Cespedes is in the final season of his original four-year, $36 million pact he signed with the A's before the 2012 campaign. Language in that deal calls for Cespedes to be released at the end of the contract. A qualifying offer cannot be tendered to a released player. Thus, as stated in the Collective Bargaining Agreement, the team would have until five days after the World Series to sign Cespedes or not again until May 15. Even after this contract edit, the Mets cannot extend Cespedes a qualifying offer.

The popular outfielder has been a huge addition to a Mets club that currently leads the National League East with a 76-61 record, hitting .311/.358/.669 with 13 home runs and 31 RBIs since coming to the team at the trade deadline.