Cespedes rumors intensify as slugger reportedly seeks $130M

At the moment, Yoenis Cespedes is thought to be considering spending either another summer in Queens or the next half-decade in Baltimore.

Cespedes, who reportedly received an offer from the Orioles on Thursday worth roughly $90 million over five years, is apparently weighing that option against signing a one-year deal with the New York Mets and becoming a free agent again next winter, sources told MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez.

According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, however, Cespedes doesn't have a one-year offer from the Mets on the table, though the club would talk about a shorter-term deal if he shows a willingness to sign one.

But while the Orioles' proposal, which may include an option for 2021, offers Cespedes the job security he sought as a free agent, the 30-year-old is reportedly holding out for a much bigger deal. According to ESPN's Jerry Crasnick, Cespedes is seeking a six-year deal that will pay him roughly $22 million per season.

The Mets may be willing to pay a premium to bring Cespedes back on a short-term deal, too, after watching how the talented Cuban captivated Queens down the stretch last season. Acquired from the Detroit Tigers ahead of the non-waiver trade deadline, Cespedes smashed 17 homers with a .942 OPS in 57 regular-season games with the Mets and helped them earn their first National League pennant since 2000.

Next winter, however, he would almost assuredly be attached to draft-pick compensation that would deflate his market value. Due to a unique stipulation in the contract he signed with the Oakland Athletics ahead of the 2012 campaign, Cespedes was not eligible to receive a qualifying offer when his current contract expired. That allowed him to hit the market unencumbered by draft-pick compensation, unlike Justin Upton and Chris Davis.