Yoenis Cespedes' Shocking Exit Par for the Course for Hapless Mets

And now there's Yoenis Cespedes' opt-out, which cost the Mets their best but most enigmatic slugger.Depending on whose version of events you trust, Cespedes bolted because A) he was worried about MLB's COVID-19 surge and the risk to his family, B) he was angry after realizing he'd be out of the lineup Sunday against the Atlanta Braves, convinced ownership was sabotaging the performance clauses in his contract or C) he was just sick of the Mets in general and didn't think twice about ghosting them.Can the Mets recover? They didn't realize the slugger had already packed and checked out of his room until a security team was sent to the hotel in Atlanta.According to Tim Britton and Marc Carig of The Athletic, Cespedes said his goodbyes to teammates in the clubhouse Saturday night but chose not to alert Van Wagenen or manager Luis Rojas. But what could've provoked him to this end?Although one member of the organization said that "we had no idea things were this bad with Yo," Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post reported that Cespedes had already expressed his unhappiness about being kept out of the lineup on two occasions.The incentives in Cespedes' contract were based on plate appearances, although Rojas told the slugger he was unaware of that clause. Still, as The Athletic subsequently discovered, Cespedes was on pace to reach all but two of the bonuses and earn $6.67 million of the contract's maximum $7.41 million value.Further deepening the mystery was Cespedes' enthusiasm after his game-winning home run against the Braves on Opening Day. The Cuban-born star, who'd spent two seasons on the injured list with foot and heel injuries, breathlessly told reporters, "And being able to hit a home run after being out for two years, it proved to me that I can still be the same player that I used to be."Cespedes' return was a bolt of optimism to the organization.