New York Mets Trade OF Darrell Ceciliani To Toronto Blue Jays

The New York Mets have completed a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, sending outfielder Darrell Ceciliani to Toronto after designating him for assignment to make room for Yoenis Cespedes.

When you make moves of the caliber that the New York Mets have made this offseason, there will be a trickle down effect on the rest of the roster. The Mets went on a spending spree this winter, bringing in Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera to help the team up the middle.

The biggest coup for the Mets among position players had to be re-signing Yoenis Cespedes. Cespedes, who entered the offseason looking for a massive five or six year contract, was thought to be gone by many people. No one believed that the Mets were going to pony up the money to retain Cespedes, as his contract demands were high and there had to be a team that would give him what he wanted.

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But, that contract offer never came, as Cespedes was still available well into January. The Mets kept tabs on the process, and eventually they pounced with a massive three-year, $75 million contract that has a opt-out clause after one season. It was not a move the Mets were expected to make, but with Cespedes being brought back to the team, other roster moves have to be made to make room for him on the 40-man roster.

That meant the Mets would have another roster casualty, just like what happened to Carlos Torres when the team brought Antonio Bastardo on board as a free agent from the Pittsburgh Pirates. This time, the Mets had to move on from a player with a little more upside than Torres, as they designated outfielder Darrell Ceciliani for assignment.

But, unlike with Torres, the Mets were able to find a place to trade Ceciliani to, as the Toronto Blue Jays acquired him in exchange for cash. The 25-year old Ceciliani was a decent prospect in the Mets organization, ranking as high as 14th on their prospect rankings list.

Ceciliani was forced into major league action because of injuries in 2015, hitting .206 in 68 at-bats. He was overmatched at the major league level, as he struck out 25 times in those 68 at-bats. He did manage five stolen bases though, and was regarded as a solid fielder, often entering the game in late game situations to shore up the Mets defense.

Ceciliani was selected in the fourth round of the 2009 MLB Draft by the Mets, and will now look to battle for a roster spot with the Blue Jays. It is a solid spot for Ceciliani to land, as the Blue Jays do not have much outfield depth on their 40-man roster, so he has a legitimate chance of cracking the 40-man roster during Spring Training.