The New York Mets have made it a point to celebrate victories in a big way, but their plans were slightly modified when some of their party equipment disappeared.
According to Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News, former Mets manager Carlos Beltran wanted the team to celebrate victories with what was essentially a clubhouse party. To drive that point home, he bought smoke machines and lasers prior to the 2020 season for use in the locker room after wins. They never got used, however, in part because Beltran was fired prior to the start of the season for his role in the Houston Astros cheating scandal.
The other reason? The Mets suspect that former outfielder Yoenis Cespedes made off with the smoke machines and lasers when he opted out of the 2020 season after a week.
“I think Cespedes took them,” infielder J.D. Davis admitted. “Last year, I was like where are the lasers and everything? And people were like, ‘Uhhh, I think Cespedes took them back to his place in Florida.’ And I was like, ‘What?!'”
That might sum up Cespedes’ Mets tenure perfectly: exciting, unpredictable, and in the end, kind of weird. He was a guy who often left his own teammates guessing, and this story is no exception.
Cespedes is trying to find a new team, but hasn’t at this point. The 35-year-old has only played eight games since the 2018 season due to injuries and his 2020 opt-out. Maybe if someone signs him, they will get the missing smoke machine as part of the package.
More must-reads: