Cespedes, Mets finalize $110M deal

NEW YORK — Major League agents go to great lengths to promote their players. Scott Boras, for example, is known for his binders. For his prominent clients, he publishes reams of statistical data espousing their attributes, then distributes those booklets around the league.

Yoenis Cespedes’ lead agent, Brodie Van Wagenen, took a different tack for his superstar outfielder. To the Mets, he delivered a binder filled not with Cespedes’ numbers — those were readily available elsewhere — but back pages from the three primary New York tabloids since the start of this year. By the time Cespedes climbed atop a stage at Citi Field on Wednesday for a news conference to announce his four-year, $110 million contract, the binder included 57 newspaper headlines featuring Cespedes — including three on Wednesday alone.

“He obviously helps put butts in seats,” Mets chief operating officer Jeff Wilpon said. “People want to see him.”

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If it’s celebrity Cespedes is after, he’s found it in New York. And if it’s star power the Mets seek, they’ve found it in Cespedes. Their marriage is one of practicality; the Mets aim to win a World Series, and Cespedes anchors their ability to pursue one. It’s also one of comfort. As general manager Sandy Alderson negotiated the richest free-agent contract franchise history, Cespedes told the Mets how much he wanted to return, reaching out to individuals from ownership on down to the kitchen staff.

“I said it long before this happened that I wanted to be with this team. I wanted to come back to this team,” Cespedes said through an interpreter, after slipping a familiar …

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