National League batting champion Jeff McNeil and the New York Mets agreed Friday to a four-year, $50 million contract extension, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN, ensuring one of the team’s core players will remain in Queens as it looks to win its first World Series since 1986.
The deal, which is pending a physical, includes a fifth-year club option that could take the overall value to $63.75 million, sources told ESPN.
McNeil, who turns 31 a week after Opening Day, was scheduled to go to an arbitration trial with the Mets, where he was requesting $7.75 million and they offered $6.25 million. Instead, the gap spurred conversations about keeping McNeil past his remaining two years of arbitration and landed on buying out two free agent seasons.
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1. reech Posted: January 27, 2023 at 07:00 PM (#6114824)Great deal.
Mets get to keep a guy who now will most likely be a career Met.
Plus, his skills should not disappear in the next 4 years.
At worst, he's a "super-sub" by year 4.
There seem to still be "biases" built into arb and front office (and even players and their agents). McNeil isn't a "starting" anything, he's a super-sub or a rover. He's never made it to 600 PA. Players with that profile just don't get paid right, it's like nobody quite trusts them. It was a decade ago now but Zobrist signed for 3 arb + 2 FA for $30 M. Here's an unfortunate but hilarious Bleacher Report article on the mistake of extending Zobrist.
It's hard to say what he'd be looking at in FA. When Zobrist finally got there, he was turning 35 but the Cubs still gave him 4/$56 (not a great deal but he had 2 good season). LeMahieu had been a regular 2B but was becoming a rover at 32 and he finagled a couple of very good seasons into 6/$90 which I think most agree was a bad deal by the Yanks. The option year in this deal kinda tells us how negotiations went. The Mets weren't even willing to guarantee a 5th year at just $13 M but McNeil is still willing to give the option. Neither side thinks he's looking at big FA money. He's a "great guy to have on your team" not a "star."
It's counter-intuitive (and I might be wrong) but my guess is that if McNeil was just a 140+ start 2B, he might have made $5 M this year and be looking at $10 M this year. His versatility makes him more valuable but less compensated -- go figure.
And whether it's an issue with WAR or with front offices -- the good all-around player is still under-appreciated. Maybe they don't age well. Starling Marte was an excellent young player and the Pirates signed him for 2 pre-arb, 3 arb, 1 FA at $31 M with 2 options totalling an additional $22. 34 WAR, 19 WAA, coming off a 4.7 WAR season, 9 WAR the previous 2+ seasons (4.4/650) and he signed for 4/$78 with these same Mets. McNeil basically got 2/$32 for his first 2 FA years. If he waited, he'd maybe get ... $18-20 AAV?
We're still in transition, half my brain thinks 2022 is this baseball year and the other half has moved onto 2023. If the two halves worked together or at least could keep it straight for a single sentence, do you think I'd be wasting my time here?
even killing it in the minors in 2018 - sure, a 1.027 OPS in hitter-happy Vegas in AAA, but a 1.029 in AA Binghamton in more AB and 384 PA overall in AA/AAA - didn't seem to float the Mets boat. finally, finally he gets called up (after being passed over) after the All-Star break at age 26, and he keeps mashing.
130 or better OPS+ and .311 AVG or better in 4 of his 5 MLB seasons. he's not just "a guy."
has always seemed to have a chip on his shoulder - and obviously that plays well in NYC. and since mind-reading of HOF voters seems so popular on the other thread, let's go there with McNeil here. he loves playing for this franchise, which is a bit like him. and when you're in your mid-20s and have yet to appear in The Show, $50M sounds pretty, pretty good I suspect.
on a visual note, for those who didn't like the shift, I found him entertaining as he approached many AB. he'd stand outside the batter's box and study the location of each infielder. should be an old-school fan fave - "hit 'em where they ain't" seemed to be his focus.
re Edman, just from an offensive end, McNeil mops the floor with him (128 OPS+ to 103 career). and last year was Edman's first with 350 PA in MLB and a 100 or better OPS+ (108).
(of course, if Edman really can handle SS, that forgives a lot of offensive sins.)
If he switched to just being a RH batter he's probably approach McNeil at the plate
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