Mets, McNeil agree on $50 million extension (source)
NEW YORK — The most prolific hitter within the Majors final season, a homegrown expertise that includes defensive versatility and freakish bat-to-ball expertise, is ready to stay in Flushing for the foreseeable future.
The Mets and Jeff McNeil have agreed to a four-year, $50 million contract extension that can preserve the 2022 NL batting champion in-house via no less than 2026, a number of sources with information of the contract confirmed. The deal, which the Mets haven’t but confirmed as a result of it’s pending a bodily, features a 2027 membership choice that would enhance the whole worth to $63.75 million.
It is a monetary windfall for McNeil following one of many best seasons of his profession, which noticed him hit .326 to win the franchise’s first batting title in 11 years. The new contract buys out McNeil’s last two arbitration seasons whereas guaranteeing the Mets price certainty for one in all their marquee offensive items.
McNeil, who will flip 31 in April, is a profession .307 hitter over 5 seasons with the membership. He is slated to be the Mets’ beginning second baseman this season and has introduced his intention to play for Team USA within the World Baseball Classic.
Upon embarking upon one of the lavish spending sprees in Major League historical past in December, the Mets left themselves with few remaining agenda gadgets exterior potential contract extensions for 2 of their core hitters, McNeil and Pete Alonso. (Multiple sources declined remark when requested if McNeil’s deal might precede an identical one for Alonso.) To full a contract with McNeil, the staff assured him extra money than he would have obtained over the subsequent two seasons via the arbitration course of, whereas eradicating the potential stress that McNeil may need confronted getting into free company for the primary time at age 32.
In that regard the deal is smart for either side. McNeil sacrificed some potential future earnings for a major elevate now, whereas the Mets locked up the reigning MLB batting champion for a median of $12.5 million per season — a relative pittance, contemplating how properly established McNeil is as an elite hitter.
A Twelfth-round Draft decide who golfed competitively in highschool earlier than shifting his focus to baseball in faculty, McNeil by no means ranked among the many Mets’ prime prospects, as he battled accidents all through his Minor League profession. He didn’t break into the Majors till he was 26 years outdated, however he shortly established himself as a premier hitter, batting .329 as a rookie — his first of three consecutive seasons above .300. He endured a down yr in 2021 however bounced again to safe the batting title on the penultimate day of the 2022 season, largely by rediscovering the mechanics which have all the time made him a throwback.
Best identified for a left-handed swing that enables him to spray all corners of the sphere with floor balls and line drives, McNeil has additionally given the Mets important worth as a powerful defender who can play second base, third base and each nook outfield positions. Primarily manning second and left final season, McNeil produced constructive Outs Above Average totals at each positions.
The Mets now have two of their homegrown core place gamers locked as much as long-term contracts; the staff signed Brandon Nimmo to an eight-year free-agent contract earlier this offseason. Two different contemporaries, Michael Conforto and Dominic Smith, have moved on, leaving Alonso as the one remaining homegrown Mets hitter unsigned previous 2024.
That might nonetheless change, although Alonso’s age (28) and profession arc (40 dwelling runs final season) recommend he’ll require a a lot bigger contract than McNeil to forego free company. Unlike his good friend and teammate, who was set to go to an arbitration listening to with the Mets earlier than agreeing to a brand new deal, Alonso has already agreed to a $14.5 million contract for 2023. The Mets might nonetheless rip up that contract to finish an extension, or they might wait to see what develops over the subsequent two years.
