While this offseason isn’t finished just yet, the New York Mets have already done an excellent job at improving their roster over the last couple of months and the club appears to be better positioned to compete for a playoff spot this season compared to how they were constructed at the start of last season.
After acquiring impact players like Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco, James McCann and Trevor May, the front office has to be extremely pleased with the moves they’ve been able to make this winter. That being said, they still have some heavy lifting to do before the regular season opens on Apr. 1.
As of right now, the Mets still have some holes to fill within their position player group, which includes acquiring a starting center fielder and another infielder. Along with rounding out the roster, management will also be tasked with extending both Michael Conforto and Lindor, who are both slated to become free agents next offseason, before the 2021 campaign commences.
Considering Opening Day is just under two months away, there’s still lots of time to negotiate new contracts with both of these valuable players, meaning there’s no need to start panicking just yet. But since neither of them wants this situation to become a distraction as the year progresses, team president Sandy Alderson and his staff will likely have until the end of spring training, or sometime just before then, to lock up two of the most important pieces of this team.
With the front office currently focused on adding a few more pieces to their roster, it seems they might be a little too busy to hammer out new deals with Conforto and Lindor over the next week or so. If that’s the case, then any contract negotiations involving either of them will likely take place when they’re already in camp and preparing for the upcoming season.
Though there’s nothing wrong with taking this approach, it’s actually a pretty common occurrence in today’s game, doing so could prove to be extremely difficult, especially since they’re each considered franchise players and both are reportedly seeking long-term deals. Since negotiating massive contracts are usually a difficult process, completing two of those deals in a short period of time will probably be easier said than done.
Starting with Lindor, who hasn’t even played a single game for the Mets yet, he certainly hasn’t been afraid of turning down contract offers over the last few years. Even though the Cleveland Indians were always viewed as a longshot to extend the 27-year-old, their front office still made numerous proposals to him only to be turned down each time.
While he hasn’t made any public contract demands, most experts believe the superstar shortstop is seeking a lucrative extension that’ll pay him over $300 million, which would certainly surpass third baseman Manny Machado‘s 10-year, $300 million contract that was signed back in 2019.
As for Conforto, the 27-year-old has recently confirmed the Mets haven’t begun any contract negotiations with him up to this point, which is somewhat concerning, although it’s clear he’d prefer to finish his career in Queens. Since he was drafted by this organization back in 2010 and has worn blue pinstripes throughout his six seasons in the majors, it makes plenty of sense as to why he’d want to finish his playing days in the same place where they started.
Taking into account that outfielder George Springer just received a six-year, $150 million deal from the Toronto Blue Jays, that exact figure is probably a solid starting point for how much Conforto will ultimately command. But since he’s three years younger than the former Houston Astro, there’s a very strong chance the 6′ 1″ right fielder will demand a much higher salary than him once negotiations actually begin.
Combining both of their situations together, it seems the Mets will probably need to spend close to $500 million in order to lock up both Conforto and Lindor, which is no small task. Even for owner Steve Cohen, who’s admitted he won’t shy away from investing large amounts of money into this team, that’s a huge price to pay for just two players and it’s also a major commitment to make in such a short period of time.
Taking this even further, New York’s front office will likely need to decide before the start of this season whether they’re prepared to spend into the luxury tax for the next few campaigns, as extending both of these players is expected to push their payroll far beyond the current $210 million threshold. Even if that’s a choice they’re willing to make, it’s one they’ll need to decide on fairly quickly, which is why it might make more sense to extend one player now and then lock up the other one next winter.
Regardless of when the Mets decide to start negotiating, one thing is clear, they can’t allow Conforto or Lindor to depart through free agency after the 2021 campaign. Losing either player would be detrimental to this team and would leave an unfillable hole on the roster, especially since each of them has been near the top of the leaderboard in several different categories at their respective positions over the last several seasons.
With Conforto, the 2017 NL All-Star currently ranks ninth in fWAR (13.1), 12th in RBIs (273), 13th in OPS (.864) and 14th in home runs (97) among all qualified outfielders since 2017, according to FanGraphs.com.
Adding to his impressive resume, the former first-round pick took his game up to another level in 2020, as he produced career-highs in BABIP (.412), wOBA (.401), LD rate (30.3%), opposite-field percentage (28.3%) and in wRC+ (157).
As for his defense, Conforto finished in the top 15 in OAA during both the 2018 (6 OAA) and 2019 (6 OAA) campaigns.
Moving on to Lindor, the four-time All-Star currently ranks first in fWAR (29.2), second in home runs (138), third in RBIs (411), tied for fifth in OPS (.833), tied for sixth in wOBA (.351) and wRC+, eighth in ISO (118) and tied for ninth in hard-hit rate (37.8%) among all qualified shortstops since 2015.
Providing elite-level defense, the two-time Gold Glove award winner has finished in the top three in OAA in three of the last four seasons (2017, 2018 and 2020). In the one season where he didn’t rank inside the top three (2019), he still produced an 11 OAA, which was tied for sixth-highest.
Unless something changes between now and the start of the 2021 campaign, keeping both Conforto and Lindor around long term is something the Mets will likely be striving to achieve all season long. But if they’re somehow able to extend both of them within the next two months, it’ll truly be an incredible accomplishment that will deserve praising for many seasons to come.
Until that happens, everyone will be left waiting to see if the front office can pull this extremely difficult feat off before time runs out. But if they fall short, then that same anxiousness is likely to carry over into the season, which is something no one wants to experience.
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February 06, 2021 at 11:12PM
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