Francisco Lindor’s cost to Mets in his final year of control before the free agency will be $ 22.3 million.
Mets and its shortstop star avoided arbitration on Friday by agreeing on that amount. Lindor, who arrived last week in a negotiation that also brought Carlos Carrasco to the Mets, was scheduled to receive $ 17.5 million last season, before wages were prorated because of the pandemic. Lindor’s last arbitration deal is the fourth largest in MLB history, behind only Mookie Betts ($ 27 million), Nolan Arenado ($ 26 million) and Josh Donaldson ($ 23 million).
Now, the question is whether the Mets will reach a long-term deal with Lindor, 27, before he becomes a free agent at the end of the season. During his introductory press conference, Lindor said he would like the potential negotiations to be concluded before the opening day.
It is possible that Lindor is heading towards a business that approaches or exceeds $ 300 million. The most recent mega-contract was Betts’ 12-year deal with the Dodgers last summer, which was worth $ 365 million.
The Mets also reached deals with Michael Conforto ($ 12.25 million), Edwin Diaz ($ 7 million), Brandon Nimmo ($ 4.7 million), Seth Lugo ($ 2.925 million), Dominic Smith ($ 2.55 million), Miguel Castro (1.6875 million) and Robert Gsellman (US $ 1.3 million), avoiding arbitration. The only resistance was JD Davis, who is heading for an arbitration hearing.
With Mets possibly committed to staying below the $ 210 million luxury tax limit, every dollar matters, especially with holes in the bullpen and in the central field that need to be addressed. As it stands, Mets has a projected payroll of around $ 185 million for 2021.
If Mets hired the best outfielder on the market, George Springer, this could leave them with little or no space below the luxury tax limit, without reducing payroll.
Brad Hand was on the Mets ‘radar shortly after the new regime’s arrival and remains there as one of the main options to fill the leftists’ need for relief.
The Mets are in the mix for Hand, according to industry sources, but they did not close a deal on Friday, unlike reports earlier in the day that indicated otherwise.
Hand, 30, was put on full exemption by Cleveland in November, making it available to any team willing to claim it for $ 10 million. The transaction took place just before Sandy Alderson took over as chairman of the team. Alderson said later that if he had arrived a week earlier, Mets could have grabbed his hand. Instead, Cleveland bought the remaining year of Hand’s contract, making him a free agent.
Justin Wilson, who has played the main role of relief for Mets leftists for the past two seasons, is a free agent and can be considered if he does not sign Hand.
The Mets have a right-handed bullpen mix that includes Diaz, Trevor May, Jeurys Familia, Dellin Betances, Castro, Brad Brach and Gsellman. It is also possible that Lugo will return to the bullpen after switching to rotation last season.
Hand went 2-1 with 2.05 ERA and 0.773 WHIP and 16 saves last season for Cleveland. The Mets’ biggest bullpen addition at this point was May, which came to a two-year contract worth $ 15.5 million. Hand would also likely run a two-year deal.