Mets 2017 Season In Review: Amed Rosario

Role and contract status for 2018

Rosario will be with the Mets for a while. He is not arbitration eligible until 2021 and not eligible for free agency until 2024. Rosario also didn’t qualify as being a Super-2 player, meaning an extra year of arbitration eligibility. Next season, Rosario will be competing under a pre-arbitration contract.

As far as his role, Rosario is the everyday shortstop and there isn’t any debate. He should by all means have a firm hold on the job in spring training and once the season begins. The bigger question is where Rosario will hit in the lineup.

It’s more difficult to answer at this point considering what the Mets will or won’t do in free agency. Depending on who they bring in, it could have a bearing on Rosario’s batting order. With things the way they currently are, I don’t expect a set spot in the order at this point.

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For example, on days when Juan Lagares and Brandon Nimmo are both in the lineup, that could shuffle Rosario to six. On days when Michael Conforto, who has shown more potential in the middle of the order plays then Rosario could move up to two. That could change even further depending on David Wright’s health and availability. As I mentioned earlier, if Rosario can improve on his plate discipline, then he’ll cement himself as one of the top two hitters in the order.