New York Mets should attempt to extend Michael Conforto

Jacob deGrom isn’t the only New York Mets player the team should consider signing to an extension. Outfielder Michael Conforto is also a candidate to lock-up beyond arbitration-eligibility.

The baseball world has been buzzing over the past couple of weeks, with lots of key players getting contract extensions from their respective teams. Although numerous players have put pen to the paper none of them have been for the New York Mets.

Everyone would agree that the first person the Mets need to extend is reigning Cy Young award winner Jacob deGrom. But the Mets need to also think about who else is worth extending to a potential team-friendly extension.

With mutual interest being in place for an extension, the front office should attempt to extend Michael Conforto.

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When Conforto was drafted in June of 2014 out of Oregon State University, many believed he would be on the fast-track to the big leagues. What many did not know was that he would be in the big leagues the very next year.

As Conforto soared through the system, injuries allowed him to make his debut in 2015 and Conforto showed that he was worth being a top 10 pick. In his first full year in 2016, it was clear that the Mets had a future star on their hands.

Conforto had an All-Star season in 2017 as he batted .279 and hit 27 home runs and drove in 68 RBI. Although Conforto dealt with injuries to start 2018 he did manage to hit 28 home runs and drive in 82 RBI. All in all, Conforto puts up consistent numbers.

The Mets should extend Conforto due to the fact that he is a young consistent hitter who still has room to grow. It’s hard to imagine Conforto putting up better numbers, but the one weakness for Conforto over the past two seasons were his strikeouts. He struck out 113 times in 2017 and a total of 159 in 2018. But players like Conforto do not come around often and he has proven he can handle any of the three outfield positions and is willing to play any of them.

Another reason why they should extend Conforto is the mutual interest in keeping the relationship alive. A couple of weeks ago Conforto had said he was open to an extension and that is surprising for most due to who his agent is.

Conforto is represented by the infamous Scott Boras who has been known to be very critical of the franchise in the past. Boras clients are known to hold out for the biggest deal they can get, so if Conforto is willing to listen to possible extensions, the Mets should be all for it.

The fact that Conforto is still young and has room to improve would give the organization some leverage in contract negotiations. Conforto would be set to be a free agent in 2022, so the Mets would at least need to cover those years in his contract.

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Conforto has shown signs of being one of a kind player. Hopefully, the Mets have noticed and will try to keep him in Flushing for the long haul.