New York Mets most underrated transactions of the winter

Avoiding arbitration with everyone

This final entry is a little different. Because the Mets didn’t do much adding that I felt was underrated, I’m going to look at a different aspect of the team.

For the second straight year, Van Wagenen avoided arbitration with all eligible players. Let’s not underrated this relationship-building endeavor. It may seem minor on the surface. However, because it saves the organization from having to debase their player right to his face in the meeting, it’s preferable that arbitration is avoided altogether.

There are two key players the Mets avoided arbitration with: Noah Syndergaard and Michael Conforto. Each is arbitration-eligible for one more year after this latest offseason. With both salaries coming in under $10 million, the team is getting them at a bargain rate.

You’ll likely see me write a lot about the future of these two in Flushing. I believe the franchise will have to make a choice between them. In a worst-case scenario, each is dealt in a trade deadline transaction in the summer of 2021 when the Mets are out of the playoff hunt.

We’ll worry about that dark future when it approaches. In the meantime, I tip my hat to the organization for coming to terms with each of their players. It’s never a given.

This helps the front office build up a reputation as a player-friendly one. We can all see the value in this. When a free agent has to decide about where he lands, one of the big factors is who they will work under.

Ultimately, the amount of money wins out. Fortunately, this can trickle down to younger players currently on the roster if they ever were offered an extension.

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Which moves do you think were the most underrated by the Mets this winter?