Mets Monday Morning GM: $151 million is a starting point to extend Michael Conforto

Using the Francisco Lindor extension as our guide, I think I finally know how much money might get it done for Michael Conforto. If the New York Mets pull up a chair and offer him $151 million, they have entered the ballpark of what he’s looking to make.

There are plenty of other details the contract would need to include. The number of years is important. The AAV brings plenty of value as well.

Why would $151 million get Conforto’s hand shaking as it reaches for a pen to sign? That’s because it’s (holds pinky up to lip) one-million-dollars more than what George Springer got this past offseason.

Mets can have Michael Conforto if they beat George Springer’s deal

Lindor took home a million bucks more than what Fernando Tatis Jr. received in his extension with the San Diego Padres this winter. The circumstances were drastically different. Tatis is a young stud yet to prove himself over the haul of multiple seasons.

This doesn’t always matter much in contract negotiations. The zeros before the decimal point are what players look at.

While we shouldn’t compare ourselves to others in any aspect of life (yeah right, as if we don’t all spend every waking hour doing this), it’s the tactic sports agents use to get every last dripping dollar from teams. I suspect when Scott Boras negotiates on Conforto’s behalf that citing Springer’s deal will be a major topic of discussion.

Springer and Conforto are different players but close enough to make a comparison. Springer was the best outfielder available this winter. This is the case for Conforto in the 2021-2022 offseason which lies ahead.

Don’t expect any deal done even if the offer does come knocking

Even if the Mets do send Conforto a “hey, you up?” text, small talk a little bit, and then tell him about the wonderful deal they have, I don’t see him signing. Conforto never did give the front office a deadline like Lindor’s camp did. However, it’s still unlikely that anything gets done before the end of the year.

Conforto’s free agency looms and the Mets don’t seem to have done anything to ensure he stays in the orange and blue beyond this year. He spoke about his openness to sign a deal this winter and his desire to stay with the ball club. It was nice to hear even if it’s a boilerplate response. As if Conforto was going to say “get me out of here!”

A six-year contract worth $151 million is the bare minimum of what I think it will take to keep Conforto. Springer set a mark we all know Boras wants to beat.

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Fair or not, it’s the number Steve Cohen and his crew will need to slide across the table for any chance at locking up Scooter.