What the NY Mets should do with these complicated arbitration-eligible cases

Arbitration-eligibility will bump up the salaries of several New York Mets players. How to handle them is easy for some, less so for others.

Francisco Alvarez, as frustrating as he can be, isn’t getting cut. He’ll be tendered a contract. Does he get traded? That’s a whole different conversation to have.

Other players like Christopher Morel and Cristian Pache are easy non-tender candidates. It’s not because of their projected salaries. Their performance and lack of minor league options make them depth well behind the top 40 you’d like to have available.

The arbitration decision with these three Mets players isn't the easiest

1) Mark Vientos - tender him a deal and wait for a trade

The upcoming CBA negotiations will put an early pause on the MLB offseason if an agreement isn’t reached by December 1. Nothing seems to indicate this will be a very civil war. With Mark Vientos, there’s still some promise of him being a useful right-handed DH. Most teams won’t want to give up a whole lot for that which is why trading him will be difficult.

What the Mets should do is tender him a contract and search for a deal. Projected to make $2.4 million via arbitration this coming year, it’s not a large enough total for teams to pass on. The trouble is the Mets finding a team to actually give up something worthwhile. Losing him for nothing at all feels too anticlimactic. If that’s how it happens, so be it. The good thing about tendering a player a deal is there’s always a chance to DFA them later on and not even owe them the full salary they agreed to. Even if the Mets did have to pay $2.4 million, it might be worth it.

Ultimate goal: Trade

2) Cionel Perez - tender him a contract and look for an upgrade

Cionel Perez had a 3.99 ERA this past season, a high ground ball rate, and an increase in home runs allowed. He struck out a bunch of batters, didn’t walk many, and felt very much the kind of arm the Mets would like to have in the bullpen. What’s the matter? He is out of minor league options and Nate Lavender needs to be on the roster.

A Perez-Lavender duo as the two lefties in the bullpen is undesirable. They could add a third, such as Adrian Morejon. Lavender feels like a strong 1b candidate with someone more proven as the second lefty. Perez was signed as a minor league free agent so there’s little to lose. There’s a good chance he gets a cheap major league deal from someone which is why if the Mets do want to keep him even temporarily, they need to tender him a deal.

Ultimate goal: Minor league depth

3) Tylor Megill - non-tender, look to re-sign on a split contract or minor league deal

Due to service time, Tylor Megill won’t have any minor league options available unless he agrees to it. Owed a projected $2.5 million next year after missing all of 2026, the Mets paid him to rehab. Maybe taken as a move in good faith that’ll have Megill circling back to the Mets and agreeing to a lesser contract this offseason, there’s no guarantee of it.

Megill has intrigued several Mets coaches and front office executives with none bold enough to stick him in the bullpen full-time. The success of his brother with the Milwaukee Brewers isn’t the only reason why this has been a common suggestion. Megill clearly isn’t good enough to be a major league starter from start to finish. The bullpen could be a place where he thrives. We just don’t know. Unable to shift him back and forth from the majors and minors, his only place in the 2027 blueprints is if he’s not on the 40-man roster to begi the year.

Ultimate goal: Minor league depth

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