Which Mets $100 million contracts worked and which didn’t

The David Wright extension only backfired because of injuries

The Mets signed David Wright to a big eight-year, $138 million deal in November 2012. The timing wasn’t so superb but nobody could have foreseen what lied ahead for the man we came to know as “The Captain.”

Wright was an All-Star in his first year under the new deal, batting .307/.390/.514 with 18 home runs and 58 RBI. The problem was how many games he missed—an ongoing theme for the remainder of his career.

Wright played in only 323 games after the $100 million deal was signed. About two seasons worth of games, it’s impossible to call this deal a success even if it was the right thing to do.

Those final seasons of Wright’s career included 112 games in 2013, 134 in 2014, 38 in 2015, 37 in 2016, 0 in 2017, and 2 farewell appearances in 2018. Still somewhat productive with a .279/.357/.436 slash line, it was hugely disappointing for fans hoping he would help the team win a World Series.

Fortunately, he did at least get healthy enough to play for them in the playoffs. And in one famous at-bat, Wright hit a World Series home run that seemed to signal a possible return to his better days. Sadly, that wouldn’t be the case.