2 Mets who should be signed to an extension, 1 candidate they shouldn't sign yet

The New York Mets might be a team in the not-too-distant future that hands out extensions to young players as if they were the Atlanta Braves. The Braves do it frequently with their young core and with several notable Mets prospects expected to arrive in the coming seasons, they could end up doing the same.

For now, players like Brett Baty who have already made their major league debut will have to earn the rookie minimum while those still on the farm are even further away from getting any long-term commitment.

However, there are some major league players who are already worthy of an extension. Two candidates stick out the most as ones the team should obviously extend while another guy isn’t quite there.

1) NY Mets should sign Pete Alonso to a contract extension already

Pete Alonso is only going to get more expensive. Even if his abilities are far more limited than some of the other players getting their arbitration years bought out, he is without a doubt one of the best power hitters in the game. Still only 27 and with two years of control left, he is a perfect extension candidate already.

Alonso has been the heartbeat of the Mets lineup ever since he debuted in 2019. His fast rise, continued success, and leadership all help to make him one of those guys worthy of an early extension. Even when he struggled in 2020, he hit for power. The way he literally helped carry the team through 2021 and kept them relevant should remain a major point in the case to extend him.

He is, yet again, contributing regularly and without him the lineup feels barren. Alonso might not be in the MVP race this season but there is little doubt in the minds of Mets fans how crucial it is to have him.

2) NY Mets would do themselves a favor by extending Edwin Diaz right now

An extension at this point for Edwin Diaz feels impossible but not implausible. There seems to be no ongoing discussion to sign him or anyone else for a longer period of time. It’s not how the Mets have operated in the past nor have we seen any signs under Steve Cohen that in-season extensions are a regular option.

Before we start to compare this to what the Braves are doing with their players, let’s take a step back and realize the situation Diaz is in. He’ll be a free agent in less than three months. The Mets aren’t buying any arbitration years. The clock is near two minutes to midnight with his future.

Because he has made it this far, odds are we do see Diaz actually hit the open market. Funnier things have happened, though. And if his agent was willing to discuss a deal, the Mets would at least be open to listening.

While Diaz might not fall into the same category as Alonso when it comes to extension, getting something done before the end of the year would still qualify as one. The Mets don’t actually have a whole lot of younger players under contract worthy of an extension. This is a roster made up of older veterans already signed to free agent contracts or players none of us would even consider to be extension candidates.

It would come as a complete shock to see the Mets and Diaz agree on something long-term at this stage of the season. There is a pennant race to focus on. His salary is one piece of mojo they are unlikely to mess with and with good reason.