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3 Mets players who had great performances in their free agent season
Pete Alonso is not the first time we crossed our fingers heading into free agency.
The New York Mets will have a decision to make with their most valuable player come free agency in November. Now represented by Scott Boras, first baseman Pete Alonso is seeking to cash in on his all-star resume. After failing to negotiate a contract extension this past offseason, Steve Cohen and David Stearns may have to overpay the 29-year-old to remain a career-long Met. Regardless of the dollar figure, the team has put themselves in a conundrum with their best homegrown position player since David Wright.
There has always been an expectation among baseball fans that players perform players outperform expectations in the final year of their contracts. This has been true in some cases like Aaron Judge hitting 62 home runs in 2022. However, there have been star players who underperform and still get paid handsomely like Bryce Harper hitting for a near career-low .249 batting average in 2018. Regardless, the Mets are not immune to reaping the benefits of a player who wants a long-term contract the following offseason.
1. Jose Reyes 2011
The Mets were plucked into a financial corner heading into the 2011 season. The Wilpons were caught up in the Bernie Madoff scandal, costing ownership millions in liabilities. The team had also just experienced an overhaul with Sandy Alderson becoming general manager and Terry Collins leading the bench. Additionally, the payroll had many bloated contracts of declining talents like Jason Bay and Johan Santana.
Given this scenario, the Mets were facing a decision when it came to their two franchise cornerstones: David Wright and Jose Reyes. Each superstar signed a contract extension in 2006 with Wright's set to expire in 2012 while Reyes was a pending free agent in 2011. The Wilpons were not prepared to pay both while Alderson was still trying to field a competitive ballclub while he rebuilt the farm system.
In summary, the Mets kept both Wright and Reyes for the entire 2011 season. By all measures, Reyes could not have made the Wilpons' decision to let him sign with the Miami Marlins any more difficult. He won the National League batting title hitting .337 with 16 triples and 101 runs scored. While his 39 stolen bases paled in comparison to his days at Shea Stadium, Reyes reminded everyone he was still the best leadoff hitter in baseball. Unfortunately, the Mets made it clear they were not going to pay both franchise icons as Reyes signed a 6-year contract worth $106 million to play in South Florida.
2. Yoenis Cespedes 2016
The Mets had many free agents following their National League pennant season in 2015. Among the most important to the teams, success included mostly trade deadline acquisitions with the exception of Bartolo Colon and Daniel Murphy. At the time, we could make the argument for any of those players to be resigned as the Mets surged from July 31st on. However, it was obvious to every fan that the team's headlining addition of Yoenis Cespedes was the most important player that needed to be resigned for the 2016 season.
For the first time, fans were unanimous in their opinion of Cespedes. However, we had 2 things working against us: the Wilpon's strict budget, and Alderson's track record which was avoiding a multi-year contract worth more than $20 million annually. Alderson knew an expensive contract would prevent him from signing other players in free agency for both the 2016 season and beyond. Without much traction among the other 29 clubs in free agency, Cespedes signed a 3-year contract worth $75 million with an opt-out after year one.
The 30-year-old outfielder left little doubt that he would re-enter free agency the following offseason. In 132 games, Cespedes hit .280 with 31 home runs and 86 RBI. In the 30 games Cespedes missed during the season, the team struggled for offense, even seeing their record fall to 60-62 in mid-August. Alderson even admitted at the slugger's formal re-introductory press conference, "When Cespedes plays, the Mets win". For these reasons, the Wilpons made their first three-figure investment since David Wright by signing Cespedes to a 4-year contract worth $110 million.
3. Edwin Diaz 2022
The Mets have seen the best and worst in back-end relief pitchers throughout their history. Dating back to Jesse Orosco, the franchise has had success-altering closers that make or break their seasons. John Franco engrained himself to Mets fans in the 1990s but was not always trustworthy. Armondo Benitez was dominant in 2000 until the World Series where even he could not stop the dynasty New York Yankees. Jeurys Familia replicated this performance except against the Kansas City Royals in 2015. Even the 2007 and 2008 collapses in September were highlighted by Billy Wagner missing time.
Of all the closers in Mets history, none were more befuddling than Edwin Diaz. Acquired in December of 2018 along with second baseman Robinson Cano, Diaz was coming off an elite season with the Seattle Mariners. He pitched to a 1.96 ERA with 124 strikeouts in just 73.1 innings and a league-leading 57 saves. However, the 25-year-old closer never replicated this performance through his first 3 seasons in New York. His 5.59 ERA in 2019 cost the team a postseason berth, while he was very mediocre in 2020 and 2021. Heading into his free agent year of 2022, fans expected no different.
Diaz was determined to brush aside the 'can't handle New York' label and earn himself the contract he envisioned in 2018. The 28-year-old pitched to a 1.31 ERA in 62 innings with 118 strikeouts. He recorded 32 saves in 35 opportunities, a low number since Buck Showalter would utilize Diaz in the 7th and 8th innings at times. Luckily for fans who wanted the star closer back, Steve Cohen is now in charge of team finances. Diaz was rewarded for his efforts and epic turnaround with a 5-year contract worth a relief pitcher's record-breaking $102 million.
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