Why the Mets shouldn't regret giving Jeff McNeil a contract extension

After winning the National League batting title in 2022, the New York Mets did not hesitate as the team decided to bring back infielder and outfielder, Jeff McNeil on a four-year extension worth up to $50 million to keep him in New York for some time So, it's safe to say the deal made sense right after being the batting champ a year ago and it should. Ever since McNeil arrived in the big leagues in 2018, he has been a hitting machine having a batting average over .300 in four of the six seasons he's been in the big leagues so far with the highest average being .326 in 2022.

Unfortunately, this season has been the kind of year he had last year as after the Mets got swept by the Kansas City Royals this week, just like most of the team on offense, McNeil did very little to contribute. It is crazy to see McNeil's batting average so low at this point in the regular season after hitting well over .300 for most of the 2022 regular season. Now, with the disappointing year that McNeil has been having, do you think that maybe the Mets regret giving Jeff McNeil the $50 million deal he got back in January? Well, I'm here to tell you that the Mets should have no regrets about giving McNeil an extension.

The Mets should have no regrets about paying Jeff McNeil

Look I get that McNeil is not putting up the stats like he did a year ago with him only having at .253 on the season with just three home runs and 30 RBI, but do we really expect McNeil to bat over .300 every year? I'm sure he is capable of doing it based on the frustrations he's been showing all season, but he's still getting his base hits.

Plus, McNeil should not be too hard on himself, I think he's done well this year considering the fact that the Mets are not where they're in the standings. He still brings a lot of energy to the team and has proven to be a reliable player for the Mets. He's done a great job on defense playing a second base, and with many injuries and moves the team has made over the past week, he's been a reliable player to play in the outfield both left field and even though those are not his primary positions.

I think that's the main reason why New York should have no regrets about paying McNeil, he's just so reliable. Even with all the uncertainties surrounding the Mets for the rest of the season and beyond, McNeil always seems to look at the bright sides of everything. So, fans may not be happy with McNeil in terms of his production this year, but I still think the Mets should be very happy that's he a part of the team's future.