The New York Mets may be able to keep one of their brightest stars for the foreseeable future.
Francisco Alvarez, the team's 22-year-old catcher, has been rumored to signing a long-term contract extension throughout the offseason. This has led to several conflicting reports regarding the matter; on Tuesday, MLB insider Héctor Gómez reported that Alvarez was close to signing an extension, only for SNY's Andy Martino to say that there hasn't been any progress.
But on Wednesday, Mets beat writer Tim Healey wrote that despite the lack of progress on an extension, both Alvarez and the Mets plan to discuss a long-term deal, although there is no rush.
"They have expressed to each other an intention to talk about it - at some point, a source said, whether that is during camp, next offseason, or later," Healey wrote in his article on Newsday.com.
As Martino put it, extending Alvarez would certainly make sense for the Mets. Despite having consistency issues at the plate, hitting just .209 with a .284 on-base percentage, the young catcher registered a .437 slugging percentage thanks to clubbing 25 home runs in his rookie season. He had just an 8% walk rate as opposed to a 26% strikeout rate, but if Alvarez improves his plate discipline, he can use that tantalizing power more often.
Where Alvarez really shined, however, was behind the plate; even in his age-21 season, he showed remarkable prowess in handling a pitching staff, pitch framing, and reacting to balls in his vicinity. Alvarez had an impressive seven defensive runs saved as a rookie, which combined with his still-developing power bat for a 2.7 fWAR.
As mentioned before by Healey, the Mets are in no rush to extend Alvarez at the moment, as he's making just $720,000 and won't be eligible for arbitration until 2026.
But if Alvarez continues to approach his tremendous potential, then the Mets will want to ensure he stays in Queens long-term. The fact that both sides are willing to discuss such a deal is certainly a good sign.
More must-reads: