The New York Mets added another checkmark to a highly active offseason, agreeing to terms Friday on a four-year contract extension with second baseman and reigning National League batting champion Jeff McNeil.
McNeil, 30, will stay put, and will receive $12.5 million annually for the next four seasons, through 2026. The club also holds an option for the 2027 season, at $12.5 million. McNeil was heading towards free agency, entering the final year of his contract.
Though they play different positions, McNeil could have been in the ballpark of signing a contract similar to the one Andrew Benintendi agreed to with the Chicago White Sox last month: five years, $75 million. McNeil, primarily a singles and doubles hitter, has a higher career Batting Average, On Base Percentage and OPS than Benintendi does. McNeil has a career slash line of .307/.370/.827. Benintendi's career slash line is .279/.351/.782. Since the start of the 2019 season, McNeil has played 41 more games than Benintendi has. Even if the Mets exercise the fifth year on McNeil's new contract, Benintendi will make $12.5 million more than McNeil will.
Factor in that the 2023-2024 free agent class is expected to be significantly weaker than this past winter's class, and McNeil could have been valued even higher on the open market, had he tested free agency. Instead, he assures himself that he will make a comfortable, guaranteed $50 million, a win for McNeil, and a win for the Mets.
McNeil has been a very steady presence in their lineup that probably hasn't received enough credit for his contributions to the club. As the league's batting champ, McNeil was a part of why the Mets had the second-highest team Batting Average and the third-lowest strikeout rate — a key to their success in 2022.
Re-signing McNeil to a club-friendly extension may have been the Mets' best move of the winter. Now, they should shift their focus to retaining star first baseman Pete Alonso.
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