New York Mets 2017 Projected Arbitration Salaries
The New York Mets have 12 players that are arbitration eligible this offseason.
The New York Mets have an important offseason ahead of them. They showed a lot of heart this season, overcoming a ton of injuries to host the National League Wild Card Game. They would lose to the buzzsaw known as Madison Bumgarner and the San Francisco Giants, but it was impressive to get there nonetheless.
To ensure that the Mets get back into the postseason, there are a couple areas of the team that need to be improved. They could use some upgrades on their bench and in middle relief. Too often manager Terry Collins was forced to rely on the same arms coming out of the bullpen because the middle relief struggled.
There is also the issue revolving around what to do with Yoenis Cespedes. Cespedes is likely to opt out of his contract and hit the free agent market once again. Cespedes surprised the baseball world by returning to the Mets last offseason; could it happen again this offseason? The Mets better be ready to pony up if they want to keep him, as Cespedes showed once again that he is capable of carrying an offense.
In addition to Cespedes, the Mets need to figure out what to do with Jay Bruce. Bruce struggled mightily upon arriving in Queens from the Cincinnati Reds, but he closed the season out on a high note. The Mets will undoubtedly pick up his option this winter, but there is a chance that he could traded away to open up space in the outfield.
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Before the Mets can deal with the open market, they need to handle business in arbitration. Once a player reaches three years of MLB time, he is eligible for pay raises in arbitration. The player asks for one amount of money, while the Mets will counter with their own. If a deal is not reached, the two sides go to an arbitration hearing to decide which amount of money the player will be playing for in 2017.
The Mets will have one of the busiest arbitration seasons, as they have 12 players that are arbitration eligible with different ranges of service time. The more service time you have, the more money that you normally earn.
Here is the list of the 12 players that will be arbitration-eligible for the Mets this winter, and how much they are projected to make according to MLB Trade Rumors. Check out how they determine the player’s values here.
"Lucas Duda (5.137) – $6.7MMRene Rivera (5.070) – $2.2MMJustin Ruggiano (5.024) – $1.5MMAddison Reed (5.001) – $10.6MMMatt Harvey (4.072) – $5.2MMJeurys Familia (4.030) – $8.7MMJim Henderson (3.116) – $1.4MMZack Wheeler (3.098) – $1.0MMJosh Edgin (3.097) – $800KTravis d’Arnaud (3.044) – $1.7MMWilmer Flores (3.003) – $1.9MMJacob deGrom (2.139) – $4.5MM"
It should be no surprise that Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia are the two highest projected players on the Mets. They had outstanding seasons in 2016 and deserve the raises they are in line for. Reed was one of the best set-up men in MLB, while Familia led the major leagues with 51 saves.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Mets agree to deals with Lucas Duda, Matt Harvey, Zack Wheeler, and Josh Edgin. All four missed large chunks, if not all of 2016, so they don’t stand to win much in an arbitration case.
Non-tender is also an option for the Mets. With 12 players arbitration eligible, things could get pricey. To save some money for the free-agent market, the Mets could decide to part ways with some players by the non-tenders deadline.
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Whatever the Mets do decide to do, it will be a busy time. The arbitration process is only the first step in a fast paced, hectic MLB offseason.