When Michael Conforto and the Mets finally take the field, four days will have passed since the postponement of their 2021 Opening Day.
That’s a lot of time to sit around and think. The Mets, after a four-day layoff, are ready to play some baseball. They’ll open their season Monday in Philadelphia. For Conforto, he enters his final year before free agency.
But just like the Mets haven’t been sitting around all weekend in Washington D.C. waiting to get on a bus to Philly, Conforto isn’t sitting around thinking about his next contract.
That’s not to imply it’s not on his mind, after all, he’s human. However, the clock is ticking on if the Mets and Conforto can come to an agreement on a contract extension.
If the idea was for Conforto to get paid right after the Mets wrapped up an extension for Francisco Lindor, the suspense is in the air.
With extension talks, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com writes that they have yet to grow serious, per sources. Conforto has also indicated to the Mets he’s willing to talk throughout the season about a new deal. Lindor, remember, set a firm deadline for Opening Day to negotiate his extension. The Mets were able to hammer out his team- record-setting 10-year, $340-plus million extension the night before.
The Mets have paid Lindor and paid him well. Now it’s Conforto’s turn, right?
Time will tell because Conforto’s not talking about it. He reiterated on Sunday that he will not speak publicly about his extension talks.
“At this point, I’m not interested in really talking about it,” Conforto said, referring to his conversations with the media. “Right now, I’m focusing on baseball. I’m focusing on getting ready for the Phillies.”
And to that, I say good for him.
Let your play do the talking for you
Throughout Spring Training, we saw how often the Lindor-contract talks became the topic of conversation. Lindor, to his credit, remained consistent in his message and provided fans with a strong first impression of his play on the field. He mostly let his bat and glove do the talking until it was time to officially have something to announce.
Conforto will likely take a similar approach. Let your bat and glove do the talking for you while keeping the focus where it should be, on the field.
The final week leading up to Lindor’s deal was sprinkled with conflicting reports over just how close both sides were to making a deal. This could be a similar situation with Conforto. Or not, we just don’t know.
What we do know, however, is the Mets have legitimate questions surrounding the limitations on their spending.
Yes, Steve Cohen, along with his bank book, have put the team back into the high-rollers end of the money conversation. But every team’s front office must set a line in the sand when it comes to how much is too much. No team is immune to this, not even the Yankees.
DiComo also points out the Mets are paying Jacob deGrom, the best pitcher in baseball, $35.5 million over the next two seasons. deGrom has an opt-out in his deal for after the 2022. And, because deGrom is the best pitcher in baseball, this is likely a deal which will need to be addressed before he get closer to that opt-out.
Then there’s Robinson Cano, remember him? He’s also on the payroll for two more years at $20.25 million per season.
And then there’s Lindor, of course, who will make $34.1 million annually beginning next season.
Plenty for to think about with the stakes as high as they are
If you’re Conforto, it’s fair for him to wonder where he fits in all of this for the Mets.
He’s 28 years old and making $12.25 million this season, per spotrac. He’s entering the prime of his career and has worked himself into a position to secure a long-term deal. And he’s done it by keeping his head down, earning the respect of his peers, and putting in the work.
“I could see the team looking a lot different over the next couple of years, and I have thought about that,” Conforto said. “But aside from that, I can’t really speak to whether or not they can pay all those guys, or what our capacity is to keep everybody.”
Conforto’s going to get his money, he’s a damn good baseball player. I believe the Mets want to do right by him with a fair deal. And if he doesn’t get that from them, they’ll be a handful of teams waiting for him after this season, ready to talk.
Image: Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
