Jeff McNeil officially received his contract extension from the Mets on Tuesday, but now awaits an important accessory that would complete his offseason.
Promised a car by teammate Francisco Lindor if McNeil won the batting title last season, the Mets second baseman still hasn’t received his prize after leading the National League with a .326 batting average in 2022.
McNeil recently sent Lindor a video of cars that had caught his attention and received acknowledgment from the shortstop.
“He said they were nice cars,” McNeil said at a Citi Field press conference. “They were one brand of a very nice [car].”
McNeil’s car may have to wait until spring training, which officially opens in two weeks. Already his is a four-year contract extension worth $50 million that bought out at least McNeil’s final two seasons of arbitration eligibility. The deal also includes a fifth-year option that could increase the value to $63.75 million.
McNeil, 30, noted the risk that would have accompanied awaiting free agency to arrive in two years if he bypassed this opportunity for long-term security.
“Taking care of my family was huge,” he said. “Coming up [to the major leagues] at 26 and being a free agent at 33, you never know what is going to happen. I am an uptight person as well so I think this kind of allows me to go out there and play baseball every day. I don’t have to worry.”
McNeil said negotiations on the extension turned serious in January after the deadline passed for arbitration-eligible players to reach agreement with their respective clubs. McNeil was seeking a raise from $3 million to $7.75 million. The Mets had offered $6.25 million.
McNeil, in becoming the second Mets player to win a batting title (Jose Reyes in 2011 was the other), owned an .836 OPS last season. It was a rebound season from 2021, when McNeil posted a .679 OPS in 120 games, with hamstring injuries as a factor.
Now he joins a locked-up long-term nucleus to the lineup that includes Lindor and Brandon Nimmo. Another potential piece to that equation is Pete Alonso — who can hit free agency after the 2024 season — but general manager Billy Eppler declined to say if the two sides have engaged in talks concerning a potential extension.
The Braves have been at the forefront of locking up homegrown players before they reach free agency, and Eppler views that approach as a key component to sustainability for his own organization.
“When all the criteria and elements you are facing compel you to do that or speak to you to do that, I think [extensions before free agency] can be helpful,” Eppler said. “It can sometimes put you in a situation where you can use free agency as a supplement to your roster rather than a need. That is the longer-term blueprint for the organization. We would love to be in the spot where we can use free agency to supplement and not have to go out and sign several or more players every given winter. That is a tough spot to be in.”
McNeil arrived on the scene in 2018 as the Mets were rebuilding and emerged as a key component to a team that won 101 games last season and will likely be in position to compete for the playoffs every year with owner Steve Cohen willing to spend at the game’s highest level to keep his roster strong.
McNeil and Alonso became friends rising through the Mets minor league system together. And when McNeil finally secured his deal last week, one of his first phone calls was to Alonso.
Tatiana McNeil and son Lucas, age 6 months, the wife and son of New York Mets Jeff McNeil, attend a press conference announcing his re-signing
“Pete was so happy,” McNeil said. “He didn’t know we were in extension talks, so I wanted to surprise him and that was a pretty cool phone call to make.”
McNeil was asked about his hopes Alonso, 28, might join him in securing an extension. Alonso last season blasted 40 homers and led the major leagues with 131 RBIs. Alonso established a major league rookie record with 53 homers in 2019.
“He is a tremendous teammate and fantastic player,” McNeil said. “I am not sure exactly where he stands on that kind of contract, so I am not sure if he wants to test free agency or where that is. I am just going to leave that up to him and his representatives.”
