Michael Conforto is a strong candidate for a contract extension. The New York Mets want to lock him up for the future, and the interest may be mutual. However, as the outfielder said to SNY, any deal would have to make sense for him.
Conforto is slated to hit free agency after the 2021 season, which means he has two years of arbitration left. In a conversation with John Harper of SNY, he said that “at this point I’m just looking at being excited about this season.”
“It would be nice to have the future set but it’s gotta make sense for me to do that. Maybe the conversation gets a little different next year but right now I’m just locked in on 2020.
“Those are big decisions and it can become a distraction. If I go out there and play the way I’m capable of, everything will take care of itself. Scott (Boras, his agent) has my best interests in mind but at the end of the day it’s my decision.”
It is a common occurrence that Boras’ clients want to test free agency. That has been a pattern historically, but it doesn’t mean that Conforto, in this case, necessarily has to follow that path.
And, there are a few examples of Boras clients that have agreed to sign contract extensions. Among them are Jose Altuve, Stephen Strasburg, Carlos Gonzalez, and Chris Davis.
The Mets could have the resources to swing a deal
The Mets don’t have a small payroll, but to be fair, there is a lot of money coming off the books after the 2020 season. They may have the resources to explore a deal that would cover Conforto’s last arbitration season and multiple years of his free agency.
Conforto, at 27 years old, is in the prime of his career, all of which has come with the New York Mets up to this point. Last season, he slashed .257/.363/.494 with 33 homers and 29 doubles in 151 games.
For his career, he has hit .253/.353/.481 with 109 homers. He is slated to make $8 million in 2020 and there is another arbitration raise coming for him in 2021. Unless, of course, the Mets can strike a long-term deal with him.