With the 2019 regular season complete, the Mets front office has turned its attention to building the best team possible for 2020. One item on the checklist is handling arbitration cases among eligible team-controlled players.
Any player with more than three, but fewer than six years of major league service time is eligible for salary arbitration, but both the player and his team can avoid the arduous process of exchanging figures and going to a hearing by settling at an agreeable salary before the deadline (Friday, January 10 this year).
Last January, the Mets and Jacob deGrom avoided arbitration by agreeing to a $17 million salary, a major-league record $9.6 million increase from his 2018 salary. That was of course replaced by deGrom’s massive extension signed just before the start of the regular season.
While Michael Conforto, Steven Matz, Joe Panik, Marcus Stroman, and Noah Syndergaard are repeat-eligibles this winter, four more Mets will join the group, since they passed the service time threshold in 2019. Let’s evaluate their situations.
Edwin Diaz
Service time: 3.121
2019 salary: $607,425
MLBTR Projection: $7.0M
No Met disappointed relative to expectations more than Diaz in 2019. The electric closer that Mariners fans watched a year ago could never get into a consistent groove in New York, blowing seven saves and allowing a major-league record 15 ninth-inning home runs.
Diaz’s case is probably the most likely to not be settled prior to the deadline. While the Mets will push the fact that he struggled mightily in 2019, Diaz’s representation has a just-as-valid argument with his stellar numbers from 2018. Given that there was a bit of friction surrounding his pre-arbitration salary last Spring, Diaz’s situation will be one to monitor.
Robert Gsellman
Service time: 3.042
2019 salary: $582,500
MLBTR Projection: $1.2M
An oft-used member of the starting rotation in 2017, Gsellman has been the most-used reliever in the Mets bullpen over the last two seasons. While he’s shown strong flashes in that time, his inability to produce sustained success has hampered his shot at a high-leverage role going forward.
Seth Lugo
Service time: 2.082
2019 salary: $591,875
MLBTR Projection: $1.9M
As one of the most consistent relievers in baseball in 2019, Lugo is in line for a significant salary increase over his near-minimum wages last season. Lugo’s numbers rivaled those of elite bullpen arms like Josh Hader, Liam Hendriks, Kirby Yates, and will give the former 34th-round draft pick a strong case in a potential arbitration hearing.
Brandon Nimmo
Service time: 3.042
2019 salary: $598,285
MLBTR Projection: $1.7M
Nimmo, a former first-round draft pick, broke out with a 2018 season that saw him finish with a 148 wRC+, second in the National League only to MVP Christian Yelich. 2019 was a different story, as injuries kept Nimmo out of action from mid-May through August. He returned in September to post a 159 wRC+ in 93 plate appearances
When healthy, Nimmo is undoubtedly one of the best complete hitters in the Mets’ lineup. His tendency to succumb to injuries in his young career will likely limit his first-year arbitration earnings, but flashes of excellence set him up for plenty of cash in the future.
For arbitration projections for all Mets’ players, check out MLB Trade Rumors!
