The Mets managed to avoid going to arbitration with any of their six players eligible this offseason as they reached agreements with Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, Steven Matz, Michael Conforto, and Travis d’Arnaud.
Next offseason, the team will likely see Syndergaard, Conforto, and Matz be eligible again while they will hope deGrom is locked up with a contract extension. Meanwhile, Wheeler and d’Arnaud are set to be free agents in the offseason,
The team will have to be prepared to give raises to a few newcomers, though, with Edwin Diaz, Seth Lugo, Robert Gsellman, Brandon Nimmo, Keon Broxton, T.J. Rivera, and Paul Sewald all entering the mix as pointed out by our own Jacob Resnick.
Diaz will almost certainly see a significant raise likely into the $4-5 million range his first time around given the fact that he already has led the league in saves in 2018, assuming he pitches well next season.
Nimmo, meanwhile, probably will also get a similar number given his production last season and the fact that he is an everyday position player, which has more value in arbitration.
Meanwhile, Lugo and Gsellman will likely get $2-$3 million each, given the fact that they are relievers that do not get saves, which often gets used against relievers in the set-up role or lower during arbitration.
Broxton, Rivera, and Sewald will likely all be cheap given their likely bench roles at the MLB level and possibility of being sent down. In fact, any of these three theoretically could find themselves non-tendered.
The Mets spend approximately $40 million in arbitration players this offseason, and that number is only going to increase from here given the almost certain raised to deGrom, Syndergaard, Conforto, and Matz as well as the plethora of newcomers that are set to join them after this season as first-time eligibles.
Fortunately for the team, only deGrom and Syndergaard are super-two eligible.
