The New York Mets have settled with arbitration eligible first baseman Lucas Duda for $7.25 million for the 2017 according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag Sports. The Pace Law School projected that Duda would get $7.315 million.
Lucas Duda was limited to just 47 games in 2016 due to a stress fracture in his lower back. He opted for rest instead of surgery and actually returned for a couple of games at the end of the regular season. He’s expected to be fully recovered by spring training.
While it may have been injury related, Duda was in the midst of the worst season of his before landing on the disabled list. His .302 on-base percentage and .714 OPS were both career lows.
The powerful Duda has a .243/.343/.449 career slash line in seven seasons with the Mets. In 2014-2015, he averaged 30 doubles, 28 home runs, 82 RBI and a 133 OPS+.
Duda made $6.725 million during the 2016 season. He will be a free agent following the 2017 season.
