On Tuesday, there was an erroneous report saying the New York Mets and young catcher Francisco Álvarez were close to an extension that got shot down by essentially all the major outlets covering the team. Multiple reports say that the Mets and Álvarez are not currently having discussions about a deal.
“My agent hasn’t told me anything, so I am assuming that they haven’t had any types of conversions. They haven’t approached me with any types of conversations. So as of right now, there is nothing,” Álvarez told Will Sammon of The Athletic.
While they haven’t had discussions yet, Tim Healey of Newsday reports that both sides would be open to having them. Healey notes that both sides have expressed to each other an intention to talk at some point, though the timing of those discussions hasn’t been decided yet.
Álvarez, just 22 years old, won’t be a free agent until after the 2028 season. The catcher hit 25 home runs in 382 at-bats during his rookie season. He slashed .209/.284/.437 in 423 plate appearances across 123 games.
Álvarez had a Fielding Run Value of +7 last year, tied for seventh among big league catchers. His +9 catcher framing runs ranked fourth in baseball.
