Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

There was a lot to like about the extension the New York Mets handed out to Jeff McNeil. And, ultimately, it was the right outcome for all parties.

If you missed it, on Friday the Mets and McNeil agreed to terms on a four-year, $50 million extension. The deal features a club option for a fifth-year that could take the total value of the contract up to $63.5 million. The news was first reported by ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

MMO’s very own Michael Mayer had reported via a source that extension talks were ongoing between the two camps shortly before news broke that an agreement had been reached.

The timing of the extension was also notable given that it ensures the two sides now avoid arbitration. There was a discrepancy between what McNeil wanted and what the Mets offered but, now an extension has been reached, the need for an arbitration hearing has been eliminated.

McNeil will now remain a member of the New York Mets through at least the 2026 season, with an option for the 2027 season.

That’s great news for everyone involved and the front office also did a superb job with this extension for a number of reasons. Let’s delve right into the contract itself…

Breaking Down McNeil’s Extension

McNeil was a fascinating case study when discussing a contract extension because of just how valuable he is to the Mets. He’s also intriguing because he’s hardly a player built for the modern game. By that we mean he isn’t going to blast 20 plus homers a year or display raw power.

Instead, what McNeil does offer is the ability to put the ball in play at a very high rate and provide gritty at-bats that wear down the opposing pitcher. He fits perfectly into manager Buck Showalters old-school baseball philosophy. He’s also versatile in the field, boasts an elite glove and offers superb value across the board.

McNeil carved out a stellar 2022 season in which he won the batting title. He led the major leagues in batting average with .326. In doing so, the 30-year-old became only the second player in franchise history to win a batting title since Jose Reyes accomplished the feat in 2011.

He slashed .326/.382/.454/.836 with 62 RBI and a 5.7 WAR. McNeil also finished 2022 with a OPS+ of 140, while he hit .336 with a OPS+ of .806 with runners in scoring position. Since 2018, there have only been five players who have played at least 500 games and posted a batting average over .300 in that span. McNeil is one of them.

Again, he isn’t going to hit for power – as demonstrated by his nine homers in 2022 – but he will spray the ball all over the field and his high baseball IQ makes him a threat on the base paths. If McNeil can add more power to his game with the shift rule changes in 2023, then he would become almost the complete package.

Plus, the Mets really value McNeil’s versatility. He made 106 appearances at second base – where he’ll primarily feature in 2023 – and also 47 outings at the corners and in the outfield. The ability to play multiple positions, coupled with his habit of making highlight-reel plays with the glove, makes McNeil a versatile weapon.

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Now, it is hard to find a comp for McNeil’s contract given that he is very much a throwback to the baseball player of old in terms of how he plays the game. However, with two years of arbitration left, McNeil would have earned over $6 million in 2023 and around $13 million in 2024. Thanks to the extension, he’ll earn $12.5 million a year and that’s a bargain for what the Mets are getting in return.

Arguably, the best comparison to McNeil is Yankees utility player DJ LeMahieu. After winning the AL Batting Title in 2020 (yes, it was a shortened season) with a .364 average and a 1.011 OPS, LeMahieu received a six-year, $90 million deal from the Yankees before the 2021 season. That deal equates to $15 million per year.

LeMahieu hit .320/.376/.473 with a .849 OPS and a 116 OPS+ in his five seasons before he got the new deal. When looking at McNeil’s first five seasons in the majors, he has hit .307/.370/.458 with a .827 OPS and a 128 OPS+. Given that LeMahieu can also play a number of different positions in the field, coupled with his lack of power hitting, it is probably a fair and reasonably accurate comp.

It is also important to consider that LeMahieu was going into his age-32 season when he signed his deal, while prices have also gone up substantially since then. So, with that in mind, the fact that the Mets are paying McNeil $12.5 million per year represents tremendous value.

After all, McNeil is just 30-years-old and he proved in 2022 that his poor 2021 season was just an exception rather than the rule. All of that trade talk from last winter seems a long, long time ago now. But, getting back to the point, the lefty hitter is in the middle of his prime years right now and he should remain highly productive for the duration of his new contract.

Will NcNeil ever be considered a true superstar? No. But he’s an All-Star caliber player who offers excellent offense, can get on base at an elite rate and he can be used in a number of different spots. If he’s also able to harness some real power then that could be a game-changer in itself.

With the likes of Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo and Edwin Diaz under contract through the 2025 season and beyond, it was important for the Mets to start locking up some of their homegrown talent. Not only did extending McNeil make a lot of sense from a baseball perspective, the contract itself is the definition of team-friendly and the Mets are getting a very, very good player at a cost-effective price. It was a win-win deal in every sense.