The Mets offered two players a qualifying offer over the weekend.
The deadline for teams to make qualifying offers was Sunday afternoon, and the New York Mets extended offers to two players.
Outfielder Michael Conforto and pitcher Noah Syndergaard received QOs, which amount to a one-year deal for 2022 worth $18.4 million.
If one of the two players opts to decline the QO and sign elsewhere this offseason, the Mets will receive a pick after Competitive Balance Round B of the 2022 Draft from the signing team.
Why Conforto?
Giving Conforto a QO was expected, in spite of a modest 2021 campaign. The Mets have long believed in Conforto being one of their key outfielders and, at $18.4 million, a one-year deal wouldn’t be outrageous.
Retaining Conforto would give the Mets at least one piece of their outfield back in the mix for 2022, but there is still work to do. The Mets’ lineup needs more balance and more contact. Who will provide those pieces will up to whomever is pulling the strings if/when a new CBA is finalized.
Why Syndergaard?
Over the past two seasons, Syndergaard has only thrown two innings at the major league level. He needed Tommy John surgery during the shutdown in 2020 and there were complications getting him back on the big league mound in 2021.
The decision to offer Syndergaard a QO is undoubtedly based on his track record before the last two years. He had a 27 percent strikeout rate in his first four seasons. However, his 2019 campaign left a lot to be desired before the injury; his ERA ballooned to 4.28 in his last full season of 32 starts.
Who’s making the decisions?
The Mets continue searching for an almost completely new front office. They’re looking for a full-time president of baseball operations, a search that has seen as much swing-and-miss as their lineup provided in 2021.
They Mets are also looking for a replacement general manager after two were dismissed in the past 10 months because of off-field issues.
