Mets avoid arbitration with seven

Duda will be back for one more season

Friday, January 13th was the deadline for MLB teams to avoid arbitration with it's players. For the Mets, they agreed to deals with seven of their ten arbitration-eligible players. According to Marc Carig of Newsday, New York will adopt a "file-and-trial" approach, meaning that those who are unsigned will go straight to the arbitration hearing process without any further negotiations. The three players who have yet to agree to a deal are: Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, and Wilmer Flores. 

The first contract that was announced was backup catcher Rene Rivera, who received a modest $1.75 million salary. The 33 year old hit .222/.291/.341 in 207 plate appearances last year, and is expected to start 2017 on the bench behind Travis d'Arnaud. 

Wheeler looks to return to his 2013-2014 form

Two days ago, the team reached an agreement with Zack Wheeler, who had missed the last two seasons following Tommy John surgery. The 26 year old will earn $800k next season, and is scheduled to become a free agent after the 2019 campaign. Right now, Wheeler is expected to join the team's 2017 rotation, but there has been talk of him working out of the bullpen. 

Next, the club avoided arbitration with first baseman Lucas Duda, who is entering his age-31 season. The seven year veteran is coming off an injury-riddled year that limited him to just 47 games. He will receive $7.25 million in this contract, which is a steady increase from his $6.725 million in 2016. Duda will be looking to return to his glory days as a 25+ HR hitter, as the slugger is set to become a free agent this upcoming winter. 

New York addressed their bullpen by agreeing to deals with both Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia. Reed, now 28, will earn $7.75 million in 2017 and looks to repeat his success from the previous year. Serving as the team's setup man, Reed posted a 1.97 ERA in 80 relief appearances. Somewhat surprisingly, Jeurys Familia will earn less than Reed, as he settled on a $7.425 million deal. The 27 year old closer led the MLB last year with 51 saves. Of-course, he is in the midst of a domestic abuse investigation and could face a suspension from the league. In that case, Familia will lose a portion of his contract. 

d'Arnaud has yet to put it all together at the big league level

The organization brought back catcher Travis d'Arnaud on a one year deal worth $1.875 million. d'Arnaud, who was once viewed as an elite catching prospect, came to the Mets in 2012 through the R.A. Dickey trade and has vastly underperformed. Over the past two seasons, the 27 year old has battled continuous injuries and was sent down to Triple-A. Although he is under contract for three more seasons, it appears that the team is going to give him a short leash as the starting backstop in 2017. 

Most recently, the Mets brought back pitcher Josh Edgin for a projected price of $800,000. As a 27 year old, Edgin made a loud statement two years ago when he posted a solid 1.32 ERA in 47 relief outings. Since then, he has battled Tommy John surgery and went through a weak 2016 season that saw him put up a 5.23 ERA in 16 appearances. With the future of Jerry Blevins in doubt, Edgin will provide decent insurance for a team that desperately needs a left-handed reliever. 

As said in the introduction, the Mets have three players that remain unsigned, and are content with waiting until the arbitration process to reach a new deal. According to Adam Rubin, the last player to go through and win the arbitration hearing process was Oliver Perez in 2008, so this strategy represents a new approach to the Mets front office.