The New York Mets are not exactly MLB’s youngest team, but they do have a strong core to contend in the next few years.
They have Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Kodai Senga, Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty, Starling Marte, Edwin Diaz, and other star contributors under team control for at least three more years.
They do have shorter commitments, such as Justin Verlander, Mark Canha, Max Scherzer, and two key players for the future of the franchise: Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso.
Both Alonso and McNeil are going to be hitting free agency after the 2024 World Series, meaning the Mets can enjoy them for two more seasons.
After that, their future with the franchise remains a mystery.
Unless they are extended, of course.
We can’t possibly know how extension talks are going, though, because general manager Billy Eppler prefers to keep those private.
“Billy Eppler does not say if the Mets have had any extension talks with Pete Alonso or Jeff McNeil: ‘I always want to keep those internal,'” SNY Mets tweeted.
Billy Eppler does not say if the Mets have had any extension talks with Pete Alonso or Jeff McNeil:
"I always want to keep those internal" pic.twitter.com/DeKGBuz0Ig
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) January 17, 2023
Judging by his answer, one can think they have talked with the two players about the possibility of an extension, but doesn’t want to say anything that might jeopardize the correct course of those talks.
Alonso just hit 40 home runs in 2022 and has a career .884 OPS.
He is one of MLB’s premier power threats.
McNeil is actually a perfect complement to Alonso skill-wise.
He doesn’t quite have 30-homer power, but he does have a .300 bat.
In fact, he led MLB in batting average this past season.
If the Mets can extend the two stars, their chances of winning a World Series in the next five years will grow considerably.
NEXT: Mets Mourn The Loss Of A Franchise Legend