Mets Future Star Viewed As Long-Term Extension Candidate

Jose Altuve and Bobby Witt Jr. are the two of the latest players to sign extensions as the 2024 MLB season approaches. 

Many other players around the league could be the next in line, including a New York Mets top prospect. 

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, catcher Francisco Alvarez is viewed as a candidate tosign a long-term extension. 

Feinsand writes that while Alvarez isn't arbitration-eligible for two more seasons and that locking him up would give the Mets a guarantee that he's here for the future.

Other young players, like Witt, have landed pre-arbitration deals, Recently Colt Keith of the Detroit Tigers, a prospect who hasn't yet played a game in the Majors, signed a six-year deal with $28.5 million in guaranteed money. 

Alvarez would earn much more given his production thus far.

The Atlanta Braves have used this strategy, too. While there's a risk to it from the team side, the players also take a risk. If they pan into a star, signing early deals doesn't always benefit them. If they struggle, the team makes a long-term commitment that doesn't work out.

Still, guaranteed money at 22 years old for Alvarez could and should be something he's seeking. The amount he's going to make would be life-changing, even if it's less than he might've made had he turned down a potential deal and sought more in arbitration.

In the 2023 season, he blasted 25 home runs and slashed .209/.284/.437. Alvarez proved that he belonged at the big league level and will have a better opportunity to prove that this season in a Mets lineup that can use all of the production it can find.