The MLB tender deadline is approaching. Teams have until 5 PM EST on Friday to decide whether to tender contracts to arbitration eligible players or cut them loose into free agency. Eight Mets will be
eligible, and there are one or two tricky decisions to be made.
All projected arbitration salaries are from MLBTR
No-brainer tender decisions
- David Peterson (5.089): $7.6M
- Francisco Alvarez (2.164): $2.4M
Both Peterson and Alvarez are clear-cut tender decisions. Peterson pitched above his true talent level for most of the year, then significantly below it right at the end (potentially while dealing with injuries). Realistically he’s a solid #3/#4 starter who will be under contract at a bargain relative to market rates in his final year of arbitration. He’s a very possible trade candidate – the Mets could look to capitalize on his value ahead of free agency while clearing the way for a better arm – but he’s absolutely going to be tendered a contract.
Alvarez, meanwhile, quietly had a 124 wRC+ last year in roughly half a season of at bats. He keeps dinging up his hands, and the major league hitting instruction did him no favors (evidenced by his immediate improvement when demoted to Triple-A), but he’s also pretty clearly a top-10 catcher at this point with potential additional juice. It should be very exciting to see what he can do with the help of the revamped major league coaching staff this coming season.
Complementary players
- Luis Torrens (5.105): $2.2M
- Tyrone Taylor (5.093): $3.6M
- Huascar Brazoban (2.170): $1.3M
All three of these players are likely to be tendered, but you can construct an argument as to why they shouldn’t be. Torrens actual line continues to lag his expected metrics (turns out hitting the ball the other way all the time isn’t a great idea) and his defense is pretty horrible. On the other hand, he’s an entrenched backup and is a favorite of the manager with a cheap contract. He seems more likely to be back than not.
Taylor is perhaps the most interesting player to discuss here. Most fans are probably a bit sick of him after his extended run as the centerfield starter last season, one that saw him lose time first to Jeff McNeil and eventually to Cedric Mullins. If that’s you, take a look around the league; centerfield is generally a disaster, and the list of reasonably available upgrades is slim to none. Moreover, Carson Benge is coming for this spot, perhaps as soon as opening day. That’s not someone you want to block, and Taylor is either an affordable, viable bridge or a reasonably priced fourth outfielder in an organization sorely lacking in high-minors OF depth.
Finally, Brazoban was up and down in 2025, but he’s dirt cheap and optionable. He also seems a safe bet to be tendered and play a similar role in middle relief in 2026.
Injured pitchers
- Tylor Megill (4.031): $2.6M
- Max Kranick (3.011): $1M
- Reed Garrett (2.143): $1.4M
All of these arms are likely out for the entirety of 2026. They also, on talent, are all worth hanging on to. The problem here is roster space. Players can’t be placed on the 60-day IL until Spring Training, meaning that the Mets will need to allocate three spots on their 40-man roster to injured arms for the entirety of the offseason. That’s a challenge, particularly given the amount of churn David Stearns and the Mets leverage at the back of the roster.
In the scenario that the Mets decide they need to open up some space, Kranick is the most likely arm to get squeezed out. Don’t be surprised if the Mets try to immediately scoop him back up on a minor league deal, however, assuming another team doesn’t swoop in and grab him first.
