The Mets have added some positional versatility ahead of the 2026 season.
They agreed to a one-year, $1.5 million deal with outfielder MJ Melendez, The Post’s Jon Heyman first reported.
Melendez’s deal also includes $500,000 worth of incentives, per Heyman.
The 27-year-old, once regarded as a top-100 prospect in baseball, has struggled to turn that promise into sustained major league production.
MJ Melendez has agreed to a one-year deal with the Mets. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Melendez is coming off a nightmare 2025, hitting just .083 with one home run in 23 MLB games while spending most of the season with the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate.
He was far more productive in the minors, slashing .261/.323/.490 with 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases.
From 2022–24, Melendez hit at least 16 homers and appeared in at least 128 games in each season for Kansas City, though he never posted a wRC+ higher than 97.
Drafted by the Royals in the second round of the 2017 MLB Draft (52nd overall), Melendez’s power from the left side made him an enticing prospect.
A former top 100 prospect, Melendez spent most of 2025 in Triple-A. Getty Images
He led all of minor league baseball with 41 home runs in 2021 and was ranked by MLB.com as Kansas City’s second-best prospect ahead of 2022, behind Bobby Witt Jr.
Originally drafted as a catcher, the Royals shifted Melendez – who made his MLB debut in 2022 – to play left field exclusively the following year due to a logjam of backstops, including Salvador Perez and Freddy Fermin, on the roster – and to relieve some pressure.
“Taking a little bit off his mind from a preparation standpoint, because these catchers put a lot of work into getting ready for a game,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo told MLB.com in May 2023. “Taking that off his mind right now and focusing on the bat, we think [it] will pay dividends. It’s something we thought we should do at this point.
“It’s not a move because he hasn’t done well defensively. We think there’s been a lot of improvement. But he’s a big part of our offense. If we can jumpstart him that way — plus we have Freddy, who we believe in as well, it gives him a chance to get some experience at this level.”
Melendez has experience at catcher, first base and both corner outfield spots, giving the Mets added flexibility — particularly in left field, where top prospect Carson Benge is expected to compete for playing time.
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