The Mets have nine players eligible for salary arbitration this offseason.
Those players are David Peterson, Francisco Alvarez, Tyrone Taylor, Tylor Megill, Luis Torrens, Reed Garrett, Huascar Brazoban, Max Kranick, and Nick Madrigal.
Once a player is offered arbitration, the team and that player's agent have until a set date — usually at some point in February — to come to terms on a new contract. If that doesn't happen, both sides submit salary proposals and the player's salary is determined by independent arbitrators at a hearing.
A team can also offer arbitration to a player and then trade that player. So the Mets can tender contracts to players who might not be in their plans.
According to the MLB Trade Rumors algorithm that "looks at the player’s playing time, position, role, and performance statistics while accounting for inflation," here's what the Mets' arbitration-eligible players are projected to make in 2026…
David Peterson: $7.6 million
Tyrone Taylor: $3.6 million
Tylor Megill: $2.6 million
Francisco Alvarez: $2.4 million
Luis Torrens: $2.2 million
Reed Garrett: $1.4 million
Nick Madrigal: $1.35 million
Huascar Brazoban: $1.3 million
Max Kranick: $1 million
If the Mets tender contracts to all of the above players and they receive salaries similar to the projections, it would add roughly $23.5 million to the payroll.
However, Tylor Megill is in his second-to-last year of arbitration and is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery. So he could be a non-tender candidate. The same can be said for Nick Madrigal, whose 2025 season ended in spring training due to a shoulder injury. Madrigal is entering his final year of arbitration, and might not be a great roster fit given the Mets' plethora of infield options.
As things currently stand, the Mets — if Edwin Diaz opts out as expected — have roughly $206 million committed to the payroll for 2026. That figure will rise a decent amount once arbitration raises and money owed to zero-to-three players who are tendered contracts is added in.
Read the full article here