This has already been a frustrating season for New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez. It could soon get worse with the team likely to make a move that will cost him millions in the future.
Heading into 2025, the hope was that former No. 1 prospect Francisco Alvarez could take another step forward and be a key part of the batting order. Unfortunately, the changes he made to his swing in the offseason actually hurt his offense so much that it led to his demotion back to the minors last month.
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Well, being back in the minors has opened up an unfortunate situation for the youngster that will save the Mets a bunch of money.
"Unless Alvarez is recalled to the major leagues by Saturday, he will have spent enough time in the minors this season to delay his free agency by a full year," The Athletic Mets reporters Tim Britton and Will Sammon revealed this week. "The New York Mets will gain an additional year of team control over the catcher. Who wouldn't become a free agent until after the 2029 season.
"Alvarez would be a free agent entering his age-28 season, still relatively young to be on the open market."
Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
With the 23-year-old not tearing the cover off the ball in Triple-A Syracuse right now, there is no reason for the Mets to rush him back to the roster. Especially with the Mets' offense having awakened from their slump by winning six of their last seven. And scoring six or more runs in four of those wins.
Surprisingly, Alvarez did not know about that element of his contract when asked by The Athletic reporters. However, he took the high road when questioned about not being able to hit free agency until his age-28 season.
"I can't worry about that right now. It's a lot for me to worry about right now," Alvarez said. "I didn't know that, but I feel like I need to just focus on getting better and that's it."
It's unclear what Alavarez's career trajectory will be in the upcoming years. However, if he could be the player he was in 2023 when he hit .209 with 23 homers, he is still likely to make at least a few million a year in his next deal. Now, he will likely lose a few million by not getting to free agency sooner.
However, in the end, it all falls on Alvarez. If he weren't struggling so much this season, he probably wouldn't have been sent down to the minors, and this situation isn't a possibility.
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