A few hours ago, I posted about the Mets initially lowballing a long-term contract offer to David Wright. Since then, things have gone in a different direction. The Mets have drastically increased their offer, going from six years and $100 million to eight years and $135-140 million.
Wright would make the $16 million he's due in 2013, the average value on the new contract is around $17 million, and the total value could surpass Johan Santana's six year, $137.5 million contract for the largest in Mets history. Aside from Alex Rodriguez's behemoth contract with the Yankees, the highest paid third baseman in baseball is Miguel Cabrera (who signed his contract as a first baseman before shifting to third prior to the 2012 season) at a little over $19 million per season. Wright would slot in right behind Cabrera, and above Evan Longoria, Ryan Zimmerman, and Chipper Jones, in the pecking order for salary for a third baseman.
Getting a deal done with Wright has ramifications past the field, though. While fans will flock to Citi Field if the Mets win games, retaining the face of the franchise will provide a lot of goodwill to a fanbase that has suffered during the Bernie Madoff Ponzi scandal, throwing the team into a state of perpetual chaos and mediocrity. Winning is the endgame in Flushing, and keeping Wright with the Mets for the rest of his career is a big step in that direction.
