Now that the Madoff lawsuit is behind the Mets and their secret loan to MLB is paid off, it’s time to extend David Wright’s contract and make sure that he’s a Met for his entire career. The Mets paid off their bridge loan last week after the Madoff lawsuit settlement and closed on the sale of 12 shares of the team. So the financial “uncertainty”, as we’ve heard it referred to by the Mets, has been removed. They’ve started to settle their debts but they haven’t paid us back yet. The fans. They owe it to us to keep Wright with the Mets for a long, long time.
The Mets let Jose Reyes walk away for nothing because of that financial “uncertainty”. And they can’t let that happen again to Wright.
Wright deserves a similar extension to the one that Ryan Zimmerman signed with the Nationals last month. The former youth teammates should play with their respective teams for years to come. Zimmerman’s extension added 6 years/$100 million to the two years he already had left on his contract. The Nationals did the right thing with Zimmerman. Coincidentally, Wright has one year and a team option left now.
Reyes signed with the Marlins for 6 years/$106 million. Wright should get the same deal or one very similar to these deals that Reyes and Zimmerman got.
Some Mets fans think that Wright’s performance has been on a downward spiral since his epic 2008 season (.302, 33 HR, 124 RBI and a Gold Glove). Maybe it has a bit but he’s only 29 years old. The Mets have had nothing around him since 2009 and he’s had some injuries including concussion and back problems. Put a real Major League roster around Wright like he had in the mid-2000’s and see what he can do. He’s got plenty of good years left in him.
Wright keeps himself in great shape, doesn’t get into trouble, and always says and does the right things in front of the media, and he always gives a maximum effort on the field. Frankly, he should be the captain of this team. I think the only reason that he isn’t is because of his current contract. He may not be with the Mets for much longer. This is the last guaranteed year of his contract plus a team option for 2013.
Wright deserves to be the next captain of the Mets. They haven’t had one since John Franco left in 2004. It’s the right time and Wright is the right player.
Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think the Mets owe this to Wright. He’s made almost $40 million from the Mets before he turned 30 years old. So the Mets don’t owe him anything.
The Mets owe this to us, the fans! Especially after what they’ve put us through for the past three years with their financial shenanigans. We want Wright to be a Met for life and the captain of this team and nobody deserves it more than Wright does.
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