SAN DIEGO -- It did not seem coincidental that when the Mets and Francisco Lindor agreed on a 10-year contract extension this spring, the total came in at $341 million -- $1 million more than Fernando Tatis Jr.’s deal with the Padres. That made Lindor the highest-paid shortstop in Major League history.
To be certain, Lindor and Tatis are different ages, different talents, and different types of players. But their contracts now link them -- never more so than this week in San Diego, where Lindor and Tatis have led their respective teams into a litmus-test showdown between potential playoff teams.
Tatis generated the first splash of the weekend, hitting a two-run homer and creating a third run with his legs Thursday night in San Diego’s win. Lindor expects to make his own impact before the season series is complete.
“He can do things that I can’t do, and vice versa,” Lindor said. “There’s things I can do that he can’t because we're so different body types, and we’re completely different players. We just play the same position. Respect to him. He’s a fun player to watch.
“I’m just excited just to watch this team. This is an exciting team. I like watching them play. There’s good players on that side -- and not just good players, but good people. Playing against them is always fun.”
When Lindor agreed to terms on his 10-year, $341 million deal on the eve of Opening Day, Tatis reached out to congratulate him -- just as Lindor did when Tatis inked a 14-year, $340 million contract with the Padres earlier. Still, as much as people like to compare the two, Lindor believes that’s where the parallels end.
“The numbers are very similar,” he said, “but they’re two different contracts.”
And they’re two very different players. Tatis has demonstrated more power in his career, with a lifetime .606 slugging percentage and an isolated power metric (.306) that rates more than 50% higher than Lindor’s. Tatis also is a more aggressive baserunner, as demonstrated by his wild dash around the bases Thursday.
Conversely, the switch-hitting Lindor rates as the superior defender and has a lengthier track record of offensive success. He has proven durable and consistent in ways that Tatis has not.
“Tatis is more on the wild side than me,” Lindor said. “I’m a little bit more calm when it comes to running the bases. He’s a very exciting player to watch, and he’s more daring. So it’s fun to watch him. It’s fun to see him doing his things.”
Sticks and stones
Mets outfielder Kevin Pillar, who recently switched from a clear protective mask to a black model that does not cover as much of his face, said he has adjusted so quickly that “it’s as normal right now as putting a hat on.”
Pillar is wearing the mask to protect the broken nose he suffered after taking a 94 mph pitch off his face. He said he wouldn’t “even notice it anymore except for the people who make fun of me in the outfield.”
Asked what fans in Arizona and San Diego have called to him, Pillar shrugged off the comments.
“People are rude,” he said. “People are mean. People come to the games and feel entitled to say what they want to say. I would say it’s all in good fun, but it’s kind of sad at some point. But it is what it is. You buy a ticket, you say what you want to say. No one’s really crossed the line quite yet, but it is what it is.”
Live arm claimed
One of the Mets’ more intriguing offseason signings was right-hander Sam McWilliams, whom the club signed to a $750,000 guaranteed Major League contract even though he never had appeared in the Majors. The deal was almost unheard of for an American player with no MLB experience.
The Mets valued McWilliams because of the velocity and spin-rate increases he demonstrated at the Rays’ alternate training site last summer. But McWilliams struggled to find success with his new organization, proving wild during Spring Training and walking another eight batters over 8 1/3 innings with Triple-A Syracuse in May. McWilliams was designated for assignment this week as the Mets faced a roster crunch.
Now, his time in the organization is complete. The Padres claimed McWilliams off waivers on Saturday and sent him to Triple-A El Paso.