Thor, 8 other arb-eligibles agree with Mets

January 10th, 2020

The Mets reached settlements with all nine of their arbitration-eligible players prior to Friday's noon ET deadline for both sides to submit projected salary figures for the 2020 season. , , , , , , , and all reached one-year deals with New York.

Syndergaard agreed at $9.7 million in his second year of arbitration eligibility after posting a career-high 4.28 ERA in 32 starts last season. The 27-year-old right-hander remains one of the game's top starting pitchers, however, owning a 3.31 career ERA over five seasons, two of which were cut short due to injury -- he made 32 total starts between 2017-18. Despite the high ERA, Syndergaard's FIP last year was significantly lower, at 3.60. The $9.7 million represents a $3.7 million raise from '19.

Stroman got the largest salary increase in the group, agreeing to a $12 million deal in his third arbitration year after earning $7.4 million in 2019. The 28-year-old right-hander bounced back with a strong campaign after an injury-shortened season in '18. In 32 starts split between the Blue Jays and Mets last year, he posted a 3.22 ERA and was named an All-Star for the first time in his career.

Conforto, in his second year of arbitration eligibility, agreed to an $8 million deal for the upcoming season, which represents nearly twice his $4.025 million salary in 2019. The 26-year-old outfielder enjoyed another strong year at the plate, slashing .257/.363/.494 with a career-high 33 home runs.

Díaz, 25, is in his first year of arbitration eligibility, and agreed to a $5.1 million deal for 2020. The right-handed reliever endured a subpar '19 campaign, in which his ERA was a career-high 5.59 a year after he was one of the most dominant closers in the game for the Mariners, saving an MLB-best 57 games with a 1.96 ERA.

Matz settled at $5 million for 2020 in his second year of arbitration eligibility. The 28-year-old lefty nearly doubles his $2.625 million salary from last season, when he appeared in 32 games (30 starts) and posted a 4.21 ERA.

Marisnick, whom the Mets acquired earlier this offseason from the Astros, settled at $3.3125 million in his third year of arbitration eligibility, up from a $2.212 million salary in 2019. The 28-year-old center fielder was brought in as a right-handed-hitting complement for Nimmo. He hit .233/.289/.411 in 120 games for Houston last year.

Nimmo, 26, is in his first year of arbitration eligibility, settling at $2.175 million for 2020. After a big season in 2018, he was limited by injury to 69 games last year, hitting .221/.375/.407 with eight homers.

Lugo is another player in his first arbitration-eligible year, and the 30-year-old right-hander's 2020 salary will be $2 million. He turned in another strong season out of the bullpen in '19, posting a 2.70 ERA and 33 percent strikeout rate over 61 appearances.

Gsellman, another first-year arbitration-eligible reliever, agreed to a $1.225 million salary for the upcoming season. The 26-year-old right-hander finished with a 4.66 ERA in 52 appearances last year.