After winning the 2022 NL batting title, Jeff McNeil signed a contract extension a few weeks before spring training. A four year-deal worth $50 million awarded to him by the New York Mets for his huge bounce back campaign seemed like a good idea at the time. A perpetual .300+ hitter in each season of his career except 2021, the Mets were buying into one of the league’s best contact hitters. A homegrown favorite with versatility, no one was complaining.
Unfortunately, that seemed to be McNeil’s swan song. Incredibly inconsistent in each of the last three years, he’s entering the final guaranteed year of his contract with a team option for 2027.