Mets May Have To Eat Money On These Two Veteran Contracts

New York Mets GM David Stearns recently joked about retiring the phrase “run prevention,” and if you’re looking for the reasons why, the performance and contracts of infielders Marcus Semien and Jorge Polanco would be a good place to start. 

Polanco was an unfortunate victim of circumstances. He slumped early then got hurt, and when he came back he looked like a shell of himself. Now he’s an infielder in his early 30s who was supposed to make the transition to first base, but the Achilles heel injury that wrecked his season eventually resulted in surgery, and no one knows what that means going forward. 

The Mets signed him to a two-year deal for a reported $40 million, so for all intents and purposes he’s now an expiring contract. Polanco hit well under .200 when he came back, and the Mets got good production and decent fielding from Jared Young when he rose up and took the position, although it’s not clear if Young is the long-term answer, either. 

The problem with this is that no one knows what an expiring contract is worth these days. It might have some value in a trade if there’s an actual salary cap or the current luxury tax system stays in place, as there might be teams willing to take on Polanco’s contract as a third wheel in a three-team trade. 

Semien’s contract looks even worse, but the Mets knew this when they acquired him. They took on the three-years left on Semien’s deal that pays him $25 million a year to unload the more expensive long-term deal of outfielder Brandon Nimmo, despite Nimmo’s status as a fan favorite and a cult hero of sorts.  

The Met knew Semien is on the back nine of his career when they acquired him, but they were hoping the trade would rejuvenate the second baseman and he would show some of the power he displayed during three straighg seasons with the Texas Rangers, when he hit 78 home runs over the course of three seasons. 

Instead, Semien declined, and rapidly and badly at that. He hit 15 home runs, but most came down the stretch when the Mets were mired in last place in NL East. His slash line this year dropped to .215/.280/.340, which led Stearns to say that nothing was guaranteed to the veteran second baseman with top prospects Mitch Voit and Jefferson Rojas looking to get their chances in the infield. 

As a result, the Mets may have to eat some serious money on both of these deals, and they have no one to blame but themselves for this.