Starling Marte, Mets Reportedly Agree to 4-Year, $78 Million Contract in Free Agency

AP Photo/Eric Christian Smith

The New York Mets and outfielder Starling
Marte have reportedly reached an agreement on a four-year, $78 million contract, pending a physical.

MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported the deal late Friday night.

Marte is coming off a 2020 campaign
where he led the league in stolen bases with 47 while splitting the year between
the Miami Marlins and Oakland Athletics. It matched his career high
in the category set in 2016 with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The 33-year-old did
more than just shine on the basepaths, though. He also posted a .308
batting average and .837 OPS, both the second-highest marks of his
career, to go along with 12 home runs across 120 appearances.

“I’m trying to help the team as best
I can, in any way I can and I’m going to try and duplicate my numbers
as best I can every year and try to get better every single year,” Marte told reporters in August.

His resume includes an All-Star
appearance in 2016 and back-to-back Gold Glove Awards in 2015 and
2016, all with the Pirates.

Even though he’s become known for his speed,
racking up 296 career steals, he also owns a rock-solid .796 career
OPS along with 126 homers in 10 MLB seasons. His 30.7 WAR since 2012
ranks eighth among all outfielders over that span, per FanGraphs.

So while Marte didn’t generate a ton
of attention heading into an offseason with a star-studded free-agent
class, he could prove to be among the best bangs for the buck moving
forward.

The stolen base isn’t as prominent within MLB as it was in the
past, but in this case, it merely adds to what the Mets are getting
from Marte’s all-around game since he gets on base at a high rate
(.345 career OBP) and doesn’t get caught stealing frequently (just
five times in 2021).

Marte should slot in as New York’s starting center fielder and
leadoff hitter to open the 2022 season to help lengthen a lineup that
ranked 27th in runs scored last season.