Michael Cuddyer Gets a Two Year Contract With Mets Worth $21 Million

Michael Cuddyer Gets a Two Year Contract With Mets Worth $21 Million

Apparently, Michael Cuddyer will be smiling all the way to the bank. The legendary player must have struck a gold mine when the Mets agreed to take him in for a two year contract worth $21 million.

According to Newsday, Cuddyer will get the first installment of $8.5 million in the first season while the remainder of $12 million will be granted to him next year. The star had earlier entered into a one year agreement with Rockies for $15.3 million.

Though Mets have been reluctant in taking new signings, they just had to close in on Cuddyer because if they missed the chance, there were other teams who would have gladly taken him in. The assistant General Manager, John Ricco, said Cuddyer was the best bargain they could get from the draft picks.

“Sandy(General Manager) has talked about we’re looking to turn the corner here and start to compete in 2015,” Ricco said. “I think this is a message that we’re going to be aggressive. And right out of the box, we had a guy we liked and we went out and got him.”

Cuddyer will definitely enjoy playing for Mets because he will be able to catch up with his old friend, David Wright. Wright is actually the team’s captain.

Cuddyer showcased desirable performance at Rockies by hitting 332. He managed to get 10 home runs and 31 RBIs. However, he could not play more than 49 games in the last season due to the injuries that he suffered.

The thirty five year old star has so far has suffered a shoulder strain and harm string injuries. The Mets settled for him because he is an all round player.

“Michael is a tremendous addition to the middle of our lineup,” Alderson said. “He is a proven offensive threat who also brings versatility in the field with the ability to play multiple positions.”

Cuddyer is a perfect fit for outside field positions and is a good compliment for left handed players  because his rights are very strong. Besides that, his price tag was a bit budget friendly when compared to other picks.

“There’s not a lot of options out there on the free-agent market or even on the trade market. Based on what we’ve at least learned to this point, it’s going to be pricey,” Ricco said. “So we thought this was a way to clearly upgrade our team and our lineup.”

The Mets had intended to offer only one year contract until Rockies expressed their interest in taking back what was once theirs.