The Mets have a one-year agreement with infielder Nick Madrigal, the club announced. It’s reportedly a split deal that pays the Wasserman client $1.35MM in the majors, with another $500K available via performance bonuses.
Madrigal, 28 in March, has spent the past five seasons in Chicago. Playing for both the White Sox and the Cubs, he has generally served as a light-hitting, part-time depth infielder. He has stepped to the plate 940 times over those five seasons. His 9% strikeout rate is very low but he also doesn’t walk much, taking free passes 4.6% of the time. While he puts the ball in play a lot, he doesn’t do a ton of damage in the process. He currently has just four home runs and sports a career batting line of .274/.323/.344 for an 88 wRC+. Statcast hasn’t given him strong marks for his exit velocity, hard hit rate nor his barrel rate.
He has been able to contribute in other ways. He has 17 stolen bases in 23 attempts. His defense is also well regarded. He has racked up eight Defensive Runs Saved at third base in his career and has been league average at second base. Outs Above Average has given him a +7 score at the hot corner and +2 at the keystone.
The Cubs could have kept Madrigal around for the 2025 season via arbitration, with MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projecting him for a $1.9MM salary. The Cubs decided to non-tender him instead, sending him to free agency without having to put him on waivers.
The Mets have some uncertainty in their infield. Francisco Lindor has shortstop locked down. Jeff McNeil’s offense hasn’t been great lately but even his diminished production has been better than Madrigal’s. He can also play the outfield but the Mets are fairly crowded out there. Since he’s still making an eight-figure salary, he’ll probably be the regular at second.
The corners are more up in the air. Pete Alonso remains unsigned, giving the club a theoretical hole at first base. However, it’s been suggested that the club might be content to have Alonso move on. In that scenario, the club would move Mark Vientos over from third to first, leaving the hot corner open for a competition between Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña.
They have also lost a key depth infielder. They signed Jose Iglesias to a minor league deal last offseason, which turned into a huge win. He got into 85 games and hit .337/.381/.448 while filling in at second, third and short. He became a free agent at season’s end. Recent reporting has suggested that the Mets were interested in bolstering their infield depth.
Madrigal still has an option remaining, so he doesn’t need to be guaranteed a spot on the active roster. The fact that the Mets have given him a split deal suggests that going to the minors is a distinct possibility. If he eventually gets a big league roster spot, he could potentially replace Iglesias in that bench infielder role. If the young third base options struggle, he at least gives them a glove-first option there. If any of the club’s outfielders get injured and McNeil needs to go out there, or McNeil himself gets hurt, Madrigal could step in. An injury to Lindor could lead to Acuña or Mauricio covering short, which would bump Madrigal up the chart at third.
Since Madrigal has that option, there’s nothing really stopping the Mets from bringing back Iglesias or some other veteran infielder, so they’ve added some depth without closing any doors to other possibilities and at a fairly minimal cost. Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported yesterday that the Mets “haven’t yet strongly pursued” a reunion with Iglesias. If Madrigal still has a roster spot at season’s end, he can be retained via arbitration for 2026.
Joel Sherman of The New York Post first reported that the two sides were in agreement. Anthony DiComo of MLB.com first reported that it was a split deal. Will Sammon of The Athletic reported that it was a one-year pact. Sherman then reported the fact that Madrigal passed his physical, as well as the big league salary and bonuses.
Iglesias replacement?
Thw second coming of Danny Mendick.
White Sox drafted Nick 4th overall in 2018. Touted as having the best bat skills in the draft. Couldn’t strike him out ; averaged over .300 for the Sox. Traded to the Cubs for Craig Kimbrel, during the last good season Sox had.
…Neither player has been the same since
Ya know, I thought I remembered him being a decent hitter with the White Sox when healthy, but the article made it seem like he’s terrible. You confirmed my suspicion, lol. Seems like he always got on base against Detroit at least.
It’s called the Julianna Zobrist curse.
I’m at a loss trying to understand how Iglasias gets overlooked season after season. All he does is outperform his contract and is a great clubhouse presence
He was a good hitter,be specially with two strikes, leading to his nickname, Nicky Two Strikes. He tore up his knee at the end of 2021 and his was part of one of the worst trades in recent memory when we got Kimball in return. Last decent second baseman the Sox had.
Elite bat to ball skills was his calling. Unfortunately, ball doesn’t do much off the bat. And kind of a butthead on the basepaths.
What’s the Juliana mojo- saddling up to a Christian inspirational singer who ends up being a trampy tramp?
Bad trade for both clubs. Hindsight drunk sleepy Tony should have slotted Craig as closer and had Liam setup, as Liam was willing to do since Kimbrel had such a narrow tolerance for his routine. Nicky otoh got exposed pretty quickly
Mc Neil + Marte = salary dumps, trade pieces?
He was never a good hitter in the majors.
Apparently, she was a devout hypocrite.
Why not play the healthy Acuna?
This move has nothing to do with whether they play Acuña. It’s a low-risk insurance move. Acuña, for his part, is a speed-and-defense first utility player. His swing is tailor-made to pound the ball into the ground; big bro makes it work because he can also hit the ball 120mph, but even he’s shown some inconsistency. The success that l’il bro had in his ~40 MLB plate appearances was likely a product of seeing meatballs from some bad pitchers. Better swing decisions would help, but we haven’t seen them yet, and if anything, his brief success might make him less inclined to make changes. We’ve seen that happen with many, many players over the years, and I’m not confident that Eric Chavez is the caliber of hitting coach to force the issue. (Note that Brett Baty has continued to stubbornly stick to a swing that doesn’t work at the big league level. The Mets’ hitting dev is starting to really lag behind their pitching dev.)
Final piece!
For another LCS exit.
This team isn’t going to any LCS!
Great, under-the-radar pick-up for the Mets.
Vientos to first. Mets fans meet your new third baseman.
Joke right? They have at least 3 better options already on the team lol
Pete isnt going to gat a better offer than the Mets.
There goes Iglesias
OMG! Who will hold up the glitter letters?
“There goes Iglesias”..Let’s be honest here for a moment. The Mets have had a very good, even historical off-season so far. David Stearns looks like the savvy, experienced GM they’ve long needed.
All that being said, I don’t know what more Iglesias could have possibly done to earn a contract extension and a reprisal of his excellent play, energy, timely hitting and long running “OMG” show.
It’s a head scratcher for sure, but at this point I’m inclined to trust the vision, knowledge and savvy of one David Stearns.
Agree with almost everything you mentioned MLB. The fact that Madrigal has an option left, suggests the door on Iglasias isn’t closed and this is insurance. I’m expecting Iglasias to eventually resign with the Mets.
Maybe OMG and the music promotion were factors against bringing Iglesias back. Yes it 100% charged up the clubhouse, but maybe Stearns and Co are looking for more subtle leadership in the clubhouse.
Ok terrific
See only a minor league deal with spring training invite to big league camp.
But can he sing?
Welcome to the family, Madrigal.
AH ha ha i see you
Wait, was this a reference to Madrigals as in the music from the Renaissance or to Iglesias being a pop singer?
Yes, I Sing.
PiazzaParty: Yes
Why yes, he was played by Captain Kirk too in that Dungeon Dragon chick flick
Not sure if he’s a “glove first” guy, but his bat sure doesn’t say a lot in his stats… Guess it doesn’t hurt for NYM to add him.
Not glove- first, he’s glove- only.
Not really a good glove, unless you’re talking Larry Bowa glove. Weak arm, modest range, picks up what’s in front of him. More roomba than swiffer sweeper
He’s not even a major-league caliber player at this point. If he plays a lot for the Mets then things have gone wrong for them.
basically iglesias to the m’s
“WTF” is Met’s new rallying cry and slogan
LFGM when they sign Petey back!
So, bringing in Madrigal and letting Iglesias go? Bad move if that’s the case
Anything more than a minor league deal would be ridiculous. But who knows with the Mets? They hardball Alonso and spread money around to everybody else.
“They hardball Alonso”..I don’t believe the Mets are “hard-balling” Pete at all. It’s evident they’ve offered as much or more than anyone else so far.
It’s more like only wanting to pay the market rate and not some fantasy number concocted in the mind of the mercurial, self centered super agent Scott Boras.
If the Mets were truly “hardballing” Pete some other team would’ve easily topped their offer and Pete, whose under tremendous pressure from the MLBPA to take the biggest offer, would be heading out the door even as we speak.
Casey
Offering market rates isn’t hardball. Who all else is the money getting spread around to?
I get the baseball reasons for hardballing Alonso. One-dimensional, declining, yada, yada. But he will still provide 30+ homers and a franchise record, which could sell a few tickets. The Mets have doled out nearly a billion in free agent spending this offseason. Cohen has more money than God and Mammon combined. And they’re haggling over 3yr/70M vs. 3yr/90M?
Man, pony up the twenty mill from Cohen’s profits yesterday and make the deal.
The market shows he’s not worth that amount. It’s not “hardball” to offer a fair deal and for what it’s worth they also offered him a gross overpay as well. The Mets did their part with respect to honoring the wishes of the fan base.
Also “just pony up” when you’re talking about 20 MILLION DOLLARS is trite sentiment from people who have never been anywhere near that amount of money. It’s a stupid amount of money to be frivolous with.
None of the above even addresses the luxury tax that doubles every dollar amount we’re talking about.
Also where’s the logic in “you’ve already given a lot of money out, why not give even more”? Like what? He’s already spent A BILLION why are you chastising him when he’s personally spent more than several teams owned by groups of billionaires.
So the Pony Express runs out of steam between a billion or so and a billion or so plus twenty mill? We’re almost talking a rounding error on the Mets offseason free agent splurge. Especially when 3/90 is a lot less than the Mets’ previous offer.
My guess is Stearns wants to play Sabermetrics Tough Guy with SOMEBODY. And like I said, I get the purely baseball reasons. But it might not be a bad idea to overpay a rounding error for a franchise home run record.
Anyway, the whole discussion may well be moot. Some power-hungry team might kick in a few extra dollars and that’s the deal.
You’re mixing contractual obligations and actual salary. It’s not like they just paid Soto 800M and “so what’s another 20M”.
Is there someone you feel we spent too much on? I feel like overall Stearns has been getting good deals done. I personally don’t want to handicap our future because Pete made people feel warm and fuzzy in the past.
@CaseyAbell Since we know that a few million doesn’t matter to Cohen, and therefore it doesn’t matter to Stearns, it’s difficult to see why people can’t read what’s happening.
The Mets have decided for some reason that this is better p.r. than getting it over with after the WS with “we’re going to let the kids play at 3B where they rate to put up 2 wins for $1m salaries rather than Pete hitting most empty HR at a $25m AAV over multiple years.”
It’s cynical, tiresome, and fundamentally cowardly.
Does anyone really think that for a few million dollars Cohen and Stearns chose to create a poisonous situation where they’re only going to bring back a tween favorite if they can openly crush his ego in negotiations?
They were never bringing Alonso back.
Is this a joke? No discernible skills. No power, not a burner, so-so on base skills, a very hollow .274 BA. Someone please say this is a minors deal only.
Relax
He has an option left and yes, it’s a split contract. It doesn’t even hold them back from resigning Iglesias. The article stated every possible scenario. Maybe they updated it because they didn’t have all the info they do now.
It should be minors-only.
It’s a split contract majors/minors. Nothing money (I assume) but still a strange pickup. From Anthony DiComo…
The Mets have signed infielder Nick Madrigal, source confirms @Joelsherman1 report. It’s a split contract worth different amounts in the Majors or Minors.
Recently non-tendered, Madrigal plays second and third base and is one of the tougher players in the Majors to strike out.
Nothing strange about it.
Stearns is all about accumulating small, even miniscule edges everywhere he can.
Madrigal is a small improvement on Luis De Los Santos, particularly at 3B, so Stearns made the move. This is no different than you going in for a meeting and putting on the slightly nicer shirt because you can and it effectively costs you nothing.
This is nothing more than a short conversation with an assistant:
–Hey, Madrigal’s still available.
–Okay, if he’ll take x dollars on a split deal, swap him in for De Los Santos.
–You got it.
It’s just not a high energy move.
Cubs fans have announced a parade at Clark and Addison on Sept 23 if Nick stays on the roster that long.
Best hope is McNeil refinds some of his form.
Since he already has—.900 OPS in his last 172 PA—it’s more a matter of Squirrel keeping what he found the last two months of his season.
Really aggravating to see a former batting champ golfing slices into the LF foul stands for three months before figuring out, “maybe I should swing harder and drive the ball?”
And where the he!! was Jeremy Barnes and his staff, and why weren’t they firing off an air horn in the batting cage every time Squirrel went back to hitting chip shots?
LOLMets
I honestly really love this. let’s go
I love this too because it means there’s no way in hell Jed Hoyer can bring him back to the Cubs on some kind of fancy two-way deal.
I hope they have more athletic tape and band aids than the Cubs do. And an extra set of groin and hamstring muscles.
@uncle Mike, lol!
I do wish Nick the best in NY. Maybe he’ll get a chance to hit in front of Soto. Mahalo!
Hopefully he’s a pop singer.
2018 MLB Draft Pick-by-Pick Analysis from June 3rd, 2018
4. Chicago White Sox: 2B Nick Madrigal, Oregon State University
Madrigal is the best player in college baseball, and he’s the best pure hitter in this Draft, hitting a cool .406 this year for the Beavers with 13 walks and just five strikeouts. He may be only 5-foot-8, but size isn’t an issue because he can hit, he can really run and he can really play second base. The Jose Altuve comparisons are a bit much because Madrigal doesn’t have that kind of power, but he’s not a slap-hitter, either.MLB.com
When you’re right, you’re right!
Then he turned into a singles hitter.
Must have been no aluminum bats
He actually turned into a decent fielding 3rd baseman with the Cubs. He hits for average and can get on base when he’s going right. I always thought he was a better when given his reps. As a bench player, not so much. He’s a good pick up by the Mets.
Good pick up if indeed you’re looking for a decent Fielding 3b with modest range and a weak arm who can rap out a .500 OPS. Sorta a poor man’s Ron Cey without the power, 70s tight disco pants, and Magnum P.I. pornstache.
I’ll always have love for Nicky two Strikes. Wish all the best to Nicky Barrels.
He only has two nicknames?!
Yup.
In the movie Bachelor Party he was just Nick the D___.
Nick the Donkey? As in Democrat? Or Shrek’s pal?
The D word rhymes with Nick. Thought that was pretty obvious. Similar to the Chargers kicker’s nickname ‘Dicker the Kicker”.
” Nick the what”?
Nothing drives NYM fans more bonkers than depth signings.
Every team’s casual fans are like this.
Hard to see Madrigal on the 26-man roster short of a few injuries. The only real question is, will he be the backup IFer’s backup, or will he back the backup IFer’s backup’s backup?
With Vientos at 1B and one of Acuna-Mauricio-Baty at 3B on Opening Day, and it probably won’t be Mauricio, they’re creating as much IF depth as they can particularly with the chance that Squirrel may have to fill in for Nimmo for a while in LF.
This Mets FO is a nice change. They’re actually thinking about the position player slots that inevitably get 10, 20, 30, or 40 PA with the MLB squad when a few injuries hit at the same time. Those are the guys who can be so bad they quickly add up to 1 or more negative WAR. Given that the Mets will probably be scrapping again for a wildcard spot, this is a nice little upgrade. Had the FO missed on a few more of these last year and the Mets go 88-74 and miss the postseason.
I’ll never forget when he was a rookie and was asked about 3000 hits and his response was “it’s very reachable” and said he was confident he’d reach it.
Love the confidence but man that hasn’t aged well
He’d be lucky to get 3000 innings with his injury history
Sure but I’m thinking he’s probably gonna spit 3000 sunflower seeds
Anyone know what went wrong, other than the injuries? The Cubs rushed him through the minors in 2019, but even so he hit well, and didn’t drop off in MLB until 2022.
Injuries yes, and his elite skill (singular) not translating to MLB. It wasn’t the Cubs who rushed him. He progressed through the Sox system, showed off his elite batting eye in a small sample size, then demonstrated an embarrassing lack of baseball acumen, surprising for a celebrated college player on a championship ball club. Sox brass realized they overestimated Nick’s value and that they weren’t likely to teach a brash self- confident kid baseball skills at that level. They subsequently sold high to get pre-Krumble Kimbrel from the Cubs when they saw their open window in 2021. Ended up being a lose-lose trade for both clubs
Nothing is as entertaining as watching Little Nicky Short Legs Run to first on a ground ball ….those little legs just a churnin’
Ah the joys of young parenthood: hearing the pitter patter of little feet.
I remember the 2018 MLB Draft vividly because the White Sox had the 4th pick and this pick was very important towards the success of the rebuild. Since they already had “supposed” power and pitching, I thought a high contact, high on base, and good defensive 2B would be a great pick. He was coming from Oregon State so I assumed his baseball IQ would be high. I had dreams of a Craig Biggio player and he would be a part of the core of a rebuilding White Sox team.
Well, that did not work out. His defense at 2B was mediocre and his arm was weak. Yes, he rarely struck out but he was so weak, he rarely could even get doubles. What surprised me the most about him was his baseball IQ and baserunning skills. Very weak!
The trade to the Cubs was a disaster for both teams as Kimbrel was terrible for the White Sox and Madrigal didn’t do much for the Cubs. The Cubs also got Codi Heuer in the deal and he was hurt almost all of the time.
I heard that the White Sox tried to sign Madrigal to one of those long term deals that they gave Moncada, Jimenez, Robert, etc. But Madrigal turned that down. I guess if there’s a silver lining in all of this, that was it.
Good luck, Nick, we wish you the best. But this is just one of the many reminders of why the White Sox failed with their rebuild.
Hard to call it a bad pick if it was injuries that undid Madrigal. He slugged over .500 his 2nd and 3rd college years with a great batting average and an excellent eye, walking 2x as often as he K’ed.
He brought that to every level of the minors and then into the major leagues in small samples in 2020 and 2021, hitting .317/.358/.406 in 314 PA. Not a star, but a 3-4 WAR 2Bman if he stays healthy.
Maybe the aluminum bats? Nicky’s slug disappeared without a trace. Why college kids are such a crapshooot. Sox also picked Andrew Vaughn, touted as the most major league ready hitter – winner of the Golden Spikes when he was drafted 3rd
Interesting possibility. —Wow, I’d forgotten about Vaughn. A power monster in college, he got 250 PA in the low minors in 2019, missed the Covid year entirely, the White Sox gave him 2 games in AAA in 2021 where he slugged 1.143, and they decided he was ready! (!)
And he never took off.
Vaughn, classic case of major league ready, high floor, low ceiling. Also a guy with limited tools who excelled at 2. But once power goes, beware! No speed or defensive value to make up for it. Scouting really a crapshooot though. Who’d a thunk that Stephen Kwan would excel for the Guardians as opposed to Myles Straw?
Silver lining for the Sox, for Nicky not so much. One heck of a college team. Too bad for the Sox that they ended up with Nicky. And not his teammates. Wonder what happened to those guys- Adley Kwan? Stephen Reuschel?
Trevor Larnach too!
White Eagle perfectly encapsulated what went wrong with the Sox rebuild: hoarding prospect capital, not spending on free agents to address needs when the competitive window was open (aside from too cute consolation offers to Manny and Bryce), opting for value over roster construction. The Sox otherwise did many things right by drafting and developing young pitching, flipping veterans and locking up their young core with long term deals by reaching mutually beneficial buyouts of arb years. Slew of injuries and suddenly the no brainer affordable option years of the likes of TA, Eloy, Moncada, and Robert are under water. Why one can be so harsh on teams like the Orioles who are trying to be too cute with free agency and prospect capital. Windows close sooner than you think!
When I see that bottom line on MLB Network of Mets free agents, Iglesias is the most obvious to bring back, only because the Mets seem to think Alonso wants too much. But even if Jose is 20% worse than last season, it’s still very important. It makes no sense to bring younger guys if they’re just gonna sit or be a defensive replacement.
If Jose was just 20% worse than last year and that was his median projection he’d be in line for 2/30m from someone with a starting gig somewhere in the IF.
The problem is he had historical good luck in 2024, a .382 BABIP, and teams doubt he’ll be even half that good in 2025 at 35. His main problem is he has Boras for an agent. If he was willing to parlay that great luck into 1./8m for a team looking for a stopgap at 2b or 3b, he’d probably get it. He might even snag a vesting option and 2/12m somewhere.
With Boras as his agent, he’s probably even more likely than Pete to be sitting on his couch when ST begins.
Whenever I see his name, I always think “thank God for Alec Bohm”
Remember that draft as the first 2 picks were locks and the Philllies had the #3 pick and there was quite a few names in the discussion and Nicky two-strikes was getting a lot of love. As was Kelenic..
Pretty sure there were some real duds in the top half of that round – hitting wise….
Meanwhile Steven Kwan went at #163 and Tarik Skubal at #255 that year. The draft is a roulette wheel with scouts.
Yup, as Brad Pitts portly assistant with the unfortunate perm noted in that documentary on the World Champion Swinging As: who needs scouts or complimentary soda when you have Quattro pro spreadsheets
Not sure if “documentary” is the right word here.
Padres outbid again!
Part of another terrible trade by Epstein and Hoyer.
You know it’s a fair Chicago trade when both fan bases feel ripped off! Maybe the Bears could trade with the Bulls
The first Stearns move this offseason that offers good reward vs risk. And no Stearns did not sign Soto.
This is the problem. We are signing “risk-reward” players. This is not Milwaukee and the last time I checked we had Atlanta and Philly in our division. We need to sign good contributing players, not gambles.
THE METS ARE RUINING BASEBALL! SO MUCH MONEY SPENT ON SOTO AND NOW NICKY TWO STRIKES?
THE SYSTEM IS BROKEN
Next they’ll go get Miles Mastrobuoni and really upset the competitive balance.
The key for the Mets is that he has an option.
Put Madrigal at 2B and let him hit 9th. He’s a different type of hitter and doesn’t need a lot of protection.
Or keep him in the minors for depth in case of an injury
How about 10th? Or in Syracuse’s lineup.
Bottom 1% in batted ball per statcast. Perhaps the LaGuardia Jetstreams will help carry the ball to short left center?
@NoNeckWilliams You get more protection batting 9th than in any other lineup spot.
Especially in Syracuse
Hahaha… what a stupid comment.
Completely useless
By September [Cubs]
Waste of a roster spot, if Stearns wanted another infielder they should’ve just resigned Iglesias
Plus Julio is easy on the ears
What is wrong with Stearns?? Madrigal over Iglesias?? Stop picking up AAAA players and sign some talent. This “watching the payroll” crap is gonna get us to “watching the playoffs at home’! This is not MILWAUKEE and we won’t even win the division with 85 wins like the NL Central. Let’s make some moves to show we can compete for a World Series title and not just the NL East.
How bad of a baserunner was Nicky? Ran the White Sox out of a likely playoff win. One of the few ballplayers imaginable who nearly singlehandedly wiped out his entire value with negative baserunning. I mean – who does that?
2020 WAR 0.4
Batting 1.3
Fielding 1.4
Baserunning -2.4
He’d have to be -24 on baserunning to ‘wipe out’ his other value.
According to Fangraphs he managed to nearly do that in his rookie year.
It’s a bit of a gamble. Sox saw something elite in Madrigal when they scouted him. So rather than expending on the classic 5 tool scout trap that Brad Pitt excoriated in that made for TV baseball documentary on the world champion Oakland club, they decided a different approach: what if we picked up a one a half tool player, who’s one tool is elite? Unfortunately, Nicky’s brash confidence worked against him. He famously predicted that he was Cooperstown bound as a lock for 3000 hits. Guess it could still happen: only 2762 to go!
Unless the Mets are struggling to keep their payroll low after signing Soto I can see no reason for this signing.
Will it keep you up late at night wondering if they should have kept Luis de los Santos instead of signing Nick Madrigal to the 40-man? Boras has more to do with Candelita still being on the market than Madrigal.