For as long as the New York Mets have existed, homegrown stars such as Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Dwight Gooden, Darryl Strawberry and Jose Reyes all found ways to leave the Big Apple and succeed elsewhere. That trend may finally be ending, however, thanks to the man many Mets fans know as the “Face of the Franchise.”
Mets third baseman David Wright officially signed a new eight-year, $138 million contract extension with the team yesterday, a deal that will keep him in Flushing through the 2020 season and presumably make him a Met for the rest of his playing career.
“I’d like to thank [Owner] Fred Wilpon, [President] Saul Katz and [Chief Operating Officer] Jeff Wilpon for their commitment to me since I was drafted,” Wright said, via Anthony DiComo on MLB.com.
“I’ve grown up in this organization and made life-long friendships with teammates, uniform personnel and front office staff. I’m grateful for the opportunity to finish what I’ve started and help bring the Mets and our fans a World Series title.”
Mets manager Terry Collins said that Wright’s leadership skills and work ethic are second to none and is grateful to still have him on his team.
“I think it’s a great statement that David wanted to stay with the organization that drafted him,” Collins said, according to DiComo. “David is the leader of this team in the clubhouse, on the field and in the community.”
Fred Wilpon could not be more excited to keep Wright in Queens for years to come. Wilpon said that maintaining Wright is not only important for the team, but for the fan base as well.
“We’re thrilled for the organization and our fans that David will be a Met for many years to come,” Wilpon explained, via DiComo. “As great a player as David’s been with us on the field-one of the greatest and most popular Mets ever-he’s been equally outstanding in the community.”
For a fan base that has watched the team put out a losing product for years, signing Wright to an extension shows their ability to once again spend money following the Benard Madoff scandal and attempt to put a winning product on the field.
Mets fan and Ramapo junior Michael Scerbo thinks that, while the Mets still need help in other positions and may have overspent on Wright, the deal was necessary.
“Players like [Evan] Longoria, who is a way better third baseman overall, are getting less [money] than him,” Scerbo said. “They need another big bat to help the lineup, but I think it was good to get [Wright] back.”
Although he is a Yankees fan, Ramapo junior Matt Rainey believes the Mets have a much better chance to compete now that Wright is locked up.
“It gives them a foundation to hopefully build a winning team around
