Let’s look back at some of the most interesting New York Mets contracts

2. Carlos Beltran, 7 years, $119 million

• .280/.369/.500
• 149 HR
• 559 RBI
• 100 stolen bases
• Three Gold Gloves
• Five All-Star nods

Don’t try to tell me that his strikeout to end the 2006 NLCS negates this. Beltran was one of the best players in baseball. A switch hitter, he racked up a .835 OPS in with the Royals and arguably outplayed his contract. In a time where you were paid for what you did previously, Beltran racked up better numbers in Queens than he did in Kansas City. Beltran is, statistically, a borderline Hall of Famer, and voters have the option to decide if the 2017 cheating scandal, which occurred in his final season, is good enough of a reason to keep him out. But nonetheless, if he does make the Hall, he might be going in with a Mets cap.

1. Mike Piazza, 7 years, $91 million

• .289/.367/.534
• 197 HR
• 579 RBI
• Four Silver Slugger Awards
• Six All-Star nods
• World Series appearance

The back-end of this contract wasn’t the best, but Piazza was a catcher in his mid-30s. But the Mets had to lock Piazza up for seven years in his prime. He instantly became a Queens hero. He is a Hall of Famer as a Met, and his number is retired by the organization. Not only was he by far the team’s best player, but he was without a doubt the leader of the clubhouse. Piazza finished in third place in the NL MVP voting in 2000, carrying the Mets to their first World Series appearance since 1986.

In his first three years under the contract, Piazza slashed .309/.390/.587. His slugging in that time frame was the highest among catchers, as well as his 114 home runs. His 331 RBI were the second-most, while his batting average and on-base percentage were the third best. Piazza remains the only offensive player to have his number retired by the Mets.