If former top prospect Francisco Alvarez intends to leave the New York Mets, he might need to wait longer than expected.
When the Mets demoted Alvarez to Triple-A Syracuse last month, the goal was that the 23-year-old catcher could reset and regain his hitting stroke. However, as The Athletic pointed out on Tuesday, a financial element could significantly affect Alvarez’s wallet in the coming days.
If the Mets do not recall Alvarez by Saturday, he’ll fall short of the 166 days needed for his third full year of service time. That would push Alvarez’s free agency back to 2029, as a player must reach six full years of major-league service before becoming a free agent.
Alvarez needed 166 days of major-league service to get to three full years. Players must spend 172 days in the majors to receive credit for a full season, though Alvarez only needed 166 because he entered 2025 with two years and six days.
“I can’t worry about that right now — it’s a lot for me to worry about right now,” Alvarez told The Athletic.
“I didn’t know that,” Alvarez added, “but I feel like I need to just focus on getting better and that’s it.”
Although Alvarez remains eligible for arbitration after the season, The Athletic’s Tim Britton and Will Sammon are skeptical the fourth-year backstop will earn a significant raise.
“Historically, catchers are not rewarded well in arbitration because it relies on counting stats,” they wrote.
Could the Mets trade Francisco Alvarez this summer?
Alvarez, a former consensus top-10 prospect, batted .236 with three homers, 11 RBIs, and a .652 OPS in 138 plate appearances. He missed the start of the season after fracturing his left hand in early March.
Veteran backstop Luis Torrens hasn’t been much better, entering Wednesday with a .210 average and a .600 OPS. Torrens is batting only .148 since June 11, and his OPS is a dreadful .397 during that stretch.
We’ll see how much longer the Mets opt to stick with Alvarez, especially given owner Steve Cohen’s public desire for a championship. Could the Mets part ways with Alvarez ahead of the trade deadline if the return is a marquee starting pitcher or a proven center fielder?
At this point, there’s no reason to think Alvarez will be on the move just yet. However, we’ve seen the Mets be aggressive with trading young players in recent years — don’t forget, they traded top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong to the Chicago Cubs in 2021 for two months of Javier Báez — and, as the Juan Soto contract proved, Cohen will do anything if it means inching closer to a World Series title.