Mets to sign former Royals 52 home run outfielder to $1.5 million contract

Mets to sign former Royals 52 home run outfielder to $1.5 million contract originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The New York Mets have completely overhauled their entire lineup this offseason. Pete Alonso, Jeff McNeil, and Brandon Nimmo are all gone, while their additions have been huge.

Jorge Polanco, Marcus Semien, Bo Bichette, and Luis Robert Jr. have all been added this offseason. But the Mets aren’t done adding to their lineup.

According to Jon Heyman of The celebrity.land, the Mets are in agreement on a $1.5 million contract with former Kansas City Royals outfielder MJ Melendez.

Mets agree to $1.5M contract with ex-Royal MJ Melendez

“Mets agree to deal with MJ Melendez,” Heyman reports. “MLB deal. $1.5 million plus $500K incentives.”

This one-year deal for the former Royals outfielder is an interesting depth signing for the Mets. He’s no longer a catcher like he was when his career began, but his outfield ability is still worth investing in.

The 27-year-old has struggled in his big league career, posting -1.4 bWAR in four seasons with the Royals. This past season, in just 23 games, Melendez managed to put up -0.6 bWAR.

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He hit just .083 with a .321 OPS in 65 plate appearances. His -10 OPS+ was by far the worst of his career, as every other year he was, at worst, an 83 OPS+ hitter.

But his massive struggles in 2025 led him to be left off the MLB roster for most of the year, and the Royals did not re-sign him despite the outfielder having a few more years of club control.

While he’s not a negative defensively, his major offensive struggles have led Melendez to hit free agency. The Mets are now taking a chance on him, agreeing to terms on a $1.5 million deal that can rise to as much as $2 million if Melendez hits his incentives.