The Mets are bolstering their infield depth by signing Nick Madrigal to a one-year split contract, according to multiple reports.
The split contract signing would not force the Mets to make room for him on the 40-man roster. The deal is worth $1.35 million with Madrigal getting the chance to earn $500,000 in performance bonuses, according to The New York Post’s Joel Sherman who first reported the deal.
Madrigal, 27, has experience playing at second base and third over his five-year big league career and is very much a defense-first player as he batted just .221 with a 54 OPS+ in 94 plate appearances over 51 games last season.
He posted nine outs above average (96th percentile) during the 2023 season, the year he saw his most action at the MLB level, in 560.1 innings at third and 74 innings at second.
A highly-touted prospect, he was the fourth-overall selection in the 2018 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox. He had a decent run in the big leagues for the Southsiders, posting a .316/.358/.406 slash line for a .764 OPS and 109 OPS+ in his first 83 big league games during the 2020 and 2021 campaigns. He led the White Sox in hits with 61 and was off to a stellar second season with the club until a hamstring tear in early June ended his year.
He was dealt to the Cubs at the 2021 trade deadline (as part of a deal for closer Craig Kimbrel) and struggled during his three seasons with the Northsiders.
In 202 games with the Cubs, Madrigal batted just .251 with a .616 OPS (73 OPS+), 29 extra-base hits and 45 RBI. He struck out 61 times to 28 walks in 616 times up.
For the third time in his career, the injury bug ended his season early when he sustained a broken hand after being hit by a pitch in at Triple-A Iowa in June.
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