Mets, Jesse Winker agree to one-year deal worth $7.5M, source confirms
Jesse Winker #3 of the Mets runs the bases after his fourth inning home run against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game 3 of the NLDS at Citi Field on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. Credit: Jim McIsaac
The Mets and designated hitter/outfielder Jesse Winker have agreed to a one-year, $7.5 million contract, a baseball source confirmed on Thursday.
The deal to bring back Winker, which includes a reported $1.5 million in potential bonuses, is pending a physical. The Mets have not announced the agreement.
Winker, 31, went from Citi Field pariah to Mets fan favorite after being acquired from Washington last July 28.
Winker had gotten into tiffs with Citi Field fans when he played for the Reds (in 2019) and the Mariners (2022). Both times he waved to the crowd after making game-deciding plays, earning him the animus of Mets fans.
But that all changed when Winker joined the Mets last season, especially in the postseason, when he was a man possessed at the plate.
In the regular season, Winker hit .243 with three homers and a .683 OPS for the Mets. But in the playoffs, he hit .318 with two triples, one home run and a 1.168 OPS.
Winker will join a crowded outfield/DH picture that includes Juan Soto, Brandon Nimmo, Tyrone Taylor, Jose Siri and Starling Marte. Winker, a lefthanded batter, is much more potent against righthanders.
In his career, Winker is a .276 hitter with 81 homers and an .841 OPS in 2,212 plate appearances against righties. Against lefties, his numbers are .210 with 14 homers and a .661 OPS in 563 plate appearances.
Winker could platoon with Marte as the DH. The Mets also could look to trade Marte, who has one year left on his contract at $20.75 million.
After being traded to the Mets, Winker said: “It’s what you play for. You want to be a part of a playoff race and winning baseball games. It’s what you’ve always wanted since you started playing this game.”
At the time, manager Carlos Mendoza called it a “big move. Obviously, a lefty bat. We’ve seen it a lot, especially when we play the Nationals. The at-bats and the way he controls the strike zone, the power. He’s going to help.”
Of his “feud” with Mets fans, Winker in 2022 said: “I love them. They are an amazing group of people. They are very passionate about their team and their city. And from a guy who was born in upstate New York [Buffalo], big fan of that football team up there, I can understand the passion. I respect it. This thing we got going on is special.”
Winker had some memorable moments, including a walk-off home run as a pinch hitter on Aug. 21 to beat the Orioles, a two-run triple in the Mets’ Game 1 win over Milwaukee in the Wild Card Series and another triple in the NLCS against the Dodgers. He became the first Met to have more than one three-bagger in a postseason.
In addition to his production, the Mets and their fans enjoyed Winker’s devil-may-care personality. It was Winker who was instrumental in a postseason ritual in which Mets who weren’t playing in a game would paint the starting pitcher’s uniform number on their faces in eyeblack, beginning with an outing by Luis Severino (No. 40) against the Phillies in the NLDS.
“It just happened . . . There was no rhyme or reason for it,” Winker said. “I put on the four-zero . . . I usually put a little diagonal thing but that day — that day was Sevy day, and all of our pitchers have been so great, and on top of being really good baseball players, they’re incredible dudes to be around.”
Anthony Rieber covers baseball, as well as the NFL, NBA and NHL. He has worked at Newsday since Aug. 31, 1998, and has been in his current position since July 5, 2004.
