Jon Niese’s long-term contract with the Mets is now official, with Andy McCullough of the Newark Star Ledger reporting that the five-year deal is worth $25.5 million in guaranteed money and covers all three arbitration eligible seasons plus his first year of free agency.
It also includes a sixth-year team option for $10 million and a seventh-year team option for $10.5 million, meaning Niese could potentially earn as much as $46 million over seven seasons.
Not even close to, say, Matt Cain money, but not bad for a guy with a 4.39 ERA in 371 career innings spent in a pitcher-friendly ballpark. Adam Rubin of ESPN New York notes that the contract is very similar to Derek Holland’s recent five-year, $28.5 million deal with the Rangers, which also included a pair of option years.
Niese’s secondary numbers suggest he’s capable of taking a step forward, in which case the Mets will have been smart to lock him up now, but he’s also never thrown even 175 innings in a season. If nothing else, between the $25.5 million from the Mets and the $10,000 from former teammate Carlos Beltran to pay for his nose job Niese has moved safely ahead of Eric Nies in the Nies/Niese rankings.
