The New York Mets have avoided arbitration with first baseman Lucas Duda. The sides have settled on a $4.2-million contract for 2015. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports was the first to report the figures of the deal.
Duda, who will turn 29 on Opening Day 2015, filed for $4.7 million while the Mets countered at $3.75 million. By making this agreement with Duda, the Mets avoided arbitration with all six of their eligible players this offseason: Ruben Tejada ($1.88 million), Jenrry Mejia ($2.595 million), Bobby Parnell ($3.7 million), Dillon Gee ($5.3 million), and Daniel Murphy ($8 million). The Mets have not gone to arbitration since 2008 when they could not negotiate a deal with left-hander Oliver Perez.
Duda enjoyed a breakout year in 2014 as he was finally named the Mets' everyday first baseman in mid-April after platooning with Ike Davis and then seeing Davis traded away. Duda had a .253/.349/.481 slash line with 30 home runs and 92 RBIs. The lefty slugger will be eligible to become a free agent after the 2016 season.