Wright Puts Pen to Paper, Agrees to Stay with Mets

The New York Mets will keep the face of the franchise around through the rest of this decade.

David Wright and the Mets agreed to a seven-years $122 million extension, Friday morning that will keep the third baseman in Flushing through the year 2020.

The deal will also include Wright's $16 million option for 2013, bringing the total of the deal to $138 million.

This was a deal that the Mets had to get done. With all of the bad PR that had enveloped the franchise thanks to the actions of Fred and Jeff Wilpon, losing David Wright one-year after allowing Jose Reyes to walk away without a substantial contract offer would have led to a total mutiny at Citi Field.

Wright, who has been encouraged through out his career to take more of a leadership role with this franchise, will now have to become the leader of the Mets whether he likes it or not.  He is the lone star on a team of fringe major league players, if the roster remains virtually unchanged from 2012.

How Wright performs is going to play a big roll in how successful the Mets will be, especially over the next two years of the contract.

Now the pressure goes squarely on the shoulders of the Wilpon's and GM Sandy Alderson to back up this landmark occasion with the signing of quality free agents who can make the Mets a competitive team again the NL East.

For as good a player Wright is, he is more successful when surrounded by solid hitters in the line-up. That is why he was so good in the 2000's when he had guys like Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran protecting him in the line-up. Over the past three seasons, he's been surrounded by Lucas Duda, Mike Baxter, and a plethora of other never-will-be's, putting extra pressure on him to get the job done.

So this is a moment for the Mets to celebrate -- but the job is still not finished, and the damage by the Wilpon's past moves sill needs to be totally repaired.