The Mets continued their offseason overhaul before the start of February, with the acquisition of Nick Madrigal. Madrigal, a former first-round pick, will look for better after an injury-riddled run in Chicago (NL), on a one-year, split contract.
A Look at Madrigal
At the time of the 2018 MLB Draft, Nick Madrigal was considered to be arguably the best contact hitter available. The former Oregon State product hit .361 with the Beavers over his three-year college career, winning a NCAA title with the school. The White Sox, looking for a polished hitter during their rebuild, took Madrigal fourth overall.
Madrigal didn’t take much time to get to the Majors, as he made his MLB debut in 2020 and hit .340 (35-103) over 29 contests. The now-27-year-old hit .305/.349/.425 over 54 contests a year later before he was shipped to the Cubs along with Codi Heuer for Craig Kimbrel.
Since then, Madrigal hasn’t had much MLB success. The ex-Cub suffered numerous injuries, including left and right groin strains, a right hamstring strain, and a right pinky finger fracture. Over 202 games with the Cubs, Madrigal hit .251/.304/.312 (.616 OPS).
The 27-year-old is a 25-grade power hitter; he’ll hit a home run every now and then but his power is a non-factor. Madrigal’s hit tool, though, is the key to his toolset. The new Met had a sky-high Chase% of 33.5% in 2024, with slightly-lower numbers in 2022 and 2023.
However, he has a knack for putting ball in play. Had he qualified, Madrigal would have ranked among the best in terms of Whiff%, between 9.4%-11.2% over the last three seasons.
Madrigal has an interesting swing. It’s very short, with a 6.5” average in 2024, well below league-average of 7.3”. The 27-year-old boasts a leg kick and appears to look like he’s leaning onto his back side, as opposed to keeping the back leg firmer and slightly bent.
He can easily catch up to velocity. Again, it’s a short swing with not a lot of moving parts and it’s quite level.
Defensively, Madrigal’s production has varied. The ex-Cub posted a +10 Outs Above Average at third base in 2023, a position Chicago was grooming him at for some time. He’s not a typical third baseman, as he doesn’t have great arm strength. But, with Nico Hoerner at second, the Cubs hoped Madrigal — a natural second baseman — would work out.
However, Madrigal sported a cumulative -5 OAA in 2024, split between second and third.
The Mets signed Nick Madrigal to a one-year deal. In a corresponding move, the team DFA’d Luis De Los Santos.
Analysis
The addition of Madrigal is virtually the replacement for Jose Iglesias, who provided a key spark for the Mets’ run to the NLCS. Aside from the ‘O-M-G’ craze, Iglesias played strong defense at second base and hit lefties very well, with a .402/.455/.543 (.998 OPS) over 101 PA against opposite-sided pitchers.
Those were very good — and likely, impossible to repeat — numbers from Iglesias.
Madrigal is a younger alternative to Iglesias, and because this a split deal that will play him differently depending on whether he’s in the Majors or Minors, gives the Mets options for how the team wants to align their infield.
Right now, the Mets have Jeff McNeil and Francisco Lindor, plus Madrigal, rookie infielder Luisangel Acuna, and a returning Ronny Mauricio among their middle infield options. Mark Vientos, assuming Pete Alonso doesn’t return, could shift to first, meaning someone like Brett Baty or Mauricio may take over third base.
Given Madrigal’s experience at second and third, he’s not a bad hand to have around. However, don’t expect too much from his bat, as the 27-year-old is a contact-orientated hitter.