The Athletics announced today that they have declined a club option on infielder Jeff McNeil.
McNeil, 34, is now a free agent.
Jeff McNeil is a 9-year MLB veteran infielder who spent the first eight seasons of his career with the New York Mets.
Beloved or not, McNeil had a solid run in Queens, so let’s take a look at what led to his free agency and his time with the New York Mets.
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MLBTR.com’s Darragh McDonald quickly hit on the Athletics declining the club option on Jeff McNeil, and he wrote:
“Like Springs, McNeil signed an extension with his previous club before joining the A’s. McNeil’s deal also ran through 2026 with a 2027 club option, his valued at $15.75MM. The option had a $2MM buyout. As part of the trade sending him out of Queens, the Mets agreed to cover that $2MM buyout if it were turned down, so perhaps the A’s never really anticipated keeping McNeil for more than a year. His lackluster season only made that more likely.”
In 2026, McNeil batted .264 over 144 games, but added just nine home runs and logged an OPS+ of 87, even while playing in the very hitter-friendly park of Sutter Health Park 50% of the time.
Speaking to McNeil with the Mets, and if there’s any chance New York would consider re-signing him, likely not, as the Mets decided to trade him away about a year ago.
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Jeff McNeil’s Time in Queens
While a member of the New York Mets, Jeff McNeil was named to 2 All-Star appearances (2019, 2022).
He was pretty much an everyday player for the Mets from 2021 to 2025.
Across 923 total games played in a Mets uniform, McNeil batted .284 with 80 home runs, 367 RBI, and an OPS+ of 117.
McNeil won the batting crown in 2022 with a .326 average over 533 at-bats. He amassed 22.9 bWAR with the Mets.
It was a good call to trade Jeff McNeil away, but there’s also no doubt he had a positive impact on the Mets over his tenure with the organization.
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