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It looks like Lucas Duda is going to have to wait a little bit longer to get his big payday.
According to ESPN.com, the Mets and Lucas Duda agreed on Sunday that they would forego contract talks until the end of the season. Duda's representatives and Mets management were both very optimistic about getting a deal in place, but could not come to terms on one before the self-imposed deadline of Opening Day.
Duda, 29, had the best season of his career last year, hitting 253/.349/.481 and blasting 30 home runs with 92 RBI in 153 games. He is under team control until after the 2017 season, so there was no rush to get anything done this spring. Early numbers to lock up the power hitting first baseman were in the ballpark of four years and $31 million.
This offseason, the Mets inked Duda to a one-year deal worth $4.2 million in order to avoid going to arbitration.