Why Ex-Met Michael Conforto Remains Unsigned

Why ex-Met Michael Conforto remains unsigned with just one week to go before Opening Day.

PORT ST. LUCIE -- While Michael Conforto's tenure with the Mets appears to be over, It's rather shocking that he remains unsigned with just one week to go before Opening Day.

As it turns out, there is a reason the soon-to-be 29-year-old is still a free agent with the regular-season rapidly approaching.

According to his agent Scott Boras, who spoke with The Athletic and The New York Post, Conforto suffered a shoulder injury while diving for a ball in a January workout. As Boras went onto reveal, Conforto asked him to wait to negotiate with teams until his shoulder, which the agent described as a strain, was fully healed. 

Per Boras, Conforto resumed hitting around five weeks ago and is working out for teams near his home in Arizona. 

Conforto is the biggest name left on the free agent market as the offseason nears an end. Despite coming off a down year in 2021, Conforto rejected the Mets' one-year, $18.4 million qualifying offer in November in order to test free agency in search of a multi-year deal. This means teams will have to give up a compensatory draft pick if they sign him, but Boras believes this factor has not hurt his client's market, which he called "robust" now that the outfielder's shoulder is healed. 

“There is a great deal of interest in this guy," Boras told The Post. "We are really just starting the [negotiating] process now that he is swinging normal. … He wanted to have his normal swing plane [before serious negotiations]. Now, he is able to illustrate that with impressive workouts.”

Conforto struggled immensely last season, posting a .232 batting average, a .729 OPS and 14 home runs. The Mets signed outfielders Starling Marte and Mark Canha during the offseason. And up until this point, they have yet to show significant interest in bringing back Conforto.