One big free agent is returning to the Mets.
Keith Hernandez, whose SNY contract was set to expire, has a new deal that will keep him in the Mets broadcast booth at least through the 2018 season. But an industry source indicated Hernandez’s new contract may extend even longer than the previous three-year deals he had received from the network.
Hernandez, 62, has been staple on the Mets’ TV broadcasts since SNY was formed in 2006. The former first baseman has teamed with Ron Darling and Gary Cohen to form one of the game’s most popular and colorful broadcast crews.
Hernandez will receive a substantial raise in his new contract, according to a source.
Last offseason, SNY played hardball with popular pregame analyst Bob Ojeda after he sought a significant raise, and the two sides ultimately split. But SNY wasn’t about to risk losing the popular Hernandez, who has become an iconic presence in the booth.