5
2011
Alderson Has $10-15 Million To Spend On 17 Roster Spots
An article by 
This afternoon in Dallas, Sandy Alderson told reporters that the Mets have between $20 and $25 million to spend this off-season, but that range includes paying Mike Pelfrey and Angel Pagan who will likely earn roughly $10 million in arbitration.
That leaves approximately $10-15 million to spend on 17 other roster spots.
It also means, Alderson must have misspoke again when he said that payroll would be the same with or without Reyes. That’s happening a lot these days.
Yep, it’s as I’ve said all along, an $85 million payroll in 2012, $70 million in 2013.
How does Fred sleep at night?
Sandy will be with Mike Francesa at 5:45 PM.
About the Author: Joe DeCaro
I'm a lifelong Mets fan who loves writing and talking about the Amazins' 24/7. From the Miracle in 1969 to the magic of 1986, and even the near misses in '73 and '00, I've experienced it all - the highs and the lows. I started Mets Merized Online in 2005 to feed my addiction. Follow me on Twitter @metsmerized.
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Ouch. When did we become the Islanders?
Gee thanks! I’m an Islander fan too! Talk about gloom and doom.lol
Fred sleeps just fine on his 1000 thread count silk sheets and alpaca filled mattress.
Yeah, but when he wakes up, he’s forced into being driven to his country club (where he met with Bernie Madoff) and made to drink martinis. When he has to tip the waiter, he says that he can only afford a 50-cent tip, since his loans to EVERYONE are due (and overdue).
It’s not really $10-15M on 17 players. Most of the team’s players are on pre-arb minimum earning deals. He means $10-15M on outside pieces (two relievers, backup catcher, and his favorite “high risk/high reward” washed up staters).
This is what years in cellar looks like. We are the new Baltimore Orioles. Yay.
Nah, we’re Binghamton in NY.
well, no one ever said what else was going to happen if reyes signed. Based on these numbers, it could have meant dumping Pelf and/or pagan, and filling every other roster spot with a sub-1Mill player. that works out the same.
Correct me if i’m wrong, but didn’t Sandy say something about not reinvesting that money that would’ve gone to Reyes into the roster?
Anyway, $70 million in 2013? Joe, come on. What are you on? We’re going to trade everyone till we’re at $50 million. (Sorry, I haven’t broken the bitter sarcasm phase yet. Still fuming over the whole situation. I got annoyed again when I realized we’re not even getting a sandwich/2nd pick. We get the third because Bell was technically higher ranked.)
We do get a sandwich pick. We get a sandwich pick and a third. As opposed to the sandwich pick and 1st we thought for sure we were getting if by some crazy chance Reyes signed elsewhere.
Hank,
Sorry, I should clear up what I meant. I know we get the sandwich regardless. I was expressing my frustration with the fact that I always thought the worst case would be a sandwich/2nd from a team who’s 1strd pick was protected, but indeed, the worst possible scenario came about.
He signed with a division rival who already forfeited their 2nd round pick, so we get the sandwich, and the third.
Best case scenario would’ve been like Detroit or something, right?
You’re right Sam. Best case scenario would be any team that doesn’t have a protected first round pick (so teams in the first half of the first round), and who don’t sign a higher ranked type A free agent. So a sandwich and a third for us. It could get worse if the Marlins also sign Pujols, or anyone who ranked high than Reyes.
I know it sounds crazy, but I thought it was crazy for the Marlins to sign Reyes.
We would get the sandwich and a 4th?
I remember, in the old CBA, there was a limit on the amount of Type A players one could sign. Bell, Reyes, and Pujols would be 3. Anyone know about those rules?
We’d get a sandwich and a 4th. Awesome. I know.
Nationals woould’ve been the best case scenario.Their pick wasn’t protected and would’ve been the 16th overall to go along with our 12th pick.Of course with the Mets luck the worst possible team signed Reyes and ironically a team that hasn’t spent money in forever.
I don’t see 70, with Bay and Santana alone eating up 40+. At minimum, it means Wright was traded. Unless of course that is what Joe is expecting?
Someone want to explain how a relief pitcher is considered higher ranked than an AS ss who won a batting title? I don’t understand that.
reyes took most of 2010 off, didn’t he? I seem to recall that Elias #s were based on 2 years results.
This is correct. It is based on last 2 years of production.
Actually, I just did some reading.
(http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/MLB-CBA-free-agency-Type-A-Type-B-arbitration-rules-draft-picks-112211)
According to this, for certain players, Bell being one of them, the Marlins do not forfeit their pick. The Padres are allotted a new first round pick right before the Marlins have their pick, and they will get a sandwich pick.
So under that, the Mets SHOULD get a sandwich pick and the 2nd round pick. I feel a bit less angry. Of course, this is just my understanding, so if anyone wants to correct me, please do.
Something’s gotta give. This is where I got my stuff from….
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/36842/mets-might-get-3rd-round-pick-for-reyes
You know, this is obviously outlandish, but doesn’t it seem like the system was edited to screw us over?
Hank, according to that official, you’d be correct, we’re looking at a sandwich/3rd. and if they sign Pujols, a sandwich/4th.
“San Diego gets the second-round pick because Bell’s score is 81.4. The Mets get the third-round pick because Reyes’s score is 77.2″ FP Mets, sorry, I can’t explain how his score is higher lol
I’m not sure it was edited to screw us over, but I’m with you that it feels that way.
Thanks. I would say, “oh now I get it!” but I don’t come from a planet where relief pitchers are valued higher than middle infielders.
Because of all the games Reyes missed the last 2 seasons.If he would;ve missed a few more he would’ve been a Type B instead of Type A.
Wilpons gotta go and the only way is to boycott games and keep stadium empty !!
more likely that just guarantees they won’t be adding any new players. So basically they end up in a stalemate, but still don’t sell.
” $70 million in 2013.”
Ummm, they have $45 million tied up even if they don’t pick up Wright’s option. And considering Ike, Murphy and Niese are all up for arbitration, that number is going to be close to $60 million on just 5 players.
So the moral of the story is you’ll always have money tied up to a small group of players.
I think the Mets are just broke. To be honest, we have two guys who are definitely overpaid for their value…Bay and Santana. As much as people dislike Pelf and Pagan, they’re actually at market value. Look at the Mets’ contracts, we have like maybe 5 guys guaranteed to earn more than $1M. So please Sandy, we’re not buying this whole all the money’s tied up to a few guys.
What we do buy and understand is….there is no money.
How does Fred sleep at night? Probably quite soundly after a nice bottle of Dom, some caviar and Kobe beef tips, on a bed fashioned from 100 dollar bills and wrapped warmly in the dashed hopes of his teams followers…
I smell a trade. draw your own ocnclusions.
My data may be incorrect, but i thought we’d have a $75mm payroll iin ’12 if we lost Reyes to F/A + 10mm to re-sign Pelfrey/Pagan +10-15mm ‘to spend’…= 100mm payroll??
Just browsed over projected payrolls for the rest of the NL East. Before doing much more, most teams have a projected 11 or 12 guys making more than $1M. The Phillies had like 16. We have eight (Santana, Bay, Wright, Pagan, Pelfrey, Dickey, Carrasco, and then maybe Paulino [if he's even here] or Byrdak [if he signed for a $1M in 2012]).
So seven definite and the maybes of Paulino and Byrdak add up to one more, which makes 8. Of the 8 most are good value (market or production wise – Dickey, Wright, etc.) or short enough that they’ll be gone too because they’re worthless (Carrasco, Paulino, etc.).
We have two bad contracts. And they’ll be gone in two years. My point is simply…we’re not spending cause we’re being prudent. We’re spending cause we don’t have it. And we hope that last place finishes and the draft picks they’ll net will make us…how did Sandy put it…oh yeah…he said something like…maybe one day we can do what the marlins are doing this offseason.
1 mill is not really a useful threshold. That’s barely above minimum wage, and well within spare part FA territory.
5 mill sounds more reasonable to seperate the dregs from “real” players.
Now, look at 10mill+ to really find the big spenders (and the teams that have the top heavy payrolls). And I think when sandy made that comment, he was really talking about 15+?
mets have 3. Yanks probably have 12. Phils have at least 6, 7 is Rollins comes back. Not sure what polanco, pence of Vicky make (maybe not 10, but not far from).
Mets have 1 over 20. Even the phils have at least 3. hard to believe, because I remember a few short years ago when that team’s owners were the tighest bastards in MLB just about.
Fair enough that $1M might not be a useful threshold, but my point is we STILL only have 8 guys even guaranteed to earn $1M. And we’re still complaining that we don’t want to have too much money tied up in too few guys. Please. We only have 8 guys who are even gonna earn $1M.
I think Sandy has forgotten he’s in New York now. And also that we have access to information a lot more than people twenty years ago. Dear Mr. Alderson, get your game up. We call you on the b.s.
“I think Sandy has forgotten he’s in New York now”
Which means what? We are required to over pay for everything and get over leveraged until death?
“And also that we have access to information a lot more than people twenty years ago.”
Too bad people don’t seem to use that information.
“Dear Mr. Alderson, get your game up. We call you on the b.s.”
Ya, use that winning Philips-Minaya formula. Enough of this Cashen garbage.
sandy on wfan now
I listened. Interesting interview. Especially the part about looking like last Fri night they thought they had a good shot at signing him. 24 hours later and after the Marlins got wind of the Mets offer, it was all over. They just outbid us giving 111 MIL guaranteed money (including the buyout).
The best was: ‘The Wilpons don’t need to make money off the Mets. But you can’t just keep bleeding money year after year. Something’s got to give’.
We gave all right.
Somethin’s got to give? How about running to team to WIN so that the seats will fill?
Just play along with me for a moment, suppose Sandy Alderson was “appointed” to the Met GM job by Major League baseball to represent major league baseball’s interests as the Wilpon’s go through their financial rehabilitation, how would such a General Manager act? What decisions would he make? How would he manage payroll? front office personnel?
Not sure where you’re going with your questions, but it’s quite obvious the first part of your statement is correct. Not a doubt in my mind this was a deal Wilpons cut with Selig to try and hold onto the team.
Otherwise, if it was just a matter of the Wilpons telling their GM ‘slash payroll, you’re not getting any money to spend’, they could have just kept Omar and done that. That way, they wouldn’t have to pay 2 GMs for 2 years.
Your comment is RIGHT ON! The reality is that the Mets are in receivership and the Genius is the Trustee.
Sandy Alderson will be the next Commissioner of Major League Baseball.
Maybe. Maybe not. I’d like to deal with current issues, not past or projected history. We have a lot on our plate.
“Which means what? We are required to over pay for everything and get over leveraged until death?”
No.
“Too bad people don’t seem to use that information.”
I used that information to find out that we don’t have to buy what they’re selling. As much as Sandy wants us to believe we have too much money tied up, truth is no one’s guaranteed past 2013. And the majority of his MLB team are on pre-arb contracts (like 17 of the projected 25 man roster right now).
“Ya, use that winning Philips-Minaya formula. Enough of this Cashen garbage.”
High praise to call Sandy Cashen after one season. I know Cashen took six years to win a championship, but Sandy will be gone way before then. I’ll be shocked if he doesn’t quit on us in 1-2 years, and swear we’re better off.
All I’m saying is that when you play in a big market, you should be able to keep building your minors while competing on the free agent market. Also, I wa sonly 3 when the Mets won in 1986, but here’s that whole interne information thing again…Cashen’s resume pre-Mets…I like. Alderson’s….I’ll pass.
Cashen – two championships before Mets, and one with the Mets
Alderson – two division titles…oh my.
Sandy is no Cashen. He’s your future MLB Commish doing a favor for Selig to keep the Mets with the Wilpons, so Selig can recommend him for the job.
Cashen did not wn a championship as the GM of the O’s.His predecessor did.Sandy did win 4 division titles 3 AL pennants and a WS so his resume is right up there with Cashens in terms of championships.What Donal is trying to say that Alderson is building from within much like Cashen did.Cashen didn’t sign one free agent.He drafted well and made very sound trades.
Ya, you want to go back and look over what you said. you’re demonstrably wrong.
and for the record, if all goes well, I think Alderson will be here for the length of his deal, move on, and hand the reins to either Ricco or Ricciardi.
I was wrong on the additional two div titles, three pennants, and one world series. Never said Cashen was a GM, but he was in a front office that won three world series. I still take his resume and what he’s done over future commish. Sorry, but I like championships. Even the idea of championships excited me. Which brings us to what’s going on with the Mets.
Do you really think we can compete now? As for the future, when does that start? 2014? 2016? Sorry if that doesn’t excite me.
Believe it or not Donal, I don’t feel the need to be arch-enemies with you. I just hate last place. I wish I cared more about saving the Wilpons’ money, but I don’t. I’d like my team to win, and when we make moves that render us to last place, I get mad.
As for this whole building from within, it’s not like spending money on the MLB roster STOPS you from letting the kids in the minors develop. See that’s my disappointment with Sandy. I honestly think you can spend and build the minors at the same time. It doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive.
I forgot two more div titles he won in San Diego. Man I am demonstrably wrong again. Sorry Donal.
Welcome to the New York Pirates! Wow need those young guys to put it together soon ………
Sandy keeps hammering away over the fact that the team has lost 70 million this year.
What he doesn’t make clear is why.
The Mets lost $70 million this year because most Mets fans realized at the beginning of the year that ownership was not going to fix the holes the Mets had and that we would not be competitive by the end of the season. Hell, I predicted 76 wins in March on this forum (they won 77).
Forget the attendance figures that they announced each night. That was for tickets already sold. The actual amount of fans showing up was much less. People who had season tickets stayed away when they realized that the team was an uncompetitive sub-500 team.
Without actual rear ends in the seats, the other stadium related income – the overpriced food, the souvenirs, the parking, went way down. And the individual ticket sales dropped drastically as the season progressed.
It boils down to this – the Mets had a pretty good team in March that desperately needed some holes to fill. Starting pitching and bullpen – catching and second base among other things. Mets management did little to fix these holes. If they had fixed the holes and the Mets were a playoff team then the Mets would have had more fans and, in turn, a hell of a lot more revenue.
It takes money to make money. (yes – smart money to make money).
For the past couple of years we were all told that with the big contracts coming off the books, the team will have tens of millions of dollars to re-invest for 2012 – so – we were told – be patient with the team – next year will be much better.
So, they lose $70 million (or so they like to say) and are now saying that they not only can’t re-invest but have to take a very dull axe and cut the budget even more.
So, they will lose more money next year because most fans are fed up.
Who wants to take their family of four to see the Mets and spend $300 in the process when management and ownership treat the number one market team like this.
I’m personally fed up with us fans having to suffer because Fred got greedy on a “too good to be true” investment scam and got hoodwinked.
Let him sell the team and good riddance to him and Jeff.
Hours after I wrote this – Sandy did come out with the reason that the Mets lost so much money – and it was what I had said:
“…So really it’s live gate. If you just take the average price of a ticket and the average amount spent on food and beverage and multiply that by several hundred thousand based on the attendance going up or down, you can see what the difference is.”
The Mets drew 2.4 million fans to Citi Field in 2011, down from 2.6 million the year before and 3.2 million in 2009, the ballpark’s inaugural year. In 2008, the team attracted four million ticket buyers to Shea Stadium.”
Link: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/mets/sandy-alderson-terry-collins-put-spin-jose-reyes-exit-mets-face-money-crunch-article-1.987344
So, it boils down to what direction the Mets, as an organization, is heading. They either invest and put a competative team on the field and rake in the money when the fans come to the ballpark – or they do what they’re doing – cut the budget and put a lousy team out there and watch how they lose even more money next season.
Well, if they have Bay, Wright, and Santana on the roster in ’13, these three will get $66 million. That leaves $4 million for everyone else.
Obviously they won’t have those 3 in 2013. Wright and Santana will be gone, leaving only Bay who no one will take.
Don’t understand sandy’s math. After Pelfrey and pagan he has 15 million. But that would’ve went to reyes if signed. Either way he was going to sign a closer for at least three million right? So without reyes, he should have at least 18 to 20 million to spend after pelfrey and pagan get tendered contracts. They seem to holding back some cash…perhaps for draft?
i see people here defending sandy’s position on how the team lost $70 million, thing is, why wasn’t this said BEFORE reyes signed with the marlins?? he had an ace under his sleeve and he pulled it at the right moment, that way, he has an excuse.. they knew they “lost” that money, why not say it from the beginning??
they keep lying to us in our faces..
That’s their job. It’s a business.
And not enough is said that part of the reason for that 70 million dollar loss has to do w/Sandy Alderson’s decisions/evaluation in the 1st place. Notwithstanding the way he acted during the entire season as if he was just sitting back WAITING for this team to collapse