That’s what Joel Sherman of the NY Post says they are worth in his latest article. He asked a group of six major league executives about how much they would cost if they were available as free agents, and five of them agreed that one billion was a realistic number.
The amount seems ludicrous at first glance, but it’s not when you take a closer look. Sherman points out if Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard all receive $250 million dollar deals, and Steven Matz and Zack Wheeler sign for $150 and $100 million, that adds up to one billion.
These numbers aren’t unrealistic given the expensive deals pitchers are getting this offseason. They are now receiving bigger contracts than ever with David Price getting $217 million over seven years, and even a mediocre pitcher like Jeff Samardzija still got $90 million despite having a 4.96 ERA.
As one NL head of baseball operations said: “I do think $1 billion is a reasonable estimate. Certainly, their top four [all but Wheeler] would be more appealing than most, if not all, of the pitchers who changed teams this offseason.”
An AL head of pro scouting said: “We could argue specifics on each player, but I would have to think you’d get to a billion one way or another.”
Certainly their youth and upside is what makes them such an extremely valuable group. All of them are under 30, and have the ability to preform like number one starters. As one NL player-personnel head described, the Mets are blessed with “a unique, amazing rotation.”
With this outstanding group of pitchers, the Mets are clearly in a fantastic position this year and in the near future to dominate in the National League. The only question is can the Mets add the right pieces around them in order to achieve greatness? They came so close to pulling it off last season, and they will be more determined than ever to make it back to the World Series in 2016.
