Is it possible that the New York Mets could essentially have their entire offseason plan wrapped up by the start of the New Year? It’s absolutely plausible.
I wanted to take a quick look at where the Mets stand now after a whirlwind December that included the acquisitions of Bartolo Colon, Jerry Blevins, Neil Walker and Asdrubal Cabrera, as well as the retirement of Michael Cuddyer.
Guaranteed Contracts ($58.0 Million)
David Wright – $20.0 Million
Curtis Granderson – $16.0 Million
Asdrubal Cabrera – $8.25 Million
Bartolo Colon – $7.25 Million
Jerry Blevins – $4.0 Million
Juan Lagares – $2.5 Million
Arbitration Projections ($38.2 Million)
Neil Walker – $11.2 Million
Lucas Duda – $6.8 Million
Addison Reed – $5.7 Million
Matt Harvey – $4.7 Million
Jeurys Familia – $3.3 Million
Jenrry Mejia – $2.6 Million
Ruben Tejada – $2.5 Million
Carlos Torres – $800 K
Josh Edgin – $600 K
That amounts to $96.2 million for 14 roster spots, not including Jenrry Mejia who is suspended. If we use the major league minimum of $550 K to fill the other 11 spots, it puts the current payroll at $103 million dollars or essentially the same figure as Opening Day in 2015.
Of course, the Mets are not done yet as they still seek to add at least one more reliever, a center fielder to platoon with Juan Lagares, and possibly an outfielder/first baseman type for the bench. So suffice it to say that the 2016 Opening Day payroll should easily exceed last year’s levels. I’m guessing it will ultimately end up at around $115 Million.
Next year however, should pose quite a challenge for the Mets. Not only will Matt Harvey, Lucas Duda and Jeurys Familia be in store for huge raises, but Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, Travis d’Arnaud and Wilmer Flores all become eligible for arbitration.
