Just caught a glimpse of this on MetsBlog:
So, as we’ve been discussing all winter, the Mets payroll is around the same number as it was last year, but without adding new talent to the roster (and reducing their payroll commitments by parting ways with Jon Rauch, Mike Pelfrey, Andres Torres and Ramon Ramirez). Now, Sandy Alderson has indicated he would be able to expand the budget to around $100 million, but that doesn’t give him much flexibility to maneuver, especially since he needs to find an outfielder or two, a starting pitcher, and some relief help.
Totally disagree.
First of all, if you read Adam Rubin’s payroll calculation you would see that the $94.9 million he projects is not actual cash outlay, it’s just an arbitrary number for purposes of determining if any luxury tax is due.
In real dollars…. In real life…. In real cash outlay… In real numbers like the kind the IRS is interested in…
The Mets actual cash outlay for 2013 now stands at:
$69.9 Million Dollars
That accounts for David Wright’s $3 million deferred salary, Jason Bay’s $12 million in deferred salary, Johan Santana’s $5 million in deferred salary and also another $5.5 million for his 2014 option buyout.
None of the money above is being paid in 2013. It is being added in to the payroll projection solely for determining Luxury Tax according to MLB rules.
The truth is that the Mets are paying less than $70 million in payroll for the 2013 season.
Those are the facts.
Sandy Alderson is NOT limited to just $5 million in spending flexibility as the MetsBlog article suggests. If he wanted to keep actual spending at the same level as 2012, he has about $25 million to spend as MMO has always accurately reported.
