An industry source tells Mike Puma of the NY Post that Michael Cuddyer received a buyout valued in the $2 million to $3 million range to terminate his contract with the New York Mets in December when the veteran outfielder announced his retirement.
Cuddyer, 36, was due to earn $12.5 million dollars in the final season of the two-year deal he signed during the 2014 offseason. He struggled through an injury plagued season that resulted in him losing his left field job to rookie Michael Conforto.
The retirement gave the Mets an additional $10 million dollars. but it was interesting to hear what general manager Sandy Alderson said on Tuesday, and that is “the Mets still would have been in position to pursue Yoenis Cespedes had Cuddyer remained on the team.”
What Alderson did acknowledge was that perhaps some of the other moves the team made may not have happened. Sandy mentioned no names, but he was likely referring to some of the late offseason additions that included Antonio Bastardo for $12 million, Asdrubal Cabrera for $18.5 million, and Alejandro De Aza for $5.75 million.
I think the move to re-sign Bartolo Colon for $7.25 million would have still occurred simply because it was a relative bargain and because of the veteran right-hander’s standing with the organization and popularity with the fans.
The Mets payroll for 2016 projects to be roughly $140 million or about $35 million more than Opening Day in 2015. It’s my opinion that the Mets will easily have a top 10 MLB payroll when all the numbers are finally tallied.
The Mets find themselves setup perfectly for the next ten or more years.
- They already have a championship caliber roster with a very young core of elite-level talent at the heart of it.
- They have a talent laden pipeline of minor league prospects across all levels of their system to sustain a long run of success. And their scouting and developmental departments are among baseball’s best.
- They clearly have moved past their financial limitations and now appear to have a commitment to excellence and winning championships, with both the front office and ownership working hand in hand.
There are not too many teams that can say that right now – if any. The future has never looked brighter. LGM
