Sandy Alderson told reporters yesterday, that the team hopes to get payroll below the current $150 million dollar level and that could mean holding off on adding any new contracts until they could shed existing contracts – namely Jay Bruce who is set to earn $13 million. “If you were to take what we have right now, it’s probably around $150 million. But, I don’t expect that’s where it’ll always be.”
“Payroll is an issue, but so is playing time, and we’re not configured well to allocate playing time,” Alderson continued. “There’s some things we need to do to smooth that out. I wouldn’t expect that we would go into the season with what we have, not because the payroll is too high — although that is definitely a consideration — it’s also because we don’t have the right mix at the moment and the ability to allocate playing time.”
Ideally, I believe the Mers would like to head into the season with a payroll that is roughly $135 million on Opening Day. That would give the team about $15 million to use for in-season acquisitions when needed. This is a very sound fiscal approach that I’m happy to see the team adopting.
When I think back to how things used to be, it gives me such comfort to know we now have a general manager that puts a great emphasis in keeping payroll flexible by not constraining the roster with too many bloated contracts that eventually become untradable.
Jay Bruce is still a Met and while the expectation was that he’d be quickly dealt, there’s good chance that Sandy Alderson leaves the Winter Meetings this afternoon with the former Reds slugger still in his pocket. It’s not for a lack of trying, but the offers for Bruce have been lackluster and a few teams have tried low-balling the Mets.
Alderson refuses to give in and give away his one true trade asset for a bag of balls and I don’t blame him. While it has been a slow developing market for power-hitting outfielders, once players like Jose Bautista and Mark Trumbo are off the market, things will begin to pick up and teams will start giving Jay Bruce a second look. Patience is the key word.
There’s some growing buzz surrounding the New York Mets and Chicago White Sox regarding closer David Robertson, an All Star who saved 37 games last season. One person I spoke to however, was very skeptical that the two sides can get anything done unless the Mets are willing to move a pair of top organizational prospects.
I like Robertson as a 7th or 8th inning reliever, but I think it would be unwise to give up too much to get him. I have some big-time concerns over a three year decline in his strikeout rate, FIP and WHIP. His 4.6 walk rate is also a bit alarming, this is by no means an elite level reliever.
It’s one thing if we flip Jay Bruce for him, but the rebuilding White Sox have no interest in him. Trading a pair of young players like Robert Gsellman and a Gavin Cecchini is not exactly something I want to do. Keep the kids and try signing a Brad Ziegler or Koji Uehara once you move Bruce instead.
By the way, if the Mets do end up using Gsellman out of the pen, bet he puts up better peripherals and is more effective than most of the middle relievers on the market right now.
The Mets were dead serious when they said outfielder Michael Conforto was untouchable on Monday. According to a report in Newsday, a rival club made an aggressive offer for Conforto and an industry source said that the Mets refused to listen. Say that last part slowly – refused to listen.
Let’s face it, the Mets have had a tough time developing outfielders over the last 10+ years, but here’s one they value so highly they will not risk losing him and I applaud them for not being so quick to trade a future star for a quick fix for the bullpen.
That stance by the Mets gets me pretty excited over just how good the 23-year old Conforto can be this season and throughout his career. So when I see someone ask why the Mets couldn’t beat the Cubs offer and trade Conforto to the Royals for just one year of closer Wade Davis, well I get angry. And you don’t want to see me when I’m angry.
Quick Hits
1. I don’t think I can stomach another minute of any baseball or hot stove show on SNY anchored by Andy Martino and Steve Gelbs. I just can’t take either of them seriously. One of them I can tolerate, but two at the same time? Sorry, pass me the remote.
2. I feel the need to remind some of you that the top free agent player signed this offseason was outfielder Yoenis Cespedes. Oh and by the way, it was the New York Mets that signed him. You have some people crying in their Honey Bunches of Oats over not getting Mark Melancon or Adam Eaton. Seriously, have you seen what it took to get those players either in dollars or prospects? How quickly some forget when we made deals like that and how it gutted our farm system and suffocated the franchise for over half a decade.
3. I really hope we don’t lose relief prospect Paul Sewald this afternoon in the Rule 5 Draft, but my gut feeling tells me that he will be quickly scooped up and that he’ll have himself a solid rookie campaign. I was pretty excited to see the team starting to draft and develop their own closers and I was really looking forward to seeing Sewald break into the Mets bullpen in 2017.
Have a great Thursday, everyone.
