According to a report filed by ESPN analyst Buster Olney, the Mets and Sandy Alderson expect their 2015 payroll to be similar to their 2014 payroll. Currently, the Mets have the 22nd highest payroll in baseball, sandwiched in between the San Diego Padres and the Chicago Cubs. The magic number for 2014 stands at $89,051,758 and if we understand the report correctly, this should be very close to the payroll for 2015.
Speaking on Monday, Alderson had this to say about the situation (via Buster Olney):
“… Improving a team isn’t always a function of just dollars spent. Most of the improvement that came from the Mets this year had little to do with the overall [spending]…so it doesn’t equate. We’ll have some flexibility. We’ll be able to do some things. We just have to see what’s there.”
Baseball is becoming less and less about money each year. As salaries continue to fluctuate, winning teams are coming from all brackets of the payroll ladder. The Oakland A’s payroll is lower than the Mets, yet they have the ability to win seemingly every year. Still, there has to be a balance, especially in New York.
You can feel the winds changing in Flushing. With the emergence of Zack Wheeler, Juan Lagares and Jacob deGrom this year, the continuing development of Travis d’Arnaud and The Dark Knight (Matt Harvey) himself on the horizon, the Mets are poised to become a really great team for years to come. The minor league system is stacked with talent and if Alderson is able to make the right moves, the team could contend for the rest of the decade if not beyond.
What’s scary is the lack of increase Alderson is speaking about. While there are plenty of years the A’s have won with a minimal payroll, most teams have a balance. For every superstar they have a few role players. The Mets won’t be able to win relying solely on homegrown talent. They need an influx of hitting and there doesn’t seem to be an impact bat on the horizon for 2015.
David Wright and Curtis Granderson will be paid roughly 40% of the Mets payroll this year. If this is the case in 2015, both players will be counted on to be much, much better than they were this year. If they’re unable to come through and the payroll remains around $90 million, I’m afraid we might be looking at a repeat of 2014 when the expectations are much higher in 2015.
