New York will pay $91.6 million, raising their total tax owed over the last four years under Cohen to $320.3 million, per the AP. The Dodgers will pay $169.4 million, breaking the high the organization set last year of $103 million. Los Angeles has paid the tax for five consecutive years.

The news ironically breaks on the same day that Cohen took to social media to tamp down concerns about the Mets potentially cutting payroll.

The Mets’ total payroll of $346.7 million included $369,886 in non-cash compensation for Juan Soto, whose 15-year pact included the use of a luxury suite, up to four premium tickets and personal team security for him and his family.

Shohei Ohtani‘s deal with the Dodgers included $949,244 in non-cash compensation for a luxury suite at home games and an interpreter, the AP reported.

The Mets and Dodgers are two of nine teams that will pay the luxury tax. Teams will pay a total of $402.6 million in luxury taxes, about $90 million more than last year’s record $311.3 million.

The other luxury tax payers, per the AP: Yankees ($61.8 million), Phillies ($56.1 million), Blue Jays ($13.6 million), Padres (just under $7 million), Red Sox and Astros ($1.5 million each) and the Rangers (about $190,000).

The bills are due Jan. 21.

The post Mets’ 2025 Luxury Tax Bill Comes in at $91.6 Million appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

According to Alex Speier of the Boston Globe, Shōta Imanaga is now planning on coming to the United States *after* the new year. He is fielding offers and those offers are expected to last past the new year.

Shota Imanaga, Photo by Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports

Latest Mets News

According to USA Today, the Mets must pay a luxury tax that totals nearly $101 million. Per Maury Brown of Forbes, the Mets were one of eight clubs that broke the luxury tax threshold in 2023. The Mets’ tax lay amount totals $100,781,932.

Jay Horwitz with Mets Public Relations reported as Christmas nears, former Met Ed Hearn is hospitalized and in need of thoughts and prayers.

Latest MLB News

Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, according to sources, left-handed relief pitcher Yuki Matsui has agreed to a five-year, $28 million contract with the San Diego Padres. The contract includes opt-outs after the third and fourth years, as well as an injury clause that can convert the fifth year into a club option.

Latest on MMO

Metsmerized has a giveaway going on Instagram! Check out the link to potentially win a free Metsmerized T-shirt.

Sean Kenny breaks down the Mets’ new outfielder Tyrone Taylor.

Chris Bello evaluates the remaining MLB free agnet market.

Chris Bello breaks discusses how the Mets hit a record $101 million luxury tax bill.

On This Date in Mets History

Birthdays: Miguel Castro (29), Matt Ginter (46), Frank Taveras (74)

The post Morning Briefing: Shōta Imanaga Planning to Visit U.S. After New Year appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

According to the league, the Mets tax bill totals $100,781,932 million after they went above the luxury tax threshold for the second consecutive season. It is the highest luxury tax bill in major league history, which doubled the previous high of $43.6 million by the 2015 Dodgers.

Jun 28, 2023; New York City, New York, USA; New York Mets owner Steve Cohen speaks to the media during a press conference before a game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets were hit with this bill after finishing in fourth place in 2023. The organization spent a record $374.7 million on the 2023 roster after they were bounced in the wild-card round of the 2022 playoffs.

Despite the record spending and tax hit, the Mets saved money this season. The team recuperated $18 million at the trade deadline after trading Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, David Robertson, and Mark Canha. The team payroll was $384 million before the trade deadline, and MLB estimated the Mets would have paid an additional $8.4 million in taxes if those player salaries remained the same.

BREAKING: Eight clubs broke the Luxury Tax threshold in 2023. Following are tax outlay amounts via @ronaldblum of the @AP

Mets $100,781,932
Padres $39,693,954
Yankees 32,399,366
Dodgers $19,423,297
Phillies $6,977,345
Blue Jays $5,535,492
Braves $3,159,536
Rangers $1,827,142

— Maury Brown (@BizballMaury) December 23, 2023

The Mets weren’t the only team hit with luxury tax bills this offseason. They are among eight teams that surpassed the $237 million tax threshold. The Padres ($39.7 million), Yankees ($32.4 million), Dodgers ($19.4 million), Phillies ($6.98 million), Blue Jays ($5.5 million), Braves ($3.2 million), and Rangers ($1.8 million) were the other teams who were handed tax bills.

Of the eight teams, the Yankees and Mets were the only two to exceed the fourth and highest tax threshold of $293 million, famously known as the Cohen tax after it was implemented once the billionaire bought the franchise.

This year also saw a record amount of franchises exceed the luxury tax threshold. The previous record was six clubs in 2016 and 2022. The combined $209.8 million in luxury tax fees was also a record, which doubled the old record of $78.5 million in 2022.

The Mets have gone over the luxury tax for two consecutive seasons. If they exceed it again in 2024, Cohen and the Mets would have to pay the league an amount equal to 50% of their roster next offseason, and for every following year, they exceed the first tax threshold.

The post Mets Hit With Record $101 Million Luxury Tax Bill appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Andy Martino of SNY reported that the Mets have the following on their Winter Meetings wishlist: outfielder, starting pitching, and relief pitching.

Original Post –

The 2023 Winter Meetings are set to begin on Monday in Nashville. The meetings will run from December 3 through the 6th. With a plethora of roster spots open, president of baseball operations, David Stearns, has a lot of work to do.

Despite Winter Meetings not beginning for another 24 hours, the Mets have already been busy. The first “big” signing the team made was bringing in a reclamation project and former Yankees’ starter, Luis Severino, on a one-year, $13 million deal. New York also added depth in the form of utility infielder Joey Wendle, who will replace Luis Guillorme in a similar role next year. Lastly, they signed reliever Austin Adams to a major-league deal.

The team also made a plethora of depth moves, claiming catcher Tyler Heineman and utility player Cooper Hummel. Relief pitchers Kyle Crick and Andre Scrubb was also signed to minor-league deals. It is the beginning to what projects to be an extremely busy offseason for New York.

Steve Cohen. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Payroll Forecast and Potential Spending Consequences

Despite the flurry of moves, mostly for depth, New York has already made, the team is likely nowhere close to being done. To understand just how much flexibility they may have, a quick analysis of the team’s payroll and spending consequences is helpful.

Currently, per Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the Mets own the major league’s highest payroll at $289,760,00–A figure already above the first aforementioned luxury-tax threshold.

For comparison’s sake, the second-highest 40-man CBT payroll team is the Philadelphia Phillies at $252.7 million. Last year, New York ended the season at a 40-man CB Tax payroll of $366.1 million, the Yankees were the second-highest at $298.5 million. Another interesting tidbit is New York is currently scheduled to possess $65,933,333 in “dead money” factored into their total figure thanks to the trades of Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, and James McCann, as well as the outright of Tomás Nido. This figure is higher than the Oakland Athletic’s current $59.3 million 40-man CB tax payroll.

So, what are the penalties for where the Mets currently stand? Where might they project to be by the beginning of the season? Specifically, given this is the third year in a row the Mets are expected to pierce the threshold, they will have to pay a 50% tax on all overages. Further, as the Mets spend more and more, as they are expected to, surcharges will be applied. You can find that breakdown below:

• $257 million to $277 million: 12% surcharge
• $277 million to $297 million: 45% surcharge (would be the third-straight year)
• Over $297 million: 60% surcharge

As you can, the Mets are once again expected to blow through all the thresholds.

You can read a more in-depth explanation on the potential penalties here.

Current Roster Outlook

Coming off an 87-loss season, where the organization rightfully entered “sell mode” at the trade deadline, has resulted in a team this offseason that has several holes. Roster moves, most notably the non-tendering of several players, such as Daniel Vogelbach, Trevor Gott, Luis Guillorme, among others, has also given the Mets extreme flexibility in their 40-man roster. As it stands, New York only has 33 players on their 40-man unit.

With everything we know now, entering Winter Meetings, how does the current landscape of the roster project?

Kodai Senga. Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Starting Rotation

1. Kodai Senga
2. José Quintana
3. Luis Severino
4. Tylor Megill
5. Joey Lucchesi

An under-the-radar loss New York suffered earlier in the offseason was David Peterson undergoing hip surgery. He is expected to be out until May. The Mets also have another option to factor into the above in José Butto, who showed flashes at points last year (3.93 xERA).

This is an area New York will likely continue to address, whether that be through free agency or the trade market.

Bullpen

There likely is not another unit on the team, especially after the signing of starter Luis Severino, that needs more work than the bullpen. As it stands, New York only has four relievers that will factor into the Opening Day roster: Edwin Díaz, Brooks Raley, Drew Smith, and Austin Adams.

Other 40-man roster options consist of Grant Hartwig, Phil Bickford, Josh Walker, Sean Reid-Foley, and Reed Garrett. However, each does not have an established track record, and all but Reid-Foley (7 2/3 innings, 3.52 ERA) posted xERAs over 4.29 last season, with most being close to 5.00.

New York also has some non-40-man roster prospects that may get a look. Some of these examples are RHP Paul Gervase (2.05 ERA and 96 strikeouts across 57 total minor league innings last season), LHP Nate Lavender (2.98 ERA and 86 strikeouts over 54 1/3 total minor league innings last season), and the rehabbing RHP Bryce Montes de Oca. Meanwhile, they recently signed RHP Kyle Crick (3.56 career ERA) to a minor-league deal and Cole Sulser (3.87 career ERA) is a non-roster invitee.

The bottom line is there is a lot of question which signifies the Mets have a lot of work to do on the backend.

Pete Alonso. Photo by Roberto Carlo

Position Players

The group of position players that the Mets will largely reflect something similar to the group New York utilized last year. Here is how the depth chart currently stands based off the current 40-man roster (no specific order):

• C: Francisco Álvarez, Omar Narváez, Tyler Heineman
• 1B: Pete Alonso, Mark Vientos
• 2B: Jeff McNeil, Zack Short
• 3B: Brett Baty
• SS: Francisco Lindor, Ronny Mauricio
• LF: DJ Stewart,
• CF: Brandon Nimmo,
• RF: Starling Marte
• UTIL: Joey Wendle, Cooper Hummel

The Mets also have some younger minor leaguers like Jeremiah Jackson (22 home runs last season and .802 OPS after joining Double-A Binghamton) or Carlos Cortes (.783 OPS last season with Triple-A Syracuse) who may try to fight for a role out of training camp.

The Needs and Potential Options

It is pretty clear. President of baseball operations, David Stearns, has work to do. The glaring issues appear to be pitching, both in the rotation and in the bullpen. With that being said, the lineup cannot be overlooked either. Both at some key positions and on the bench.

Pitching

The Rotation

As the rotation currently stands, two more external adds would be beneficial. Tylor Megill (5.85 xERA in 2023) and Joey Lucchesi (5.44 xERA) currently factor into the Opening Day rotation, however, each posted subpar underlying metrics in 2023. Despite Lucceshi escaping the season with solid traditional statistics, each have yet shown to be every-fifth day starters. Not to mention, the only depth behind the current rotation is José Butto. Not only would two more external options provide needed upgrades to the rotation, it would give New York much better depth.

It is fair to slot Kodai Senga in a top-two slot with José Quintana and Luis Severino slotting in the bottom part of the rotation. That leaves New York needing to fulfill a top-of-the-rotation starter and a bottom-of-the-rotation arm. Who are some options?

Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Yukihito Taguchi-USA TODAY Sports

The Mets’ interest in Yoshinobu Yamamoto has long been rumored and he would instantly fill that top-of-the-rotation hole. Jordan Montgomery has also been a name mentioned as a potential pitcher on the Mets’ radar. He would also fulfill a spot in the top half of the Mets rotation.

As for other top-half rotation options, Blake Snell, Eduardo Rodriguez, and Shohei Ohtani also are still on the market. However, as it relates to Ohtani, New York has reportedly turned their attention to other players.

The bottom half of the rotation free agent options that would benefit the Mets, in order of wins above replacement (WAR) from last season consist of Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Michael Lorenzen, Mike Clevinger, Wade Miley, and Domingo German, among others.

There is also the trade market, where top arms such as Corbin Burnes, Dylan Cease, and Shane Bieber are allegedly available. However, New York has seemingly shown unwillingness to trade any of their top prospects. Making it more likely if they do go to the trade market for a starter, it would be a back-half starter.

Edwin Díaz. Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The Bullpen

As for the bullpen, the unit may need even more work than the rotation. Teams conventionally carry around eight relief pitchers, New York currently has four of those spots fulfilled (Díaz, Raley, Smith, and Adams) leaving several established relievers needed to complete the unit.

Some of the more prominent right-handed relievers on the market who performed well last season are David Robertson, Craig Kimbrel (3.28 xERA in 2023), Robert Stephenson (2.73 xERA in 2023), Hector Neris (3.33 xERA in 2023), Phil Maton (3.14 xERA in 2023), Jordan Hicks (3.33 xERA in 2023), Ryan Brasier (3.55 xERA in 2023), Chris Stratton (3.58 xERA in 2023), and Dylan Floro (3.35 xERA in 2023), among several others.

As of now, the only established left-handed major leaguer the Mets have is Raley. The top options on the free agent market are Aroldis Chapman and Josh Hader. Given the existence of Díaz, the spending on Hader would seem unlikely. Other left-handed options who are free agents and were strong in 2023 are Brent Suter (3.23 xERA in 2023), Will Smith (3.35 xERA in 2023), Matt Moore (3.30 xERA in 2023), and Scott Alexander (3.61 xERA in 2023).

As you can see, luckily, there are a plethora of solid relief pitchers on the market. Look for the Mets and president of baseball operations, David Stearns, to be extremely active there.

Hitting

As previously mentioned, New York’s position group is much closer to being set, on paper, than the rotation and bullpen. The likely focuses are potential supplemental options to Brett Baty at third base, left field, potential Starling Marie insurance in right field, and another designated hitting option.

New York already signed Joey Wendle, who is capable at third base, however, also is left-handed and projects more as a depth move than a potential platoon option at third base. The two top options at the corner infield spot are Matt Chapman and Jeimer Candelario. However, with New York likely hoping Baty is the future at that spot, a depth option would likely be better. Those potential options are Justin Turner, Brian Anderson, Gio Urshela, and Evan Longoria.

Teoscar Hernández. Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports

Left field projects as more of an everyday opportunity for a potential external option. DJ Stewart was re-signed, but a repetition of an .840 OPS performance from last year would be a tall task, his fielding does not exactly scream everyday left fielder, and he is a prime candidate to get designated hitter at-bats. The top left fielder options on the market consist of Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Teoscar Hernández, Jorge Soler, Whit Merrifield, and Adam Duvall.

Additionally, New York was also recently mentioned as a team who is interested in KBO-import Jung Hoo Lee. Lee, who is a center fielder by trade, can slot into left field or New York can move Brandon Nimmo to left and leave Lee in center. If the Mets do choose to move Nimmo to left to fill that slot, center field options in free agency, outside of Lee, consist of the likely overpriced Cody Bellinger, former Blue Jay defensive maestro Kevin Kiermaier, and former Yankee and Cardinal Harrison Bader.

As for the other corner outfield position, Starling Marte may be the biggest question mark on the roster. After a terrific 2022 season, Marte struggled in 2023 immensely, due in large part due to injuries. There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding what he will be in 2023. For that reason, do not be surprised if New York makes a move to bring in depth there. Depth outfield options consist of Eddie Rosario, Tommy Pham, Travis Jankowski, Joey Gallo, Randal Grichuk, Hunter Renfroe, Robbie Grossman, among others.

Designated hitter is another interesting question for the Mets. They seemingly have numerous in-house options, many of which are of the younger and unproven variety (Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio, and Brett Baty) as well as the previously mentioned Stewart. The main designated hitter options on the market are the aforementioned Solar, Rosario, Turner, Renfroe, as well as J.D. Martinez, Carlos Santana, Andrew McCutchen, and Joc Pederson. Of course, there is Ohtani, however, as mentioned before, the Mets have seemingly turned their attention elsewhere.

Despite having a mostly solid internal stable of options, New York still has some work to do in ensuring no glaring holes in the team’s lineup.

Final Thoughts

The Mets have already been active this offseason, however, with Winter Meetings commencing expect them to be even busier given the current state of the 40-man roster. Their rotation and bullpen still require some makeover and the lineup will need a couple additions as well.

Having the richest owner in sports surely helps, and New York has the flexibility other teams certainly do not possess. However, with this being said, the team has likely learned a lesson from last year’s splurge on aging players, and currently has a new-found stable of intriguing and still developing prospects they need to be cognizant of.

New president of baseball operations David Stearns has long been praised for his craftiness and for running a perennial playoff-bound organization in Milwaukee. With more resources than he has ever had, and several positions needing filling, expect him and New York to be extremely active in the coming days and weeks.

Based on all the above, what do the Mets need to prime themselves for a return to the playoffs in 2024? Two starters, three bullpen arms, a left fielder, a designated hitter, and some position player depth. They have the adequate resources to do so, and an individual at the helm who has been very successful in years past.

Make sure to follow along with us here at Metsmerized every step of the way as our in-depth offseason coverage continues!

The post Previewing The 2023 Winter Meetings From The Mets Perspective appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

We’ve updated the previous piece to include the signings of Brandon Nimmo and David Robertson. 

With the Winter Meetings wrapped up, it’s time to take inventory of how much payroll the Mets have added with their signings of multiple starting pitchers, a trade for a legitimate high-leverage lefty reliever, and a Rule 5 Draft selection.

The additions help fill the massive voids left behind by the numerous players who reached free agency this winter, but, it also tacks on a huge expense to an already massive payroll for the 2023 season.

Last season, the Mets finished the year with a franchise-record $286.55M payroll (for MLB luxury tax purposes), and with Justin Verlander, Jose Quintana, Brooks Raley, and Zach Greene in the fold, they have already broken that record again, and seem guaranteed to exceed a $300M payroll.

Let’s take a quick look at how the 2023 payroll looks as of right now.

Simple Guaranteed Contracts

• RHP Max Scherzer | 3 yrs/$130.0M (2022-2024) [$43.33M AAV]
• RHP Justin Verlander | 2 yrs/$86.6M (2023-2024) [$43.33M AAV]
• OF Brandon Nimmo | 8 yrs/$162.0M (2023-2030) [$20.25M AAV]
• OF Starling Marte | 4 yrs/$78.0M (2022-2025) [$19.50M AAV]
• OF Mark Canha | 2 yrs/$26.5M (2022-2023) [$13.25M AAV]
• RHP Jose Quintana | 2 yrs/$26.0M (2023-204 [$13.00M AAV]
• C James McCann | 4 yrs/$40.6M (2021-2024) [$10.15M AAV]
• IF Eduardo Escobar | 2 yrs/$20.0M (2022-2023) [$10.00M AAV]
• RHP David Robertson | 1 yr/$10.0M (2023) [$10.0M AAV]
• LHP Brooks Raley | 2 yrs/$8.75M + $6.5M club option or $1.25M buyout (2022-2023) [$5.75M AAV]
• 1B/OF Darin Ruf | 2 yrs/$6.0M + $3.5M club option or $250k buyout (2022-2023) [$3.125M AAV]

Total Salary Guaranteed Contracts: $191.69M

For MLB Luxury Tax calculation purposes, salaries for players on guaranteed deals are determined by the Average Annual Values of their contracts. An easy simple ($$/years) calculation. One thing to keep in mind though is how option years and/or buy-outs are calculated. Contracts with Players Options are considered guaranteed years and as such the AAV calculation will include the option year. All other options (Club, Vesting, Mutual) are considered non-guaranteed. Any buyouts associated with these options are included in the AAV calculation but the options themselves are not.

For example, Darin Ruf’s two-year, $6 million deal pays him $3 million per season, however, since it has a $250k buy-out with his 2024 club option, the AAV ends up being $3.125M instead.

One oddity as a result of the new CBA…per Matt Gelb of the Athletic, any player traded with guaranteed money still on their contract has their AAV impact re-calculated based on how much money is remaining on the deal. So for Brooks Raley, his 2023 AAV hit on the payroll is his 2023 $4.5M salary + the $1.25M buyout on his 2024 club option.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Guaranteed Contracts from Option Years

• 1B/DH Daniel Vogelbach | 1 yr/$1.5M via exercised club option, $200k buyout not used (2023) [$1.3M AAV]
• RHP Carlos Carrasco | 1 yr/$14.0M via exercised club option, $3.0M buyout not used (2023) [$11.0M AAV]
• RHP John Curtiss | 1 yr/$775k (2023) [$0.775M AAV]

Total Option Year Contracts: $13.075M

These are generally the same as the previous category, however, the flipside of how buyouts are included in AAVs fall out here. Since Vogelbach and Carrasco’s 2023 option buyouts were already included in previous AAV calculations but were not used, the Mets may now take a credit for the buy-out amounts in the option year season. So Vogelbach’s AAV impact is reduced by $200k and Cookie’s by $3 million.

Guaranteed Contracts with Deferrals

• SS Francisco Lindor | 10 yrs/$341.0M with $50M deferred (2022-2031) [$32.348M AAV]
• RHP Edwin Diaz | 5 yrs/$102.0M with $26.5M deferred (2023-2027) [$17.378M AAV]

Total Deferral Contracts: $49.726M

Alright, folks strap in, grab some paper, and a pen as we take a trip down Financial Accounting 401. For any contract that includes deferred compensation, a standard $$/years AAV approach cannot be used. This is because of a concept known as the “time value of money (TVM)”. Said in its simplest terms, “money is worth more now than it will be at a future date due to its earnings potential”. We are all suffering through inflation in our personal lives as we speak so I think we can all understand that a dollar right now can’t get you as much as a dollar did 10 years ago.

With this in mind, in order to factor in this devaluation of money, for AAV purposes, deferrals on a contract must be recalculated and factored in based on their “Net Present Value (NPV)”. This in turn generates a cost savings for teams against the luxury tax based on three main factors…(A) how much money is deferred, (B) How long the money is deferred for, and (C) the discount rate applied at the time of contract signing [Generally based on JP Morgan Bank’s Prime Rate].

For Lindor, $50 million of his compensation ($5M per year) is being deferred for 10 years and discounted at 4.0%. So the NPV of his $50.0M is only $32.479, a ~$17.521M luxury tax savings across 10 years (-$1.752M AAV reduction). So instead of his contract having a $34.1M AAV, the team is only hit for $32.348M.

For Diaz, although only $26.5M of his compensation is being deferred, it is being deferred at a 7.0% discount rate, and for a time frame ranging from 10 to 15 years. So, the NPV of his $26.5M is only $11.391M, a $15.108M savings across 5 years (-$3.021M AAV reduction) reducing his AAV from $20.4M to $17.378M

Dead Money

• 2B Robinson Cano | 10 yrs/$240.0M (2014-2023), $3.75M paid by Mariners [$20.25M AAV]

Total Dead Money: $20.25M

Yup, he’s still around hurting the Mets. This is the final year of Cano’s contract so we can all finally rejoice when this comes off the books at the end of the season. If another team finds some reason to sign him to their MLB roster, the Mets would gain a small $3,846.15 benefit for each day he’s on a roster. They picked up $158k thanks to the Padres and Braves last year.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Arbitration Contracts (estimates per MLB Trade Rumors)

• 1B Pete Alonso | Arbitration Year 2 ($15.90M)
• 2B/OF Jeff McNeil | Arb 2 ($6.20M)
• RHP Elieser Hernandez | Arb 2 ($1.80M)
• C Tomas Nido | Arb 2 ($1.60M)
• IF Luis Guillorme | Arb 2 [Super 2] ($1.50M)
• RHP Drew Smith | Arb 2 ($1.20M)
• RHP Joey Lucchesi | Arb 2 ($1.15M)
• RHP Jeff Brigham | Arb 1 ($0.80M)

Total Arbitration Contracts: $30.15M

Once a player reaches three years of service time (or two for players with Super 2 Status), their salaries for subsequent seasons, until they reach six years of service time, are determined based by an arbitrator based on their career and prior season performances in relation to their peers who have also gone through arbitration.

Most of the time, these arbitration cases are settled at a mid-point between what the player wants and what the team wants. By doing so, both sides avoid a painful and awkward arbitration hearing and the player guarantees his salary even in the event of being cut during spring training. If a player/team decides to go through the arbitration process, that salary is then non-guaranteed. If the player ends up being cut before the 16th day of spring training, they only get 1/6th of their salary. If the player is cut between the 16th day and the end of spring training, they only get 1/4th of their salary.

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

MLB/MiLB Renewable Minimum Salary Contracts

$720k if on MLB roster or $117.4k if on MiLB roster ($58.7k if first time on a 40 man roster)

• OF Khalil Lee
• 3B Brett Baty
• LHP David Peterson
• RHP Tylor Megill
• RHP Stephen Nogosek
• LHP Tayler Saucedo
• C Francisco Alvarez
• 3B Mark Vientos
• SS Ronny Mauricio
• RHP Jose Butto
• RHP Bryce Montes de Oca
• RHP Yoan Lopez
• RHP William Woods
• RHP Stephen Ridings
• RHP Zach Greene

Total Renewable Contracts: $4.406M

Any player with less than three years of service time is subject to team-controlled renewable contracts. While teams can certainly choose to pay their pre-arbitration players more than MLB/MiLB minimum, they are under no requirement to do so.

Other MLB Luxury Tax Requirements

1/30th of the Player Benefits Pool | $17.3M
1/30th of the Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pool | $1.67M

Total Other: $18.97M

The final piece of the Luxury Tax calculation is something the teams have no control over. The Player Benefits Pool and Pre-Arbitration Bonus Pools are both financial pieces negotiated as part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Funding for these two pools are split evenly between all 30 MLB teams.

Final Total MLB Luxury Tax Payroll: $326.83M + $59.84M luxury tax payment + Top 2024 Draft Pick moved back 10 spots

A staggering number considering the Mets still seemingly have another rotation spot to fill, half of the bullpen, and a desire to add at least one impact bat to the lineup. In order to fill all these needs they will most certainly need to go beyond a $300M salary, perhaps as high as $330M.

The 2024 payroll situation is no better either as I currently have it at an estimated $260.15M already with the departures of Escobar, Canha, Vogelbach, and Carrasco included.

The post Breaking Down the Mets Current 2023 Payroll appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

With the calendar turning to March, Opening Day is now less than a month away, meaning there isn’t much time left for the New York Mets to extend multiple impending free agents before the regular season begins.

While the focus is currently on the upcoming campaign, and rightly so, the Mets’ front office also has its hands full with taking care of some future business this spring, as both Francisco Lindor and Michael Conforto are slated to hit the open market after this season.

If attempting to lock up both of those key players wasn’t difficult enough, they’ll also be tasked with negotiating a new contract with pitcher Noah Syndergaard, who’s also set to become a free agent next winter.

Even though Syndergaard isn’t as valuable as Lindor and Conforto, management still views him as a meaningful part of the roster and would prefer to keep him in blue pinstripes for many more seasons to come. It certainly won’t be easy to negotiate three long-term deals in just a month, but team president Sandy Alderson remains hopeful he’ll be able to hold some productive meetings with the 6′ 6″ hurler and his representatives in the near future.

“Noah’s contract expires at the end of the year,” Alderson discussed during his press conference. “It would be natural for us to talk about the possibilities, the options. We will do that.”

In a perfect world, the Mets would happily provide lucrative contract extensions to all three of these All-Star players, but this isn’t a fantasy and there’s a solid chance Alderson will be forced to eventually make some very tough decisions. Since extending this trio would significantly impact the organization’s future spending, one of those difficult choices may include pushing a player’s contract talks to after the season, and it probably makes the most sense to delay Syndergaard’s potential extension.

As things stand right now, New York’s payroll for the 2022 campaign currently sits at just over $100 million, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. But taking into account contract tendering and arbitration, that figure will likely rise to approximately $150 million, leaving the front office with $60 million or so in tax space based on this season’s $210 million luxury tax threshold.

Even if the new collective bargaining agreement increases next season’s threshold, it probably won’t be rising by a significant amount, especially since it’s only increased by $4 million since 2019. Combining that slow progression along with the financial shortcomings caused by COVID-19, it’s certainly possible the final amount will end up looking very similar to the 2021 figure.

So if the Mets have around $60 million in tax space next offseason, this probably leaves them with enough space to extend two of either Lindor, Conforto, or Syndergaard without crossing over the luxury tax threshold. But if they sign all three players this month, they’ll become a luxury tax team before the 2021 campaign begins, which could complicate their plans for next winter.

While Alderson and his staff may be prepared to do that, doing so during the offseason rather than before the regular season would likely be a more favorable option. It’d provide them with additional clarity on future revenue and they’d also gain a better understanding of the free-agent market.

Since Syndergaard is entering his age-28 season and is also coming off Tommy John surgery, it may be somewhat difficult for management to determine his current value, which could prevent both sides from coming to terms on a long-term deal this spring. But if the right-hander stays healthy and returns to his previous form in 2021, it’d probably become much easier for the front office to make him an offer once the season concludes.

After suffering a serious elbow injury, it’d be wise to have the towering hurler prove he’s still capable of performing at a high level before handing him a new contract. Though the club isn’t expecting him to replicate his stellar 2016 campaign, where he recorded a career-high 6.0 fWAR, the veteran arm could easily improve the value of his next contract if he posts at least 4.0 fWAR for the third-straight campaign. However, it still might be challenging for both sides to come to an agreement.

Despite missing the entire 2020 campaign, the 2016 NL All-Star is still considered one of the top hurlers in the league and he’ll undoubtedly be searching for a considerable raise from his $9.7 million salary. While it’s unclear as to what his exact price point will be, and we may have to wait until next offseason to find out, there’s a very strong chance he’ll be looking to receive a higher contract than pitcher Kyle Hendricks‘ four-year, $55.5 million deal that was signed back in 2019.

Considering “Thor” produced a better ERA (3.31), FIP (2.93), xFIP (3.17), FIP- (71), strikeout rate (26.3%), and fWAR (18.7) than Hendricks from 2015-2019, he probably deserves a higher average salary than just $13.8 million. That being said, if he commands a similar contract to Zack Wheeler‘s five-year, $118 million deal, it might make more sense to allow him to enter free agency.

With pitchers Jacob deGrom and Carlos Carrasco at the front of the rotation along with the addition of Taijuan Walker, who signed a two-year, $20 million deal, Syndergaard could become expendable after this season if his contract demands soar too high for the Mets.

Since teammate Marcus Stroman is also set to hit the open market next offseason, letting both of them depart through free agency and utilizing that tax space to fill one open vacancy could be the best route to take.

If both Stroman and Syndergaard indeed leave, the Mets’ rotation would likely consist of deGrom, Carrasco, Walker, David Peterson, and potentially Joey Lucchesi in 2022. Adding to this group, management would have an opportunity to acquire at least one starter to compete for the final spot in the rotation, which would ultimately provide them with a potent pitching staff for a second consecutive season.

So while the front office is set to begin contract negotiations with Syndergaard shortly, don’t be surprised if he opens the 2021 campaign without a new deal and takes his services elsewhere once free agency begins next offseason.

The post Mets Shouldn’t Extend Noah Syndergaard Before This Season appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

While this offseason isn’t finished just yet, the New York Mets have already done an excellent job at improving their roster over the last couple of months and the club appears to be better positioned to compete for a playoff spot this season compared to how they were constructed at the start of last season.

After acquiring impact players like Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco, James McCann and Trevor May, the front office has to be extremely pleased with the moves they’ve been able to make this winter. That being said, they still have some heavy lifting to do before the regular season opens on Apr. 1.

As of right now, the Mets still have some holes to fill within their position player group, which includes acquiring a starting center fielder and another infielder. Along with rounding out the roster, management will also be tasked with extending both Michael Conforto and Lindor, who are both slated to become free agents next offseason, before the 2021 campaign commences.

Considering Opening Day is just under two months away, there’s still lots of time to negotiate new contracts with both of these valuable players, meaning there’s no need to start panicking just yet. But since neither of them wants this situation to become a distraction as the year progresses, team president Sandy Alderson and his staff will likely have until the end of spring training, or sometime just before then, to lock up two of the most important pieces of this team.

With the front office currently focused on adding a few more pieces to their roster, it seems they might be a little too busy to hammer out new deals with Conforto and Lindor over the next week or so. If that’s the case, then any contract negotiations involving either of them will likely take place when they’re already in camp and preparing for the upcoming season.

Though there’s nothing wrong with taking this approach, it’s actually a pretty common occurrence in today’s game, doing so could prove to be extremely difficult, especially since they’re each considered franchise players and both are reportedly seeking long-term deals. Since negotiating massive contracts are usually a difficult process, completing two of those deals in a short period of time will probably be easier said than done.

Starting with Lindor, who hasn’t even played a single game for the Mets yet, he certainly hasn’t been afraid of turning down contract offers over the last few years. Even though the Cleveland Indians were always viewed as a longshot to extend the 27-year-old, their front office still made numerous proposals to him only to be turned down each time.

While he hasn’t made any public contract demands, most experts believe the superstar shortstop is seeking a lucrative extension that’ll pay him over $300 million, which would certainly surpass third baseman Manny Machado‘s 10-year, $300 million contract that was signed back in 2019.

As for Conforto, the 27-year-old has recently confirmed the Mets haven’t begun any contract negotiations with him up to this point, which is somewhat concerning, although it’s clear he’d prefer to finish his career in Queens. Since he was drafted by this organization back in 2010 and has worn blue pinstripes throughout his six seasons in the majors, it makes plenty of sense as to why he’d want to finish his playing days in the same place where they started.

Taking into account that outfielder George Springer just received a six-year, $150 million deal from the Toronto Blue Jays, that exact figure is probably a solid starting point for how much Conforto will ultimately command. But since he’s three years younger than the former Houston Astro, there’s a very strong chance the 6′ 1″ right fielder will demand a much higher salary than him once negotiations actually begin.

Combining both of their situations together, it seems the Mets will probably need to spend close to $500 million in order to lock up both Conforto and Lindor, which is no small task. Even for owner Steve Cohen, who’s admitted he won’t shy away from investing large amounts of money into this team, that’s a huge price to pay for just two players and it’s also a major commitment to make in such a short period of time.

Taking this even further, New York’s front office will likely need to decide before the start of this season whether they’re prepared to spend into the luxury tax for the next few campaigns, as extending both of these players is expected to push their payroll far beyond the current $210 million threshold. Even if that’s a choice they’re willing to make, it’s one they’ll need to decide on fairly quickly, which is why it might make more sense to extend one player now and then lock up the other one next winter.

Regardless of when the Mets decide to start negotiating, one thing is clear, they can’t allow Conforto or Lindor to depart through free agency after the 2021 campaign. Losing either player would be detrimental to this team and would leave an unfillable hole on the roster, especially since each of them has been near the top of the leaderboard in several different categories at their respective positions over the last several seasons.

With Conforto, the 2017 NL All-Star currently ranks ninth in fWAR (13.1), 12th in RBIs (273), 13th in OPS (.864) and 14th in home runs (97) among all qualified outfielders since 2017, according to FanGraphs.com.

Adding to his impressive resume, the former first-round pick took his game up to another level in 2020, as he produced career-highs in BABIP (.412), wOBA (.401), LD rate (30.3%), opposite-field percentage (28.3%) and in wRC+ (157).

As for his defense, Conforto finished in the top 15 in OAA during both the 2018 (6 OAA) and 2019 (6 OAA) campaigns.

Moving on to Lindor, the four-time All-Star currently ranks first in fWAR (29.2), second in home runs (138), third in RBIs (411), tied for fifth in OPS (.833), tied for sixth in wOBA (.351) and wRC+, eighth in ISO (118) and tied for ninth in hard-hit rate (37.8%) among all qualified shortstops since 2015.

Providing elite-level defense, the two-time Gold Glove award winner has finished in the top three in OAA in three of the last four seasons (2017, 2018 and 2020). In the one season where he didn’t rank inside the top three (2019), he still produced an 11 OAA, which was tied for sixth-highest.

Unless something changes between now and the start of the 2021 campaign, keeping both Conforto and Lindor around long term is something the Mets will likely be striving to achieve all season long. But if they’re somehow able to extend both of them within the next two months, it’ll truly be an incredible accomplishment that will deserve praising for many seasons to come.

Until that happens, everyone will be left waiting to see if the front office can pull this extremely difficult feat off before time runs out. But if they fall short, then that same anxiousness is likely to carry over into the season, which is something no one wants to experience.

The post Extending Conforto and Lindor Before 2021 Season Could Be Difficult appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Why I Started Looking At Deferred Contracts

The running joke by many baseball writers, fans, and TV networks was the deferred contract the Mets agreed to give Bobby Bonilla. Instead of simply laugh, I decided to dig deeper into his contract and deferred contracts in-general.

I realized that the deferment with Bonilla actually worked out for the Mets in some regards – allowed them to acquire Mike Hampton which ultimately led to the compensation pick of David Wright – and that deferred contracts were happening way before Bobby.

While looking at all of the deferred deals, I realized that some of them actually made sense for both the player and the team. It allowed the team more payroll flexibility (and luxury tax which Chris covers later) to sign other players and if there’s no interest involved, actually saved them money. From the player perspective, it assures them they will be getting paid after their playing days are over and even better for guys like Manny Ramirez that will receive interest.

Overall, I believe it’s important to look at each of the deals and see what they meant for the team at the time. What did it allow them to do? Did they benefit from being able to do it? (Looking at the 2019 Washington Nationals, franchise with the most current deferred contracts out there and future)

Then look at how it could affect the team in the future. Again, the Nationals are a key one to look at when they start paying Max Scherzer $15 million a year from 2022-2028 in deferred payments and will also be paying deferred money to Stephen Strasburg, Patrick Corbin, and Rafael Soriano during that time.

When you go through the list of deferred deals I tweeted out, you see there’s a ton of stars – Ichiro, Ken Griffey Jr. Manny, and Todd Helton – but there’s also lesser known players like Brian Dozier, Matt Wieters, and Wei-Yin Chen.

You will also see that the three teams the most active in giving deferred contracts in recent years are the Orioles, Nationals, and Mets. One last note is that not all deferred payments are made on July 1, some contracts stipulate other dates like the $3 million payment Daniel Murphy received form the Nats on January 15 of this year.

A Brief History of Deferred Contracts in Baseball, by Jacob Resnick

Though deferred money has been a part of baseball since the early 20th century, typically in the form of retirement benefits — Sparky Lyle signed a contract with the Texas Rangers in which he also agreed to broadcast their games for 10 years after he stopped playing — the influx of modern deferrals began once free agency had moved past its infancy and the game’s stars started signing long-term contracts on the open market in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

The most well-known of these early deferred contracts is Bruce Sutter‘s six-year deal from the winter of 1984 that called for 30 years of additional payments through 2021.

But other big names, like George Brett, Bert Blyleven, Rich Gossage, Tommy John, Phil Niekro, and Dave Parker, hopped on the trend early, too.

In fact, Niekro, despite signing a three-year deal with the Atlanta Braves that ended in 1982, received $8,500 per month through 2010, when he turned 71 years old.

Gossage signed with the San Diego Padres in 1984 and guaranteed himself six-figure yearly payments through 2016. It’s hard to imagine that General Manager Jack McKeon (or anyone alive, for that matter) had any concept of the year 2016, 32 years earlier.

The first time a team had an uh-oh moment after agreeing to lengthy deferrals came in 1986, three years after former MVP Dave Parker played his last game with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Originally scheduled to receive yearly payments from 1989 to 2007, Parker was sued by the Pirates for “breach of contract on the ground that his use of cocaine had defrauded the team.”

The lawsuit was settled in 1988. The terms were not disclosed, but Pittsburgh ended up paying significantly less than the nearly $1.5 million due in deferrals — and in one lump sum payment, too.

As the 80s turned into the 90s and the 90s turned into the 21st century, contracts began to skyrocket.

When it came to players like Alex Rodriguez, who signed a massive ten-year deal in excess of $250 million in 2001, the only way to mitigate the complications of employing a player that makes insanely more than his teammates is to defer significant portions of the contract over twenty years down the line.

From a team and owner perspective, it all makes sense. Perhaps the ownership group signing the contract won’t even have control of the organization when those final few payments are made.

For win-now clubs, the ability to fit an extra player or two into your payroll by deferring portions of other players’ salaries can be a weapon.

The Baltimore Orioles tried to extend their window by handing out a combined $258 million to Chris Davis, Yovani Gallardo, Darren O’Day, and Mark Trumbo over the 2016 and 2017 offseasons. It obviously didn’t work out for the team, but it didn’t kill Peter Angelos’ pockets, either, as $54 million of the total was deferred. (It does mean the Orioles will be paying Davis over $1 million when he’s 51. Sheesh.)

Baseball owners have always operated with a money-saving mindset. The only difference is now they’re on the hook for multi-hundred million dollar salaries, as opposed to the five-year, $7.5 million contract that Parker signed in 1979 that made him the highest-paid player in the game.

With no sign of salaries slowing down, it’s only right to assume that deferral checks will continue getting larger as well.

Understanding the Economics of Deferred Contracts, by Christopher Soto

A dollar today is worth more than a dollar tomorrow.

This statement is starting point of any conversation when discussing any form of deferred compensation. It wasn’t that long ago when even a $15 million per year contract was considered record setting. In December of 1998, the Los Angeles Dodgers signed a Cy Young candidate in RHP Kevin Brown to a record setting seven-year, $105 million, contract  the largest in baseball history in terms of total dollars and average annual salary. This bested Mike Piazza‘s $91 million deal as the biggest in total dollars and Mo Vaughn‘s $13.33 million a year deal as the highest average annual salary. Yet nowadays, $15 million is what you expect to pay for a back-end of the rotation starting pitcher while Cy Young candidates are regularly topping $30 million per season.

This, my friends, is inflation. As time moves on things become more and more expensive. Its not just a concept in sports. We as individuals experience it everyday in your own lives.  The Swiss Cake rolls from the corner store that I use to buy after school for a quarter, I now have to pay a dollar for if I want to grab them after work. The same dollar bill that could buy me four of them back then, can only buy me one now. Seems like a pretty raw deal, right?

Now think of these in terms of your salary. You work a nine to five job for $100,000 a year, but your employer only pays you half of your money now with the other half ten years from now. You find yourself comfortably able to live on $50,000 a year with no problems and when you retire in ten years you look forward to the $50,000 a year you will receive every year. However, ten years from now, your not able to live as comfortably anymore. Food is more expensive, Rent is higher, insurance, transportation, medical bills, everything is more expensive now making that $50,000 less valuable.

That is the “time value of money” and why more and more teams are choosing to structure the largest contracts in the game to include deferred compensation. In today’s current MLB collective bargaining agreement, deferring compensation is also a way teams can get around the normal rules of staying under the established luxury tax line. Since, for MLB Luxury Tax purposes, player contracts are accounted for based on the Average Annual Value (AAV) the calculations for it are generally just a very simple mathematical $/years calculation. However, how does one account for money that players are earning in a year, but not receiving until 10,15,20 years from now? That’s where the term “Net Present Value” comes into play.

Said more simply, we need to figure how much the compensation we are deferring is going to be worth in the future when we actually pay it out. Does anyone have a crystal ball to tell me what inflation is going to be in 2030? Thankfully, we don’t need one. Instead we can use something called a “discount rate”. Think of it as the cost of a missed opportunity. What if you had gotten that $50,000 of salary that was deferred and invested it instead? What kind of interest rate would you get on it? By using this, we can figure out how much money your missing out on by choosing to receive your money years later. The difference between what you could have made and what you will make is the discount rate that reduces the Net Present Value of your deferred compensation.
Let’s use Max Scherzer’s contract as an example. In January 2015, the Nationals agreed to sign him to a 7 year/$210 million contract. As part of the agreement though, Scherzer deferred all of his normal compensation from 2019 to 2021 to be paid across seven years after his contract expires (Though he still receives $15 million each year as part of his original signing bonus.) By doing so, this reduces the NPV of the contract by ~$18.6 million helping the Nationals reduce their luxury tax hit by $2.65 million per season. This may not seem like a lot, but the Nationals are an organization that utilizes deferred compensation quite frequently. Scherzer, Ryan Zimmerman, Stephen Strasburg, Daniel Murphy, Patrick Corbin, and several others have all agreed to some sort of deferred compensation deal allowing to Nationals to fit in more high value contracts without exceeding the tax line.

The Mets are no stranger to this concept either (insert Bobby Bonilla joke here), though, presently they don’t use it nearly to the extent that the Nationals do. Most recently, Jacob deGrom‘s 5 year/$137.5 million extension included a maximum of $52.5 million of deferred compensation if both sides don’t exercise opt-outs. The deferred compensation won’t be paid to deGrom until 15 years! after he rightfully earns it. This length and size of deferrals results in a much larger discount rate than Scherzer’s was giving the Mets more luxury savings per year than the Nationals received. Though the flip side of that is the fact that the Mets will be cutting checks for deGrom until he’s 47 through 51 years old.

Both of these contracts are simple examples of how deferred contracts work with no deferred interest built into them. Some deferred compensation agreements in the past have had interest built into them such as the Mets Bobby Bonilla deal or, more painfully, Bruce Sutter’s 1984 six-year contract $9.1 million deal with the Atlanta Braves that deferred the entire amount at 12.3% interest resulting in 30 years worth of $1.12 million interest payments + the final payment of the original $9.1 million resulting in a total deferred earnings of $42.7 million.

The post MLB Matters: Understanding Deferred Money Contracts appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Dennis Lin of The Athletic  reports that the San Diego Padres have shown interest in acquiring Red Sox superstar outfielder Mookie Betts.

Lin says recent talks have focused on “significant” prospect talent and Padres outfielder Wil Myers.

The Red Sox have roughly $230 million committed for the 2020 season and owner John Henry has said he would like to see them under the $208 million luxury tax threshold. Red Sox went over the luxury tax in 2019 and paid a record $13.4 million luxury tax bill.

Betts will make $27 million in 2020, his final year of control before hitting free agency for the first time. Betts has finished in the top 10 for MVP (winning in 2018) in four straight seasons and averaged 8.4 WAR during that time.

Myers, 29 and coming off -0.3 WAR season, is due $20 million over the next three seasons and has a $20 million team option for 2023 with a $1 million buyout.

Lin also notes in the article that the Padres have expressed interest in Pirates outfielder Starling Marte, though the talks have cooled, likely due to asking price.

Of course, Marte has been a hot topic with the Mets showing interest early in the offseason and reportedly talking to the Pirates recently as well.

The post MLB News: Padres Have Shown Interest in Betts, Marte appeared first on Metsmerized Online.

Good morning Mets fans! Wednesday was a particularly quiet day around Major League baseball. Of course, the Mets have still not added any additional bullpen pieces to their roster, which was their biggest weakness in 2019.

Dellin Betances is arguably the best available reliever left on the market, but the Mets are currently balking at adding the former Yankee. Betances is said to be seeking a one year deal worth around $10 million, which the Mets can certainly afford after they restructured Yoenis Cespedes deal to get under the luxury tax by about $20 million.

Hopefully the amazins’ add a top reliever to stabilize the bullpen in the coming weeks, but Brodie Van Wagenen continues to be coy after stating that the team does not necessarily need to enhance this area (no way he actually believes this).

Now, let’s take a look at what else went on around the league yesterday!

Latest Mets News

MLB.com draws up a possible trade scenario where the Mets get Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor in exchange for Amed Rosario, J.D. Davis, Brett Baty, and David Peterson.

Per Mike Mayer of MMO, Phil Regan is currently serving as the pitching coach for the Dominican League team that has Mets youngsters Daniel Zamora and Tyler Bashlor, which will hopefully help with their development.

Chris Mazza is also on the squad, although he was recently designated for assignment by the Mets.

No surprise here, but Jacob deGrom led the Mets with a 31.5 fWAR throughout this decade, as Mayer tweeted.

Latest MLB News

As Joel Sherman of The New York Post reported, Yankees new $324 million ace Gerrit Cole says he “didn’t see anything illegal” going on while spending the previous two seasons with the Astros, who are under fire for their alleged electronic sign stealing scandal.

The Milwaukee Brewers signed infielder Eric Sogard to a one year deal with a club option for 2021, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Seattle Mariners great Felix Hernandez is said to be receiving some interest from several teams as he continues to evaluate his opportunities for the 2020 season, as Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported.

Baseball America presents their full prospect lists for every team in 2020.

According to FanGraphs, the three batter minimum rule will not matter much once it is implemented.

MLB.com has posted an opportunity to serve as an analytics intern this upcoming summer for anyone who is interested follow the link!

Latest NL East News

The Miami Marlins agreed to a minor league deal that includes an invite to spring training with veteran outfielder Matt Kemp, per Bill Plunkett of The Southern California News Group.

The Nationals signed reliever Fernando Abad to a minor league deal, per Rosenthal.

Latest MMO News

Check out Tim Ryder’s free agent profile of free agent reliever Steve Cishek, who could be an underrated option for the Mets this off-season.

John Sheridan looks at three potential defensive backup catchers the Mets could add this winter.

Josh Finklestein compiled a list of the top 15 games played by the boys from Queens in this decade.

On This Day in Mets History 

The Mets signed closer Frank Francisco on this date back in 2011.

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