Currently, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the Mets have a competitive balance tax (CBT) 40-man payroll of $309.3 million. This figure sits second only to the Los Angeles Dodgers. For reference, last season New York ended the season at $338.2 million.

Based solely off what they did last year, the Mets are $28.9 million shy of their payroll in 2025. As it was made clear this past weekend, owner Steve Cohen does not believe the team’s payroll will be lower than it was last season. With that, where is a realistic range to see the Mets’ payroll in 2026 with outstanding moves still to be made?

There is a chance that the Mets’ payroll can theoretically decrease. There has been talks of both Jeff McNeil ($12.5 million) and/or Kodai Senga ($14 million) can be moved. If both are moved the Mets can technically see their payroll shrink from $309.3 million to $282.8 million. It is more likely to see only one of the two be moved.

As for the current roster, it should be expected the Mets add another top-to-middle level starting pitcher and an established left fielder/outfielder. Those are likely their last two “splash moves,” to occur that would add considerable payroll. How much payroll would by allocated in those two moves?

Recent Padres’ signee Michael King, likely a comparable level pitcher the Mets will want to bring in, signed for $25 million annually. Another Padres pitcher, which the Mets have had reported interest in, Nick Pivetta, carries an annually payroll hit of around $24 million. With those as baselines, you’d expect the Mets to add a starter with a $20 million-to-$25 million CBT payroll annually.

As for the left fielder/outfielder need, Cody Bellinger, who the Mets have also reportedly shown interest in, is projected to sign a five-year deal worth $140 million according to MLB Trade Rumors. This is about a $28 million hit to the payroll. Another rumored outfield option has been Luis Robert Jr., he carries a payroll hit of $20 million. You’d expect an outfield option the Mets bring in to sit somewhere in the $20 million-to-$28 million range.

Between a starting pitcher and a legit option in the outfield, the Mets are likely looking at around $40 million-to-45 million in additional payroll. You also have to factor in any other minor moves the Mets make, like bringing in another reliever reinforcement or depth at a position like first base. Those ancillary moves could total another $15 million-to-$20 million. That is around another $55 million-to-$70 million in payroll the Mets likely need to add to field a contending team in 2026.

With that being said, it is probably fair to subtract a contract like McNeil ($12.5 million) who seems poised to be traded. Subtract that, and add around $65 million and it would not be surprising to see the Mets come in at around $360 million in payroll. For comparison sake, the Dodgers were at a league-high $415.2 million last season. The Mets were second at the previously mentioned $338.2 million. In 2024, New York was at a league-high $356.5 million. One would expect them to be much closer to that figure in 2026.

The post Projecting Where The Mets’ Payroll May Stand At Offseason’s End appeared first on Metsmerized.

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.

Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports

Ronald Blum of he Associated Press is reporting that citing MLB figures, the New York Mets entered September with the highest payroll in the league.

Blum writes that the Los Angeles Dodgers, who started the season as the top spender, fell into second due to Trevor Bauer’s suspension.

They have not led the Majors in spending since 1989, when their total payroll was just $21.3 million.

Entering September, the Mets payroll stands at a MLB-high $273.9 million, followed by the Dodgers at $267.2 million, and the Yankees at $254.4 million,  rounding up the top three.

Since being acquired by Steven Cohen from the Wilpons after the 2020 season, Mets payroll has seen a meteoric rise. And unlike previous Mets spending splurges, the team has actually performed quite well with smart acquisitions like Francisco Lindor and Max Scherzer.

Scherzer tops the Mets payroll with a MLB-high annual salary of $43.3 million.

Following Scherzer is deGrom at $36 million, Lindor at $34.1 million, and Mark Canha at $12.66 million. (There is also, of course, Robinson Cano, who will earn over $20 million this year and next year.)

Thanks, Uncle Steve….

The post Mets Have Highest Payroll in Baseball appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo: USA Today

With less than two weeks until Opening Day, the window to extend upcoming free agents will be coming to an end very shortly and that could certainly make things very challenging for the New York Mets, who are currently attempting to extend multiple players before the 2021 campaign begins.

In total, the front office has been tasked with locating new deals for Francisco Lindor, Michael Conforto, Noah Syndergaard and Marcus Stroman this spring. But with the regular season just around the corner, all four of these players are still slated to hit free agency next winter and there hasn’t been significant progress with any of them so far, which is obviously less than ideal.

Though there’s still time for management to resolve this concerning issue, the clock is ticking for them to extend at least one of the names listed above and they definitely don’t have any time to waste. Considering this team wants to become a sustainable playoff contender over the next several seasons, re-signing Lindor before he’s eligible to hit the open market would be a major accomplishment, although locking him up hasn’t been an easy task up to this point.

Since Lindor has expressed an unwillingness to negotiate an extension during the season, the Mets are currently faced with an uphill battle and will need to do everything they can to keep the superstar shortstop in blue pinstripes long term. But as things stand right now, the two sides remain far apart on a new deal and have only exchanged one offer each, according to Andy Martino of SNY.

Martino also reports that the front office’s opening offer was slightly below $300 million and Lindor’s camp is currently seeking an extension north of that figure. While owner Steve Cohen is determined to keep the 27-year-old around for the long haul, the negotiating deadline is on the horizon and it’ll be extremely important to make significant progress over the next week or these discussions will likely be postponed until this season concludes.

Even though the former first-round pick hasn’t appeared in a single regular season game for the Mets just yet, he’s already become a crucial member of their team and his potential departure would create a massive hole on the roster, especially since management sent infielders Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for him. Despite a disappointing 2020 campaign, at least for his standards, the switch-hitting shortstop is still considered one of the best infielders in the majors and is near the top in multiple different categories.

Photo: NY Mets

Over his 3,510 career plate appearances, the 5′ 11″ shortstop has produced the highest fWAR (29.2), the second-most home runs (138), the third-most RBIs (411), the fifth-highest AVG (.285) and the eighth-highest ISO (.202) among all qualified shortstops since the 2015 campaign, according to FanGraphs.com. Additionally, he’s also tied for the fifth-highest OPS (.833), tied for the sixth-highest wOBA (.351) and wRC+ (118), and is tied for the ninth-highest hard-hit rate (37.8%) during that span.

As for his defense, Lindor has created the second-highest UZR (54.0), UZR/150 (11.1), RngR (32.3) and defensive fWAR (87.3), and the sixth-most DRS (38) among all qualified shortstops since 2015. In addition, the generational talent has also generated the third-highest OAA (65) since 2016, which is when MLB started tracking OAA.

Along with Lindor, next offseason’s free-agent class could be flooded with some of the top shortstops in the major leagues, as Trevor Story, Corey Seager, Carlos Correa and Javier Baez are all eligible to hit the open market after this season. With this in mind, it’s possible the former Indian’s price point could rise even higher if one of these All-Star infielders signs a lucrative extension before him, potentially raising the market value.

While his exact contract demands remain unclear, it’d make plenty of sense for the two-time Silver Slugger to command a similar deal to Fernando Tatis Jr.‘s 14-year, $340 million extension. But considering he’ll be entering his age-28 season in 2022, there’s a very good chance the proud native of Puerto Rico won’t receive an offer at that same length, however, it’d make much more sense to sign him to a slightly larger contract than the 10-year, $300 million deal Manny Machado signed in 2019.

Though the Mets will probably be willing to spend $300 million-plus on Lindor’s extension, which is a massive price to pay for just one player, agreeing to that enormous figure this spring rather than in the fall could provide several different advantages for the front office’s future plans.

For starters, president Sandy Alderson and his staff would be able to operate all season long without having to worry about the four-time All-Star’s impending free agency, taking a massive weight off their shoulders. As a result, they could focus their attention on extending Conforto, who hasn’t set a firm negotiating deadline, at least for now.

With just over $100 million on the books for the 2022 campaign, which will likely increase to $150-$160 million after contract tendering and arbitration hearings, determining Lindor’s salary before the regular season opens would undoubtedly provide this club with additional clarity regarding their future payroll. In turn, they would have a greater understanding of their financial flexibility moving forward, allowing them to conduct business more effectively next winter.

At that point, if the new Collective Bargaining Agreement is signed, the Mets would probably know exactly how much money they’d be able to spend on acquiring new players and potentially re-signing a few current ones as well. While this strategy wouldn’t guarantee a return for Syndergaard and Stroman, the lighter workload and financial clarity could certainly increase their chances of returning to Queens after this season.

Based on these factors, there’s no question the pressure is on the front office to find a solution to these contract negotiations within these next few weeks. But if they fail to accomplish that feat, then they’ll just be making everyone’s job significantly tougher over the next six months or so and will also be risking the chance of Lindor potentially joining another organization in the offseason.

Considering the trajectory of this team is largely tied to Lindor’s future, they definitely can’t afford to let him leave after the 2021 campaign, although the chances of that happening will only increase the longer he remains without a long-term extension.

The post Opinion: Time Running Out to Extend Francisco Lindor appeared first on Metsmerized.

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.

From everything that has been reported, the New York will be sold to Steve Cohen in the near future, with the sale likely to be wrapped up by November. Yet Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez won’t give up on their pursuit of buying the Mets, as they continue to make a push to land the ball club.

According an article from the New York Post’s Joel Sherman, Lopez has been named the ‘control person’ in their ownership group, taking that position away from her fiance. She would become the first Latina woman to hold such a position in the MLB.

““It ain’t over until it is over,” Lopez told The Post. “We are New Yorkers and we are not going to give up. We feel we have the best bid for the sport, the team and the city.”

Lopez’s position as the control person is significant, as it would make a strong statement for both racial and gender equality to her as the owner of the Mets. Also there is a better chance that Lopez could get approval from the other owners, as opposed to Rodriguez, who is a polarizing figure in baseball.

Reports have indicated that Cohen is purchasing his stake in the team for $2.35 billion. According to Sherman’s reporting, Rodriguez and Lopez have made it known that their offer was in the same ballpark as Cohen’s, if not better.

They also are committed to increasing payroll into the $225 million range, with the goal of winning a World Series during their first decade in charge. They even insist that if they fail in their quest for a World championship, the couple would donate $100 million to New York-based charities as a penance of sorts.

While it is clear that Rodriguez and Lopez are desperately trying to re-open the exclusive negotiation that Cohen struck with Allen & Co. for the Mets, there is no reporting that would suggest this scenario to play out.

As long as Cohen get approval from 23 of the 30 owners in baseball, he should assume control as the majority owner of the New York Mets by the end of this year. But if something falls through, Rodriguez and Lopez are anxiously waiting for another shot at the Mets.

The post Jennifer Lopez Becomes ‘Control’ Person, as A-Rod’s Group Won’t Fold appeared first on Metsmerized.

Photo: Steve Marcus

The sale of the New York Mets has been a wild ride, but one that is nearing its finish line as we are less than two weeks away from the final bids being submitted at month’s end.

All reports paint this auction to be a two-man race between hedge-fund billionaire Steve Cohen and former player Alex Rodriguez, but no one can agree on who the favorite really is between the two.

Due to his immense wealth, Cohen has been tabbed as the front-runner in an article by the Athletic’s Daniel Kaplan, yet that does not mean he is necessarily a slam dunk choice in the eyes of Major League Baseball.

One of Kaplan’s sources suggests that the sale of the Mets is not unlike a “bad election choice”, where there is a lot of contention on who is the best candidate, with both parties drawing ire because of their questionable pasts.

Cohen is a shrewd investor, who has made a fortune with his various hedge-funds with the latest being Point72 Asset Management. While he has been very successful in his field, there are moral question to consider with Cohen, as his former fund SAC Capital plead guilty to insider trading back in 2013 and were forced to pay a record $1.8 billion fine.

According to Kaplan’s sources, MLB owners have compared Cohen to Houston Astros owner Jim Crane, who is known for his reputation of bending the rules for personal gain. Some owners are concerned with the methods Cohen may take to win, which may include investing far more into team payroll than anyone has in the past.

The other top suitor for the Mets comes with his own baggage, as Rodriguez had a tumultuous end to his playing career. Between his various steroid suspensions and his staunch denial of guilt in those cases, Rodriguez has fought against the vary club he so wishes to join now. There has been a level of forgiveness in allowing Rodriguez into the game as a broadcaster, but taking over a franchise as the owner is a different level entirely.

Even with the A-Rod’s past with baseball, a bigger concern in his buying of the team is whether he has enough money to keep the Mets afloat. Derek Jeter’s purchase of the Marlins is not considered a ringing endorsement in this instance either, as Jeter was forced to slash payroll after winning a bidding war to land his franchise. MLB would be hesitant to let a similar scenario play out again, particularly in a market like New York.

This is why all roads lead back to Steve Cohen, whose wealth is welcomed now more than ever. The league has taken a big hit financially due to the pandemic and is expected to swallow losses for the next few years before things get back to normal.

The Mets have large debt payments for Citi Field coming next year, which is likely a reason the Wilpons are selling in the first place. Since the team was reported to have annual losses pre-COVID, it is hard to imagine what the future losses for the franchise will be for the new owners. Especially when the team’s only cash cow, SNY, is not being included in the sale.

One source from Kaplan’s report in the Athletic said the following:

“Baseball is in a position today where the No. 2 team in the largest market is going to get sold. It’s losing, depending on who you talk to, $30 (million), $50 million a year (in a normal year). It doesn’t include its broadcaster, interest in its broadcast for at least another eight or 10 years. And you’re in a post COVID world with tremendous financial uncertainty. These are the kinds of situations where you go with the guy with the biggest checkbook.”

Cohen is a longtime Mets fan, who has shown himself to be very motivated to land this team at all costs. The Wilpons may not like the man after the original sale of the team fell apart, but they are not in the position to turn down their highest bidder.

The post As Mets Bid Deadline Nears, Steve Cohen Still the Favorite appeared first on Metsmerized.

As we all know, the Pandemic has brought major changes to our world in a variety of ways, both presently and for the foreseeable future.

Sports are not immune to this either, and in the case of baseball particularly – the economic effects could have a lasting impact on how big-ticket free agents are paid going forward.

But first let’s make sure that we understand this is not some sympathetic plea about owners going broke because of Covid-19, therefore giving them a “pass” to not sign future top free-agents or try to extend one of their young, controllable stars (cough, Pete Alonso).

Even despite the economic losses that teams will face because of this year, money will need to be spend on adding talent to help their ball club’s improve post Pandemic.

What will change, however, is payroll flexibility coupled with how long a player with a large contract will have to get paid. What am I getting at? You guessed it, the infamous back loaded and/or deferred payment style of contracts.

Unfortunately, these types of deals usually have a negative stigma attached to them ie: “Bobby Bonilla Day”, but considering the circumstances of today’s world, this kind of contract might be the only middle ground for players and teams to both get what they want.

For the players, they would still be able to command the type of compensation that they’d want/deserve, be it over a prolonged period of time most likely stemming way past their playing days with that team.

That is far from ideal from their perspective, but for ownership it would allow for enough flexibility in their payroll to continue building around said player by adding other quality talent around them to try and be a perennial contender.

There are many cases where players who are high in age and taking up much of the teams yearly payroll (looking at you Robinson Cano) and aren’t producing to what their paycheck is, hindering a team from adding around them.

Deferred payments take care of that large obstacle, and allows for big-money players in the twilight of his career more chances to get into the postseason and win.

The other reality of the present situation is this: in order for contracts to continue trending in the immense direction that they have been, players will need to accept that even in some large markets, deferments and back-loading deals are going to become the new norm, at least until revenue goes back to near where it was pre-corona.

With a 2021 strike looming, on top of the current negotiations in which we are polarized in choosing between the wants of the players or the owners, this is a very delicate issue – and both sides will have to come to some sort of understanding.

Owners should to see that large contracts wouldn’t have as massive of yearly payroll burden so they continue to build a winner around that marquee player right away, and possibly at the back end of those deals as well.

If the players can trust that this is to ensure a “winning comes first” mentality by ownership and players will still get their desired compensation, then this is a something that will most likely become the norm for some time.

The post How Will The Pandemic Affect Future Big-Money Contracts? appeared first on Metsmerized.

Fans were elated on December 4, 2019 when reports came out that billionaire Steve Cohen was in talks to buy a majority of the Mets franchise. Mets fans have grown sick of the penny-pinching, meddling, and generally incompetent duo of Fred and Jeff Wilpon.

Cohen was expected to buy 80% of the franchise for $2.6 billion with a five-year plan that allowed the Wilpons to stay in the organization.

The Wilpons selling their majority stake is what many Mets fans have been hoping for since the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme that crippled Mets ownership financially.

Cohen was finally the guy that was going to bring the franchise back to the days of having a top payroll befitting of the large market they play in. But it was more than that. Fans were sick of the micromanaging from Jeff. It’s a long history of malpractice for Jeff, from telling stars to play through injuries to butting his head into minor league roster transactions.

Well Mets fans, I’m sad to report that meddling Jeff has struck again.

Rumors of the Mets sale to Cohen potentially dying started on Tuesday. Then Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred weighed in and said on Thursday that he didn’t expect the deal to happen. Any deal.

The New York Post is now reporting that the deal was derailed by none other than Jeff Wilpon.

It’s noted that late in the talks that Jeff wanted to maintain total operational control throughout the five-year transition period and also have a senior role after Cohen took over the reins of power.

“He is the owner and the de facto general manager. He does not want to give that up, even if everyone around him does.”

As usual, us fans are getting the short end of the stick. We have a right to be angry and upset.

That glimmer of hope we all had of finally getting a new owner who actually loved the team and had the financial wherewithal to build a winner, was suddenly thwarted.

The post Meddling Owners Breaking Hearts of Mets Fans appeared first on Metsmerized.

In lieu of any salary, the Mets did agree to contribute $200,000 to the Carlos Beltran Foundation. The foundation was established in 2002 and its mission is to “is a completely bilingual high school, which main purpose is to develop talented student athletes between 9th and 12th grade through a first level education and specialized training.”

Beltran’s work with the foundation led to his winning the 2013 Roberto Clemente Award.

As noted by Davidoff, this is the second time this offseason the Mets were able to reduce their payroll obligations. Earlier, the Mets were able to greatly reduce Yoenis Cespedes‘ 2020 base salary as a result of injuries he sustained resulting from an encounter with a wild boar in his farm.

With the Mets not owing Beltran his full salary, the Mets are back in the position of only having to pay two salaries to managers this season. After 2020, Mickey Callaway‘s contract will expire leaving the Mets to only have to pay the manager who now replaces Beltran.

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