Last year, the New York Mets spent a lot of money. The other year before too.
It seems like we seem to forget it since the Dodgers took Steve Cohen's throne, but that's the same thing. This also translated into a luxury tax of $100 million for Steve Cohen in 2023.
All this to miss the series…
Incidentally, Steve Cohen had traded Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, to name a few, during the season. He had withheld salary to “buy” his hopes.
He didn't mind doing it, considering the money already spent.
But what this does is that the two veterans will, in 2024, be among the highest paid players on the Mets. And this, even if they are both under contract in Texas.
As Joel Sherman reports, Francisco Lindor, who will make $32 million in 2024, will be the Mets' highest-paid player in 2024.
But afterwards? We come down to the two big throwers.
- Justin Verlander: $25 million
- Max Scherzer: $20.83 million
Remember that the two make $43.3 million per season on average. The Mets, however, kept plenty of cash to be able to trade them.
Both will earn more than Pete Alonso, who agreed with the Mets for $20.5 million, from Steve Cohen.
I know, I know: Alonso is in his final year before free agency and he was under Mets control anyway. You can't compare a free agent contract to a guy's contract under control.
But we are talking here about salary deduction, which is only part of the contract.
Note that no big salary, short of a brilliant move from David Stearns, should be added to the Mets' pool. The pitchers should therefore remain in the club's top-3 this year.
With a rotation that leaves something to be desired, let's say that the Mets will pay a lot for pitchers who will not give great results.
Ahh, the Mets…
