The Mets endured one of the most disappointing seasons in history and now change is the name of the game. There’s a new front office regime in place, which will hopefully lead to better results going forward. It’s expected that they will be less aggressive this winter, but by how much?
Guaranteed Contracts
- Francisco Lindor, SS: $256MM through 2031
- Brandon Nimmo, OF: $141.75MM through 2030
- Edwin Díaz, RHP: $72.75MM through 2027 (including buyout of 2028 club option, also has opt-out after ’25)
- Kodai Senga, RHP: $56MM through 2027
- Jeff McNeil, IF/OF: $43.75MM through 2026 (including buyout of ’27 club option)
- Starling Marte, OF: $39MM through 2025
- José Quintana, LHP: $13MM through 2024
- Omar Narváez, C: $7MM player option
- Adam Ottavino, RHP: $6.75MM player option
- Tomás Nido, C: $2.1MM through 2024
Option Decisions
- C Omar Narváez holds $7MM player option
- RHP Adam Ottavino holds $6.75MM player option
- Club holds $6.5MM club option on LHP Brooks Raley with $1.25MM buyout
Other Financial Commitments
- Paying $30.83MM to Rangers for Max Scherzer’s salary
- Paying $31.3MM to Astros for Justin Verlander’s salary (plus half of $35MM vesting option in ’25, if triggered)
- Paying $8MM to Orioles for James McCann
- $250K buyout on 2024 club option for IF/OF Darin Ruf
2024 financial commitments (assuming options for Narvaez/Ottavino/Raley are all picked up): $218.98MM
Total future commitments (assuming options for Narvaez/Ottavino/Raley are picked up, not including Verlander’s ’25 option): $714.98MM
Arbitration-Eligible Players (projected salaries via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz)
- Daniel Vogelbach (5.138): $2.6MM
- Trevor Gott (5.057): $2MM
- Elieser Hernández (5.044): $1.6MM
- Drew Smith (5.034): $2.3MM
- Pete Alonso (5.000): $22MM
- Luis Guillorme (4.159): $1.7MM
- Tim Locastro (4.122): $1.6MM
- Joey Lucchesi (4.112): $2MM
- Sam Coonrod (4.078): $900K
- Jeff Brigham (3.142): $1.1MM
- John Curtiss (3.137): $1MM
- Michael Pérez (3.095): $800K
- David Peterson (3.089): $2MM
- Danny Mendick (3.058): $1.1MM
- Rafael Ortega (3.035): $1.4MM
- DJ Stewart (2.168): $1.5MM
Non-tender candidates: Vogelbach, Hernández, Smith, Guillorme, Locastro, Coonrod, Brigham, Curtiss, Pérez, Mendick, Ortega
Free Agents
The Mets won 101 games in 2022 and then ran up the highest payroll in baseball history for 2023, going into the season with the greatest of expectations. Unfortunately, a rash of pitcher injuries put them behind the eight ball early on and they fell out of contention. As the summer wore on and the plane continued its descent towards the ocean, they had no choice but to reach for the emergency floatation devices. They traded Justin Verlander, Max Scherzer, Tommy Pham, Mark Canha and David Robertson, often eating substantial amounts of money in order to improve their prospect returns.
After that fire sale, Scherzer told the media that he was informed the Mets planned to take a sort of step back in 2024. Owner Steve Cohen and then-general manager Billy Eppler sort of confirmed those remarks, with each adding that the club hopes to compete in ’24 but with a greater focus on ’25 and ’26. “We will be competitive in ’24 but I think ’25-26 is when our young talent makes an impact,” Cohen said at the time. “Lots of pitching in free agency in ’24. More payroll flexibility in ’25. Got a lot of dead money in ’24.”
That makes it unclear exactly how the club will approach the upcoming winter, but it won’t be Eppler calling the shots. David Stearns was hired to be the new president of baseball operations, leaving the Brewers and coming over to run the team he grew up cheering for. Since Milwaukee was generally quite competitive under Stearns despite limited payrolls, it’s hoped that he can bring even more success to Queens now that he will have Cohen’s resources at his disposal.
It was originally expected that Eppler would stay on as GM and work under Stearns, but he recently stepped aside amid a strange league investigation into the club’s use of the injured list. Stearns also fired manager Buck Showalter, leaving that position vacant as well. Presumably, replacing Showalter will be the higher priority, as Stearns should be capable of steering the front office without a GM for the time being.
Though the Mets ended up saving some money by selling at the deadline, they still have a payroll of $346MM for the year, per Roster Resource. That translates to a competitive balance tax figure of roughly $359MM, still well beyond the highest luxury tax threshold of $293MM, leading to a tax bill of over $88MM.
It seems they want to dial things back in the year to come, though there’s already plenty on the books, with RR pegging their 2024 payroll at $204MM and their CBT number at $219MM. That’s before factoring in estimated arbitration salaries. Pete Alonso alone will add over $20MM to both of those figures, putting them above next year’s $237MM base threshold for the luxury tax before the offseason even begins. They could move some money around if dipping under than line is a priority, but it doesn’t seem to be. Stearns has said the club plans to retain Alonso, while Cohen’s comments suggest the club is looking to bring in free agent pitchers this winter.
How aggressive they will be in that market remains to be seen, but there is definitely work to be done. With Scherzer and Verlander both out of the picture, the rotation is now headlined by Kodai Senga, who posted an excellent 2.98 earned run average in his first major league season. José Quintana missed much of 2023 due to injury but should be able to serve as a solid mid-rotation arm. After that is where things get murky. David Peterson, Tylor Megill, Joey Lucchesi, Peyton Battenfield and José Butto but the Mets likely don’t want to be relying on that group for anything more than depth.
That means they could realistically add two or three starters this winter. Given they are thinking of 2024 as a kind of transitional season, they probably won’t be aiming for top-of-the-market names like Blake Snell or Aaron Nola. Perhaps they would still consider Yoshinobu Yamamoto since he’s just 25 years old and would still line up with their future plans. But it’s also possible they target a lower level of free agency, perhaps taking fliers on bouncebacks from Frankie Montas or Luis Severino. Veterans like Kenta Maeda or Hyun Jin Ryu could eat some innings on short-term deals, with the knowledge that they may end up traded if the club is out of contention by next summer.
In the bullpen, Edwin Díaz will be back after a season lost to a fluke knee injury. Adam Ottavino seems likely to trigger his player option and come back for another season. Brooks Raley posted an ERA under 3.00 for a second straight year and the club should pick up his option, given the reasonable $5.25MM net decision. Trevor Gott should be in the mix after his decent season, especially after the club ate Chris Flexen’s contract to acquire him. But beyond that group, the bullpen core is a host of waiver claim types such as Phil Bickford and Anthony Kay.
A run at an expensive arm like Josh Hader or Robert Stephenson seems unlikely, but a few veterans on one-year deals would be sensible to strengthen the relief corps and also perhaps turn into deadline trade fodder. Craig Kimbrel, Matt Moore and John Brebbia are some of the many options there.
On the position player side, there should be less work to do. Francisco Álvarez took the catching job and ran with it this year. He received strong marks for his glovework while also popping 25 home runs. His offense was around league average on the whole thanks to a .209 batting average and .284 on-base percentage, but his .222 batting average on balls in play figures to improve going forward. Omar Narváez missed much of the year due to a calf strain and struggled after getting healthy but should be capable of serving as a solid backup.
Alonso figures to have first base spoken for, assuming he sticks around. His name was apparently discussed in trade rumors at the deadline but no deal came together. He’s entering his final arbitration season before he’s slated to reach free agency. As mentioned, Stearns has indicated the club plans to keep him for 2024 but he could wind up back on the trading block next summer if no extension is reached and the Mets aren’t in contention.
Francisco Lindor had yet another excellent season and should be back anchoring shortstop next year. He underwent surgery this week to remove a bone spur from his elbow but is expected to be ready for Spring Training. His double play partner will likely be Jeff McNeil, who started slow in 2023 but recovered in the second half. The Mets could theoretically add a second baseman and move McNeil to the outfield, but given the poor free agent market for middle infielders, it makes more sense to him to man the keystone. Middle infield prospect Luisangel Acuña could be a factor at some point next year, at which point McNeil could move to the grass.
Third base is a bit less certain, though there are internal options. Each of Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio were highly-touted prospects on their way up but none of them have established themselves at the big league level yet. The club could consider a veteran stopgap here but it could also roll with a spring competition, leaving room for one of this group to break out and take the job.
The outfield will be anchored by Brandon Nimmo, who had a second straight healthy and productive season. The corners are a bit more questionable, especially with Starling Marte’s ongoing groin problems. He only played 86 games this year and had the worst showing of his career when healthy enough to play. With his injury absences and Canha being traded, DJ Stewart got a lengthy showing to finish the year. He struck out in 30.3% of his plate appearances but also hit 11 home runs in just 58 games. The power has been there before but he’s a poor fielder, which could perhaps lead the club to non-tender Daniel Vogelbach and make Stewart their left-handed DH.
There should be room for a veteran corner outfielder, or perhaps two if Marte remains a question mark. Assuming the club doesn’t go to the top available free agents like Teoscar Hernández or Lourdes Gurriel Jr., they could reunite with Tommy Pham or perhaps reach out to someone like Jason Heyward, Robbie Grossman or David Peralta.
It’s also possible the Mets throw their hat into the Shohei Ohtani bidding. It would be slightly incongruous to give out a record-setting contract in what’s supposed to be a quieter offseason, but it’s an unprecedented opportunity and Cohen can’t really be ruled out on anyone. Ohtani reportedly had a West Coast preference when he first came over from Japan but it’s in his best interest to entertain all suitors this time in order to maximize his earning power. He won’t be able to pitch in 2024 but could theoretically join the Mets’ rotation in 2025 while also adding a potent bat to the lineup right away.
The club is still a bit of a mystery this winter, especially with Cohen constantly deviating from standard operating procedure. Last winter’s aggression was unprecedented so it remains to be seen what his definition of a more modest offseason looks like. But with the division featuring a couple of powerhouse teams in Atlanta and Philadelphia as well as a Marlins club that’s coming off a strong campaign, it seems fair to expect the Mets play things somewhat cautiously for now, keeping their eyes on a future that will hopefully have plenty to be excited about with the Stearns-Cohen pairing.
In conjunction with this post, Darragh McDonald held a Padres-specific chat on 10-12-23. Click here to view the transcript.
I said the following prediction and wish about 6 months ago: !)You would recruit David Sterns to be you CEO; 2) Craig Cousel would follow Sterns to NY: 3) Christian Yelich would follow, with the brewers picking up most of his contract. Still waiting and hoping for 2 and 3 to happen. We will see!
Why would the Brewers pick up most of Yelich’s contract? What are the Mets sending back?
I don’t think the Yelich deal is all that bad to be honest. He had a nice year, not a $26M year, but a step in the right direction year. The Brewers can’t afford for him to just be a journeyman at that salary. We’ll see if he can follow up with a better year and more distance from the knee injury, as I don’t think he’ll be traded. I like how Counsell handles his pitchers, but he is regressing with regard to setting a lineup and batting order, likely due to an over reliance on stats rather than baseball instinct. Stat people will cry foul at that, but watch Bochy and Dusty do their thing.
Yelich was definitely worth 26mn this past season imo. The biggest problem is that he was so far away from that the previous few years. Wish the guy well whether it be in MIL, NY or elsewhere. Seems like a classy guy.
3.6 WAR is worth more than a $26 million. He provided some surplus value in 2023. The problem for Yelich is he is still owed that much annually for 5 more seasons and this is the first time since 2019 that he has been worth his paycheck. Will he be the 2023 Yelich next season or will he revert to the 2021 Yelich?
No, no, no. 6/136.5m to Yelich, or anything close to that, on a Mets team already burdened with expensive, aging players and only 2/5ths of a pitching staff?? Good lord. No. We don’t have enough guys in their 30s?
If Counsell comes to the Mets it will be as GM, not as manager. If he wanted to continue as a manager he would stay in Milwaukee. Making the move to GM will afford him the ability to be able to attend and or watch games that his children are involved in at the high school and college levels. He would not have those opportunities as manager. He and Sterns have a great relationship and Counsell was previously being groomed to take over as GM under Doug Melvin before he was asked to take over as manager when they needed him. For what it’s worth, I think chances are greater that he takes the Mets GM job rather than continue to manage. For that matter, I think there is a greater chance that he steps away from a day to day job in baseball and takes on a role as a consultant with the Brewers than either of the other two options.
Thank you for your insight on the brewers, I’m really clueless about them. I hope all works well for us Mets fans, although I will miss Buck.
Pads got em out spent by a cool 1/2 billion. Impressive
The Other Financial Comittments” section is quite sad for the Mets.
That all depends upon how Luisangel Acuña and the other prospects the Mets essentially bought with those “other financial commitments” work out. We’ll have to wait see if that approach works out better than keeping those players, adding a few pieces at the deadline, and either not quite making the playoffs like the Cubs or going out quickly like the Marlins, which seemed the more likely result than a surprise deep run. Whatever teams get for making the postseason–a $10 million figure was thrown around in the media for winning a wildcard spot–is a drop in the bucket for high-revenue, high-budget teams and hardly worth going all in to achieve.
Mets need to go all in and sign al the top FAs. What could go wrong…?
I was never a huge fan of the Mets’ team make up. The complimentary players are too weak to make any difference for the A-list players and they just spent a literal fortune on a bunch of aging players who are now gone and are still going to be viewed as more valuable than anybody they could replace them with.
Despite being the wealthiest owner in the game, seems like Cohen’s best move would be to blow up the team, try to get as many high leverage prospects in exchange as possible and then aim to be competitive again in 3-5 years, with a payroll closer to $200 million or less- which is still a high payroll with some potential to pull out a winning season, if not a playoff run.
Trade Alonso or sign him to an extension- trading him for prospects is probably the better move at this point- etc.
@Trillionaire they just blew the team up at the trade deadline. The players they signed, they opted for primarily older players who would settle for shorter high AAV contracts. In trading them they bolstered an already strong farm system.
Senga signing looks like a steal!
I think Yoshinobu Yamamoto will be, too, for whatever team signs him.
Off-season outlook; cloudy with a chance of meatballs.
$276M payroll, maybe another $24M in CBT tax, and “the club hopes to compete in ’24 “?
I need a job like that.
But strategically, is there a need to hold onto Alonso? Without Scherzer & Verlander, is their upside .500? Maybe 85 wins?
SD badly needs a DH and another SP. If you sent them Alonso & Quintana, and picked up as much salary as Manfred allows, that goes a long to improving SD’s team, while retaining the financial flexibility for SD to go after Lee and/or Yamamoto.
That would be huge for SD, so I imagine they would put some serious prospects on the table.
I am gonna go out on the longest limb in history and say you’re a San Diego Padres fan?
Not at all. I like the Padres articles because there is no telling what Preller will do next, and it is tough to say how much Seidler will spend. In addition, several of the Padres fans will defend virtually every move. It makes it entertaining.
But back on topic, I view the Mets and Padres like they are twins. The Padres at least have some talent. The Mets are a disaster. They have committed $57M towards players that will no longer be playing for them.
But past that, does it matter which team I root for (RS)? I think it is a very valid suggestion. The Padres create prospects like they manufacture them in the basement, and the NYM look unlikely to contend.
What decent prospects do they have after the Soto trade?
MLB Pipeline has SD #9.
Top 100 prospects: Ethan Salas, C (No. 5); Jackson Merrill, SS (No. 9); Robby Snelling, LHP (No. 64); Dylan Lesko, RHP (No. 67); Samuel Zavala, OF (No. 100)
Source—
mlb.com/news/mlb-pipeline-2023-midseason-system-ra…
At a minimum, Merrill, Salas, and Lesko are highly rated. Snelling should join them soon. Guys like Iarte & Mazur are very good secondary pieces. Check Fangraphs for rankings.
The Mets currently project to about 69 wins with their $217m commitments, and you want them to deal away 6 of those wins for a fairly modest return?
Despite the HR, his $22m arb projection means Alonso will give you roughly $10-15m in surplus value in 2024. That’s not even an FV 50 prospect. Then what? They’ll need 4 starting pitchers if they deal Quintana. Why volunteer to create a total ess-show in Queens when it’s easy to build a team that aims for 85 median wins without hamstringing the team for 2025 and on?
Granted, if they can’t sign Yamamoto it gets a lot tougher, but at this point why assume they won’t?
A steaming pile of expensive deadwood Lol Mets
@jackstrawb: Who besides you said they’re trading Quintana?
The first move they should make is non-tendering Vogelbach. Should be easy to turn that page. They have too many needs and too many parts to figure out what to do with to be even bidding on Ohtani. I don’t think Shohei will be keen on stepping into another ANA muddled situation any way even if it’s temporary. Stearn has his work cut out for him just like Minasian.
Mets cannot release Vogelbach, he’s the heart & soul of the team!
…more like the stomach and large intestine of the team!
I know you were being sarcastic, Raul. But it’s nice to see someone not ragging on Vogelbach for his weight. I’m impressed that a man his size has been able to play eight years in MLB. Go ahead and diss the Mets for signing him. But please stop fat shaming him.
(For the record, I don’t want to see Dan in a Mets uniform next year either.)
Alright, no more fat shaming Dan the Man. His weight is perfect for someone 7’5″ tall. He just needs some HGH to grow taller.
His new walk-up song should be “I wish I was a little bit taller…I wish I was a baller…”
Hey, I wish I had my way
‘Cause everyday would be a Friday
I would have to work every day. Thanks, Skee-lo, ******* ******!!!
That was a great song.
I’m still waiting for the LOL Mets comments…
Cohen wants to build a casino next to the ballpark. The Mets will have to nail their next managerial hire, or they’ll continue to flounder. Keep in mind, Stearns isn’t some wizard. His highlights are the Yelich trade and drafting Sal Frelick. He’s never been under real pressure and the euphoria of overseeing operations of your boyhood club will rapidly dwindle once you see ‘Fire Stearns’ signs in the stands after another missed postseason. Tread lightly, David. New York is a vicious, unforgiving fan base.
I can’t see Cohen getting the casino. The ballpark is parkland, which, as with the case of the new Yankee Stadium, would need legislative and I think state voter approval and have to be replaced in the area. (We don’t have many ballot measures in New York, but I recall a few where we had to approve land swaps upstate where a county or town wanted to expand a road or build a facility on parkland in the Adirondacks.) it’s one of the reasons why the soccer stadium is now planned for the Iron Triangle across from the ballpark, for which the Wilpons/Sterling Equities still controls development rights with Hudson Yards developer Related Companies, and not across Roosevelt Avenue next to the tennis center as was once proposed. Politics in general and politics around development in particular are pretty vicious here as well.
@briar-patch thatcher: What does building a casino have to do with baseball and the team?
Key word in this is “Stearns.” NYM will be alright
Verlander and Scherzer in the ALCS + 11 non-tender candidates = LOLmets.
Yanks looking good…right….
Is anyone else getting fraudulent advertising from McAfee that takes over your screen and forces you to subscribe to their protection plans while reading Trade Rumor posts?
I had that recently, but not lately. It was so bad I had to Google “Has MLBR been hacked”.
@scottaz: No, that must be just you.
Mets got a bevy of prospects from the trades they made, I would think that it would be wise to evaluate what they have before adding free agents to the roster.
Why do you assume they won’t?
Surprised there was no mention of another infield possibility: Mauricio at 2B, where he played in 21 of his 26 MLB games. Particularly if Baty can stake a claim to 3B (Vientos doesn’t really have the defensive chops there, seems more like a DH or potential Alonso replacement).
@BBB It doesn’t make sense, is the problem. McNeil loses significant value moving to LF (he would have been among the very worst bats there in MLB in 2023), whereas Mauricio can play 3B, and neither Baty nor Vientos can field 3B worth a damn. If they’re going cheap the Mets can hope BB and MV b/t them can handle DH duties, leaving them to find two starting OFers–not the most difficult task.
Then on to the pitching!
If I were the Mets GM, I would be starting spring training with the idea that 3B is Mauricio’s job to lose. If Baty or Vientos can show marked improvement both with the bat and the glove and Mauricio falls on his face in ST, then one of them could win the job. Once Mauricio wins the job, put the better of Baty or Vientos at DH. Leave McNeil at 2B and let him prove that 2023 was an anomaly. After all, he was coming off an incredible 2022.
Nimmo and Marte are coming back and they have the prospects to go after a LF in trade
Then go sign 2 FA starters that won’t cost any draft picks to bring into the fold. One short term and one longer term. Yamamoto if they can land him. ERod and Gray?
Senga’s contract also has a vesting player opt out after 2025 once he hits 400 total IP and there’s a vesting option for 2028.
“a rash of pitcher injuries put them behind the eight ball early”
Even with the injuries they still fielded a roster superior to many other clubs. They dropped from 101 wins to 75. The entire organization crashed and burned, top to bottom. Makes me sick to hear crying over injuries.
Agreed regarding the failures at multiple levels for the 2023 Mets. Losing Diaz before the season started was a massive blow though. In 2022 a relatively similar bullpen had 12 more wins than losses and locked up 41 more saves. The 2023 bullpen had 10 more losses than wins while closing down 34 saves, but pitching 2 less innings. I agree that there where a lot of issues, but with Diaz closing games and 3-5 more wins leading up to the trade deadline, they probably are buyers and not selling.
Cohen and Eppler said ONLY that the Mets would not go ALL-IN on free agents in 2024. They said they absolutely would be building a team to contend and that they would not be taking a step back from the goal of contention. ONLY Scherzer has said that they were and he is a known liar. See his comments on sticky stuff usage AFTER being caught for proof.
YOUR website has carried articles saying the Mets are one of the favorites to land Ohtani and Yamamoto. They can’t sign EITHER if what Scherzer said was true. You cannot have it both ways.
I am getting very disappointed with the writing here. You keep spouting half-truths. BE BETTER.
@Pads Fans They never mentioned “contend,” they only used the mealymouthed “compete.”
Compete for a playoff spot is what they said and that MEANS contend.
Pads Fans2 hours ago
Cohen and Eppler said ONLY that the Mets would not go ALL-IN on free agents in 2024. They said they absolutely would be building a team to contend
========================
I’m not sure it can be both.
The won 75 (80Py) and traded away 2 of their 3 best pitchers. If they don’t move in on big and multiple FAs, how do they contend? They were 20th in offense and 17th in runs against, and now have a rotation headlined Senga, Quintana and 3 ?s.
@JoeBrady It’s fairly straightforward, no? depending on how much money Cohen wants to spend. Yamamoto solves many problems without harming the team in 2025 and beyond. Then they need 4 useful bullpen arms, plus a real setup man given the age of Raley, Otto, and Diaz’s injury. They need 2 more competent SPs, They need one starting OFer, and absolutely can use a DH like J Turner.
Most of those holes can be filled on short deals, so it depends on what Cohen decides payroll will be.
If the Mets were an action movie they’d be Escape From New York
looking back in retrospect signing Scherzer and Verlander were HUGE mistakes. That 60 or 70 million could have been spent on other priorities
@jonb-4 Among the many problems was Cohen seemed clueless in 2021 what the payroll was going to look like in 2022, 2023, and after. There were terrific arms available in the 2020-21 and 2021-22 offseasons, so rather than fling billions at Scherzer then Verlander the Mets could have loaded up on four SP’s in Kevin Gausman’s tier for the same AAV as Max and JV.
Cohen said that the plan was to spend on major league talent in an attempt to make it to the playoffs within 3 seasons and they did that. He also said that the long term goal was to build up the farm system to contend consistently. Their farm system has improved immensely and he spent a tremendous amount of money on personnel and technology up and down the system to make it better.
The Mets already had multiple pitchers in the Gausman tier. What they needed was an Ace to top the squad. When Scherzer failed to be that guy because of injury in 2022, they doubled down by signing Verlander.
Now they have said they are going to make a move to long term contention. Focusing on using their farm system while signing guys that are younger and can be part of the core for longer. Guys like Yamamoto.
If you have not noticed, Cohen doesn’t care how much money he has to spend to win. He tried with 2 old guys and found out that is too risky, so he bought great prospects by paying the contracts of the old guys to send them away.
In doing so Cohen have added two players that are in the upper minors that could help the team as soon as the end of 2024.
Cohen is not new to MLB ownership. He was a minority partner in the Mets for years. He saw what didn’t work and had a plan in place prior to even finalizing the purchase and articulated it. Whether it works or not is still to be seen, but it did produce a 101 team in 2022. .
After last season’s dumpster fire I think the Mets will be active again on the free agency market. I think they will be in on Yamamoto. But I think they should stay away from Snell and Nola. Let the kids play 3rd and lf/rf. Despite what Cohen has hinted at I can’t see them not putting on the full court press for Othani. Even if they don’t get him the Mets being involved will drive his price up. That I think is the real reason that so many dislike the Mets. We now have ownership that can make a huge mistake and pivot. And then next year be in on all the high ticket free agents. Small market fans should be thankful for the Mets,Yanks,and Dodgers. Was just reading what Randy Levine said about revenue sharing and he is exactly right. The Marlins and The Rays both with low payrolls I know but both make the playoffs and combined they are drawing about 30k a game combined. I’ll say it again combined. That’s with the Marlins big bump in attendance from last year. If it wasn’t for the Mets,Yanks,Dodgers,BoSox, etc they wouldn’t be playing baseball in Florida. You can’t sellout a playoff game? That’s just shameful. But anyways Yamamoto is on the top of my wish list. I know Othani is a unicorn and the contract is going to be record breaking. It will be a deal you feel great about yrs 1-3 ok about 4-5 and hope for the best in years 6-10 or 12. I know this sounds crazy but this is peak Othani he’s not gonna get any better. He’s 29 with tjs. You start seeing a decline at age 30. He might defy all odds but I’m not sure how well he’ll age.
Eppler was the one with the connection in the Asian baseball market. Coming into the offseason the Mets were seen as the favorite to sign Yamamoto. It remains to be seen if that is still the case.