End of season: Released: OF Wily Mo Pena ($400k), IF Ramon Martinez ($750k), and signed RP Jack Egbert ($400k)… savings: $750,000.00
10-7: Mets acquired first baseman Eddie Lora (minimum minor league contract) and outfielder Chris Carter ($400K) for Billy Wagner ($10.5mil) – savings: $10,100,000.00
10-11: Mets grant free agency to: RP Jon Switzer – savings: $475,000.00
10-11: Mets grant free agency to P Connor Robinson – savings: $450,000
10-19: The Mets release RP Ken Takahashi. Savings: Takahashi had an incentive based minor league contract that could earn him up ti 1.5mil a year. I assume he earned it in 2009, since he pitched so well: savings: $1,500,000.00
11-5: The Mets have told J.J. Putz that they do not intend to pick up his 2010 option and will buy him out instead for $1 million. Putz's option would have been for $9.1 million. Savings: $8,100,000.00
11-6: 1B Carlos Delgado filed for free agency. Savings: $12,000,000.00.
11-6: C Brian Schneider filed for free agency. Savings: $4,900,000.00
11-6: IF Alex Cora filed for free agency. Savings: $2,000,000.00
11-6: The Mets exercized their option on SP Mike Pelfry, for $500,000.00. Last year, due to his original contract, he earned $2,900,000.00. Savings: $2,400,000.00
11-9: OF Gary Sheffield filed for free agency. – Savings: $400,000.00
11-10: P Elmer Dessens released – savings: $600,000.00
11-16: Passing on resigning OF Fernando Tatis at option rate… savings: $1,700,000
11-16: 16 AAA/AA players file for free agency… 13 are minimal salaries that will be offset by additional minor leaguers at same rate… three had individual contracts: IF Wilson Valdez (381K), C Robinson Cano (408K), and P Carlos Muniz (402K) – savings: $1,191,000
11-30: Mets sign Alex Cora – spending: $2,000,000
12-3: Mets tender John Maine – approx: $2,900,000
12-3: Mets sign C Chris Coste – spending: $600,000
12-3: Mets sign C Henry Blanco – spending: $1,500,000
12-10: Mets sign OF/1B Mike Hessman – spending AAA salary: $90,000
12-10: Mets re-negotiate recent contract signed with C Henry Blanco – reduction of $750,000 in base pay with additional monies tied to encentive performance bonuses – savings: $750,000
12-11: Mets resign RP Elmer Dessens – cost: $700,000.
12-12: Mets non-tender SP Tim Redding ($2,250,000), OF Jeremey Reed ($925,000), OF Cory Sullivan ($600,000), and SP Lance Broadway ($402,500) – total savings: $4,177.500
12-18: Mets signed RP Ryota Igarashi – cost: $1,250,000
12-23: Mets sign RP R.A. Dickey – cost: $600,000
12-26: Mets sign RP Kelvim Escobar – cost: $1,250,000
12-29: Mets sign OF Jason Bay – cost: $16,500,000
1-4: Mets re-sign OF Jesus Feliciano: - cost: $1,612,500
1-5: Mets sign IF Andy Green – cost: $400,000
1-10: Mets sign P Jay Marshall: - cost: $400,000
1-15: Mets sign SP John Maine to 1-yr deal – cost: $3,300,000
1-17: Mets pay bonus to 1st rounder Steven Matz: - cost: $800,000
1-17: Mets pay bonus to draftee Zach Dotson – cost: $500,000
1-19: Mets sign Jeff Francoeur to $5,000,000 one year deal – increase: $1,375,000
1-19: Mets sign RP Pedro Feliciano to $3,000,000 one year deal – increase; $1,387,500
1-19: Mets sign RP Sean Grean to one-year $975,000 contract – increase: $504,000
1-21: Mets add OF Gary Matthew’s Jr. ($1.0mil) and subtract RP Brian Stokes ($409,500) – increase: $590,500
1-30: signed OF/IF Frank Cattalanotto – increase: $400,000
1-30: signed RP Josh Fogg – increase: $750,000
1-30: signing bonus – LHP Juan Urbina – increase: $1,200,000
2-5: signed OF Angel Pagan – increase: $1,500,000
2-9: signed 1B Mike Jacobs – increase: $900,000
Total savings so far: $8,490,000.00
Nice work, Mack!
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to argue with dollars and sence! Fact is, Mets needed Molina and a professional pitcher like Pineiro would have been nice, affordable, eh?
Plus, what about the fact Mets fans have to watch Castillo's leaky glove and creaky knees on second while Orlando Hudson was available on the cheep.
C'mon?! Jeff Wilpon (Junior) is a meddling child, treating his father's employees like toys. ... See More
Money man, Jim Duquette, becomes GM, because Player Evaluator, Omar Minaya, wants "Autonomy" and finds it in then, MLB's Canadian outpost, Montreal.
Then Mets elder statesmen like "The Senator" Al Lieter and the Senior Citizen, John Franco, talk Junior into trading a 100 MPH Lefty (second coming of Sidd Finch) for a two-time Tommy John piece of crap that can't hit the side of a barn. Yes, Victor (the other Zambrano), so these idiots can ride their victory lap it into the sunset. Mets missed the season - not even close!!!
Junior's Medical Records are just as bad.
Mo Vaughn's big fat cheeseburger eating bone-on-bone knee get passes medical, but Vladimir Guerrero's back doesn't pass the test?! No medical on Putz and Jeff Francoeur has play with torn ligaments in his thumb though we're 22-games away from wildcard leader?! Francoeur then requires a special surgery to pull another ligament from another arm - Christ's sakes, man!
We had a record-tying 19 men on the disabled list. Minaya was forced to fire his pal, Tony Bernazard, for bare-chested bravado against his own minor team squad. Then Omar goes wild challenging Mets Beat Writer, Adam Rubin's reputation, so now we (Mets Fans) got a listen to some bum from Mets office, John Ricco, tell us our star centerfielder is going under the knife just weeks before pitchers and catcher report - Nice!!!
Wilpon Jr.'s eyes are just too close together to be trusted. Think John Rocker with a weak chin, ironically of M*A*S*H fame. A few months ago, the lying bastard is telling Mike Francesa the Mets will make moves to improve the rotation, catching. What did we get?
Jason "Keeping the Mets at" Bay (though there are no other teams to compete with). Yeah, he replaces Carlos Delgado's bat, but who replaces Delgado on first? How do we compete with the Phillies?
Wilpon's tied Omar's hands with a "paint by numbers" approach in which he can only pursue one player at a time, because he has to seek ownerships approval on every proposal. By the time any he gets approval, Molina and Pineiro are signed with other clubs!
I get that we didn't want to compete against ourselves in signing Bay, but by the time we got the deal done, there wasn't anything left?!
Basically, Bernie Madoff with the Mets payroll; Mets fans are paying the price. Plus, Jeff Wilpon has interfered with baseball and medical decisions to the point he's killing the Mets.
Our players don't want to be here. Look at Carlos Beltran's decision. Free agents are opting for the Nationals and Giants.
We are a year away from blowing this club up! And, I hate those God Damned Black uniforms. We're White, Blue and Orange. End of story!!!
Save the Mets - Fire Wilpon!
PS: Nelson Doubleday, who would never steal the limelight from the players and managers... even after the '86 World Series, said "Watch out! The Wilpons are going to turn the Mets into a minor league team.
Armageddon it!
This is extremely damning. If the Mets make no other significant moves, they will lower payroll the amount you mentioned. Madoff has disappeared from sight in the rear-view mirror. The Mets made money hand over fist last year, so there is no reason to at least keep payroll the same. The absence of any remaining free agents that would deserve large contracts tells me that there is a strong likelihood that the Met payroll will be lower in 2010 when compared to 2009. Very, very bad message to all Met fans.
ReplyDeleteWait, HOW MUCH are the Mets paying Jesus Feliciano? Is that the going rate for 30yo OFers who have never played in a MLB game? And have a career minor league OPS of .671?
ReplyDeletePlease tell me that's a mistake.
I get most of my payroll info fro Cot, so the facts are the facts.
ReplyDeleteSaving $9mil is probably LESS than Jeff Wilpon wants to, so let's give the front office some credit. They did spend a fair amount of money this off-season, almost equals last year's payroll, and came away with a great player (Bay), a great steal (Escobar), and a decent first baseman (Jacobs).
Its actually more than this. Some of these guys are fighting for the same spots on the team. For example, Dessens isn't going to make his major league salary if Fogg gets his. Same with Coste and Blanco and Catalanno and Jacobs.
ReplyDeleteThese guys either have non-guaranteed deals or split contracts that pay them one salary if the are in the majors and one if they are in the minors.
Feliciano will never earn $1.6mm because he won't spend a full year on the big league roster.
This is true, but, as a former GM myself, I always evaluate payroll on the top side, in case everybody I signed the same year makes the team.
ReplyDeleteThis will move up and down before and during the season; however, it's safe to say that the Mets will operate as a better (not great, just better) team, spenidng nine million dollars less than they did last year.
Mack