Mack’s Afternoon Report – 12-9 – Mets Payroll, Free Agent Starters Still On The Market

 

Adam Rubin of ESPN New York, estimates the current Mets payroll to be at $75.4 million dollars. Adam’s usually right about these things and he’d never go to print unless he checked it at least two or three times.

Estimated ARB allotment to Daniel Murphy - $5.8mil

Estimated ARB allotment to Lucas Duda - $1.8mil

Estimated ARB allotment to Ike Davis - $3.5mil

So depending upon which first baseman you would keep, you could trade Murphy and one of the first baseman and you would reduce the existing payroll to the $66.1 - $67.8 range.

Thus, working with a budget figure of $90mil, you would have $22.2mil - $23.9mil for either one stud or any two player package.

It seems to me that there is plenty of money to play with and accomplish any trade you want

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't $15mil a year the going rate for a stud bat right now? The Mets could accomplish this through a trade. They would have to liquidate some current monies on the books rather go in the direction of Stephen Drew.

I still say trade for your shortstop buy using a package of 1) Duda or Davis, 2) Flores or Murphy, and 3) deGrom, Robles, or Mazzoni. Make it a three man trade for one shortstop you can signup for three years. Then, take the rest of the money and go back to the free agent market and find yourself a pitcher.

 

Here’s what’s left of the starters unsigned:

Bronson Arroyo – 37 – $16, 445,533 - 32-ST, 3.79, 1.15, 202.0-IP, 5.52/K-9, 1.51/BB-9

Erik Bedard – 35 - $1,150,000 – 32-G, 26-ST, 4.59, 1.48, 151.0-IP, 8.23/K-9, 4.47/BB-9

A.J. Burnett – 37 - $16,500,000 – 30-ST, 3.30, 1.21, 191.0-IP, 9.85/K-9, 3.16/BB-9

Chris Capuano – 34 - $6,000,000 – 24-G, 20-ST, 4.26, 1.41, 6.90/K-9, 2.04/BB-9

Chris Carpenter – 39 - $12,500,000 - injured

Bartolo Colon – 39 - $3,000,000 – 30-ST, 2.65, 1.17, 5.53/K-9, 1.37/BB-9

Gavin Floyd – 31 - $9,500,000 – 5-ST, 5.18, 1.60, 9.25/K-9, 4.44/BB-9

Jon Garland – 34 - $500,000 – 12-ST, 5.82, 1.59, 4.24/K-9, 3.04/BB-9

Matt Garza – 30 - $10,250,000 – 11-ST, 3.17, 1.14, 7.86/K-9, 2.54/BB-9

Jason Hammel – 31 - $6,750,000 – 26-G, 23-ST, 4.97, 1.46, 6.20/K-9, 3.10/BB-9

Tommy Hanson – 27 - $3,725,000 – 15-G, 13-ST, 5.42, 1.55, 6.90/K-9, 3.70/BB-9

Roberto Hernandez – 33 - $3,250,000 – 32-G, 24-ST, 4.89, 1.34, 6.74/K-9, 2.26/BB-9

Daniel Hudson – 27 - $518,500 - injured

Ubaldo Jimenez – 30 - $5,750,000 – 32-ST, 3.30, 1.33, 9.56/K-9, 3.94/BB-9

Jeff Karstens – 31 - $2,500,000 - injured

John Lannan – 29 -$2,500,000 – 14-ST, 5.33, 1.52, 4.60/K-9, 3.27/BB-9

Paul Maholm – 32 - $6,500,000 – 26-ST, 4.41, 1.41, 6.18/K-9, 2.76/BB-9

Jason Marquis – 35 - $3,000,000 – 20-ST, 4.05, 1.52, 5.51/K-9, 5.20/BB-9

Jeff Niemann – 30 - $3,000,000 – injured

Mike Pelfrey – 30 - $4,000,000 – 29-ST, 5.19, 1.55, 5.95/K-9, 3.12/BB-9

Greg Reynolds – 28 - $481,000 – 6-G, 5-ST, 5.52, 1.47, 3.99/K-9, 1.84/BB-9

Clayton Richard – 30 - $5,240,000 – 12-G, 11-ST, 7.01, 1.63, 4.10/K-9, 3.59/BB-9

Ervin Santana – 31 - $13,000,000 – 32-ST, 3.24, 1.14, 6.87/K-9, 2.18/BB-9

Joe Saunders – 33 - $6,500,000 – 32-ST, 5.26, 1.60, 5.26/K-9, 3.00/BB-9

Edinson Volquez – 30 - $5,725,000 – 27-ST, 6.01, 1.67, 7.33/K-9, 4.36/BB-9

Tsuyoshi Wada – 32 - $4,200,000 – (AAA) 19-ST, 4.03, 1.43, 7.01/K-9, 3.07/BB-9

Jake Westbrook – 36 - $8,750,000 – 21-G, 19-ST, 4.63, 1.56, 3.39/K-9, 3.86/BB-9

Jerome Williams – 32 - $2,000,000 – 37-G, 25-ST, 4.57, 1.39, 5.69/K-9, 2.92/BB-9

Barry Zito – 36 - $20,000,000 – 30-G, 25-ST, 5.74, 1.70, 5.81/K-9, 3.65/BB-9

            I left off pitchers on the Mets roster last year (Marcum, Santana, etc.).

            It amazes me how bad most of these guys pitched last year. The ones that shined (Santana, Garza) are already making big money and will be priced above what the Mets have left in their budget. They simply can’t afford a $15mil+ pitcher unless they DFA or trade a couple of players like Daniel Murphy and Ike Davis.

            I do suggest that the Mets take a look at a couple of the guys that didn’t pitch last year. One especially would be Jeff Niemann, who elected free agency after being outrighted from Tampa’s 40-man roster. He missed the entire 2013 season because of a right shoulder injury, pitched a little in 2012 (8-starts, 2-3, 3.08, 1.11, 8.05/K-9), and pitched 2011 mostly healthy (11-7, 4.06). His overall 5-year pro stat line is: 40-26, 4.09, 1.29, 6.77/K-9, 2.93/BB-9. He’ll pitch next year as a 30 year old and the 6-9 right could be signed with a bunch of health incentive clauses. Guys, this was the Big Kahuna out of Rice in 2004 and was the 4^th overall pick of that draft. (Err… the pick before him, the 3^rd overall, was his teammate at Rice, Phillip Humber, by the Mets. Pick number two in that draft was Justin Verlander (Detroit) and who can forget San Diego’s number one pick overall in the draft, SS Matt Bush.)

Also, check out 28-yr. old Greg Reynolds who passed after being dropped from the Cincinnati 40-man. He too is coming off injuries but his last full year, 2013 in AAA, he went 12-3, 2.42, 1.06.