$$$$$$$
“So whaddya think?”
“Whaddya mean? What do I think?”
“Whaddya think the Mets should do about
payroll now that you’ve figured out how to sign all of these pitchers.”
“Okay, first you wanna recognize one thing.”
“Which is?”
“The Mets are a contending team.”
“Okay.”
“And they are a contending team in a major
market. They are getting more people coming to the games. Lots more. They are earning more money. Lots
more. Therefore they have to spend more money.”
“Sounds logical.”
“What doesn’t sound logical is the talk
coming out of the front office. The payroll is sitting somewhere around $148
million, and they’re saying they’ve got to trim. They don’t want to anything
until they get rid of Bruce’s $13 mil.”
“They’re trying to save money.”
“The luxury tax limit this year is $195
mill.”
“That’s pretty high.”
“Yeah, but that’s where people like the
Dodgers and the Yankees sit or rocket on past. Those teams also tend to sit
well up in their divisions, usually winning them. So the Mets have to start
spending money above $150 mil to keep these young pitchers. Suppose they sign
them for an additional ten million a year for three of them. That’s an
additional $30 in 2017, that takes us up to $180 million. That’s what a
contending team in a large market should be spending.”
“Why aren’t they doing that?”
“I don’t want to beat a dead drum here, but I
think the ownership is holding things back. That’s silly. If this team locks up
the young pitchers, they could launch themselves into a dynasty that would have
them making big bucks for years.”
“Sounds like a good future.”
“Only if they commit to it. Not only that,
but if we lock into the heady heights of a $180 mil payroll (which could lose
$13 mil when somebody crushingly needs a corner outfielder with pop) at the end
of the season the payroll drops by $32 mil when Walker and Grandy go off the
payroll in addition to the Bruce $13 mil. You’ve also got other people hitting
free agency: Cabrera, Duda, Reed, and Rivera. They’ve also got the choice of
giving Reyes $22 mil to stay or $4 mil to go. But there’s money there to start
forming the 2018 team.”
“Why don’t people listen to you?”
“Nobody listens to me, and I always talk a
lot of sense. Look at you. I been talking to you about another round, and you haven’t
done a thing.”
Whenever Richard Herr isn’t solving all the
Mets’ problems, he spends his time writing humorous science fiction novels.
You can see his books at https://www.amazon.com/Richard-Herr/e/B00J5XBKX4.
Spend wisely, add excitement and wins, and dollars will charge thru those turnstiles. If Sandy gets us a bona fide pen from here on out, fine. If not, shame. In 1985, if the Cards' pen was not impregnable, the Mets easily win the pennant that year. It matters in wins and losses. First place teams sell out.
ReplyDeleteI think around the All Star break they should look at the young pitchers and start negotiations. They're all coming off varieties of injuries and half a season should demonstrate whether or not there are any lingering concerns. Until then, go through the arbitration process. They'll get paid when they need to, whether here or elsewhere. It's not a perfect system but it's the one the owners and the players association agreed to abide.
ReplyDeleteThe issue for me is not doing what's necessary to become a front running team such as fortifying the bullpen and addressing the weaknesses in CF and C.
Makes sense
DeleteThis whole thing about salary and return for your investment is a constant battle for professional sports franchises.
ReplyDelete