The payroll cut has been one of the favorite shots taken at the team (and the Wilpons) this winter, after watching Jose Reyes go to the Florida Miami Marlins for a $106 Million payday ( reportedly after not receiving an offer from the Mets, which was another hazy issue). Either way, what little money Sandy Alderson spent shored up the bullpen by signing Frank Francisco and Jon Rauch to a combined $15.5 million over two years, and trading an inconsistent, arbitration-eligible Center Fielder for Ramon Ramirez (and an older inconsistent, arbitration-eligible Center Fielder). They resigned Scott Hairston, brought in Ronny Cedeño, and let former first-round pitcher Adam Loewen and Queens-native Mike Baxter battle it out for the lefty bench role. Offensive Jugger-not Mike Nickeas was all-but handed the backup catcher's role. But all 11 of you reading this knew all that.
Back to the money. So the Mets are doomed because they slashed payroll. They spent about $145 Million last year on 77 wins. At that same price, their new $93 Million payroll should be good for about 49 (They would need to go 30-99 from here. I'd take the over). What you'll never hear on ESPN, however, is how the Mets shedded payroll. Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez didn't make the team out of spring training ($18,000,000). Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez were traded ($31,492,102). And, of course, Reyes' contract expired ($11,000,000). The Mets shedded $60,492,102 worth of contracts from five players, only one of whom was on the team on August 1st. Only two of whom provided a significant impact to the team (despite Bobby Parnell's struggles in the role, I take the Moneyball approach on the value of closers). But no, doomed.
Lost in this is the (in fairness, somewhat surprising) effective return of the Mets $24 Million Ace pitcher Johan Santana and their $16,000,000 dynamic MVP-caliber Third Baseman (yes, David Wright played last year, but the difference has been night and day). To me, it's not a surprise that the Mets are 19-14 right now (I'll admit that the 14-6 record in the NL East is delightfully surprising), because the Mets compliment their top players with some scrappy veterans (R.A. Dickey, Andres Torres), plenty of high-potential young players (Jon Niese, Dillon Gee, Lucas Duda, Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy, Josh Thole, Ruben Tejada, and Captain Kirk Nieuwenhuis). So much for the Mets' terrible farm system.
The Wilpons were on the brink of ruin because of their legal battles with Madoff Trustee Irving Picard (Note: what was originally a $1 Billion lawsuit will likely only cost them about $70 Million... in 2015.) The harsh reality suddenly isn't. What does it mean? Well, there won't (and shouldn't) be a return to the Omar Minaya era of handing out huge contracts, but there ought to be money to work with. The payroll isn't going to rise much in the next few years (many players are still pre-arbitration), but something like re-signing David Wright is no longer impossible, no matter what Ken Rosenthal or Jon Kruk may tell you.
Sandy Alderson was absolutely shredded by the media this winter for cutting payroll. In reality, he did exactly what he was brought in for. The 'Moneyball with money' GM flipped Beltran for top prospect Zack Wheeler, and Lucas Duda has hit .271/.357/.442 in his stead, despite a slow start in 2012. He gave Dickey a contract, and got 253 innings with a 3.34 ERA in return so far. His extension to Jon Niese could prove extremely variable down the road. The quality of bullpen pitchers fluctuates wildly (and boy, has it), but for the most part they seem to be settling (I'm looking at you, Manny Acosta). The 2012 Mets are captivating; they're easy to root for. They may not win 95 games; hell they may not win 81. But I don't know if there's a team in the National League that works as hard; that wants to win as badly as the Mets. They play with a boyish excitement that's contagious. If nothing else, it's a return to "Mets baseball". Not the most talented, heralded, or respected, they approach every at bat like it's the last out of the 9th inning. They're riding a thin line, but to the trained eye it seems they're starting to best it. They know what they have to do to succeed, and in this early season seem to revel in it. Ya Gotta Believe, because they really do.
Just remember - despite what the Yankees may say, spending does not equal winning. Ask the Cubs.
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