The New York Mets changed Major League Baseball history with owner Steve Cohen’s wallet, but the reality is that even the wild card is out of reach. With the trade deadline less than a month away, the Mets are likely to make a move. They might even have to give up one-two punchers Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander.
The Mets entered this season with a payroll total over $300 million for the first time in Major League Baseball history. Not just barely, but $346 million. The next closest team is the Yankees at $279 million, so it’s unlikely they’ll be able to break the record anytime soon. The Mets’ luxury tax this year is close to $100 million. That’s enough to run a small-market team.스포츠토토
However, the standings have not been commensurate with the spending. Even with a 4-1 win over San Francisco on Sunday, the Mets are still in fourth place in the National League East with 37 wins and 46 losses. They are a whopping 18.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves, the best winning team in the National League and first in the division. They are also out of the wild card race.
New York Mets owner Stephen Cohen. Yonhap/AP
Given this situation, it’s no surprise that the Mets will be “sellers” at the trade deadline next month. If they can’t change the team with a few trades, it might make sense for them to make a move to miss the playoffs and look forward to next year. Given the amount of money the Mets have spent this year, this option has become a hot topic.
The American sports publication The Athletic categorized the 30 major league teams as “aggressive buyers,” “buyers,” “situational,” “sellers,” and “aggressive sellers. The Mets were among the sellers.
“The Mets sent out Eduardo Escobar while subsidizing most of his salary to acquire two prospective pitchers from the Los Angeles Angels,” the publication said. This could be a blueprint for the Mets heading into Aug. 1,” adding that the team could continue to make trades to move veterans for prospects.
“The Mets have a few options. “The Mets have a few options: trade a player like David Robertson or Tommy Pham for a small return, trade Scherzer or Verlander for salary relief, or finally, a major roster overhaul. I don’t think the last option is easy, but the first two should be considered.”
Meanwhile, Cohen said in a press conference that he is monitoring the Mets’ situation. “We’re preparing for every eventuality,” he said, but he emphasized that he would not make any moves if the team didn’t suddenly improve.