…and the Mets are missing a lot of it.
Missing where? Madoff didn’t steal this lost money. This lost money’s in players too injured to make the field – and there are a lot of them.
The money burning on the Mets' sidelines is no joke.
Angel Pagan – $.575
Alex Cora – $2
John Maine – $2.6
Ryan Church – $2.8
Jose Reyes – $5.75
Billy Wagner – $10.5
Oliver Perez – $12
Carlos Delgado – $12
Carlos Beltran – $18.5
*JJ Putz, who may be injured, and Ramon Martinez, who left last night’s game early, are not listed due to uncertainty in their health.
The total missing salary? $66.7 million
According to Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the Mets’ 25 man opening day payroll was $149.4 million.
This means the Mets are playing with roughly an $82.7 million team right now; at 55% of their potential. This is nearly the same payroll as the 22-32 Cleveland Indians. Cleveland should not be playing as poorly as they have been, but the point remains: with the injuries the Mets are nursing, the team is in a different group of ballclubs than of late. They’re not in the group that expects to win (think Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Phillies); they’re in the group that hopes they win. The group where all the cards need to fall in just the right way, where players you wouldn’t expect it from have career years that greatly benefit their team. Somehow career years worthy of a winning team from Wilson Valdez, Jeremy Reed, and a 40 year-old Gary Sheffield don’t seem likely.
Stats can lie, but money talks…and the money says the Mets probably need to get healthy in order to win.
17 comments
darknova306
6/3/2009-6:14am at 6:14 am (UTC -4)
This has gone beyond absurd. We get a new player sent to the DL everyday, it seems. Not really much we can do. The burden falls entirely on the starting pitching now, what with our AAA offense. This is gonna be a rough month, that’s for sure.
rustyjr
6/3/2009-6:19am at 6:19 am (UTC -4)
atleast cora can play tonight and jose should be back by friday
darknova306
6/3/2009-6:28am at 6:28 am (UTC -4)
Agreed. Though I think Valdez does an admirable job filling in at SS, this offense needs punch right now, and the doesn’t have it. I sincerely hope that Jose comes back 100% healthy, we’re gonna need him.
rustyjr
6/3/2009-6:32am at 6:32 am (UTC -4)
yeah after last nights debacle – i dont think we can keep momentum on our side when our “bullets” are career minor leaugers and reserves
prismo
6/3/2009-6:51am at 6:51 am (UTC -4)
I think the Mets need Reyes AND Beltran back in the lineup ASAP. Then they’ll be ready to compete again.
darknova306
6/3/2009-6:55am at 6:55 am (UTC -4)
Only if they’re healthy. I don’t need to see Beltran stumble around in CF feeling nauseous. And Reyes better come back 100%. If he reinjures the calf the first week he’s back, I’m personally going to throw every medical guy on this team in front of the 7 train.
gland
6/3/2009-7:17am at 7:17 am (UTC -4)
great post! i couldnt agree more. this is exactly what i was saying on the thread last night. w/o at least beltran/reyes/wright/sheffield this team cant be reasonably be expected to score runs
gland
6/3/2009-7:18am at 7:18 am (UTC -4)
omar built this team around a 4 man offensive core, and more than half of it is out!
prismo
6/3/2009-7:21am at 7:21 am (UTC -4)
Exactly! With 3 out of 4 of the team’s best offensive players out, the team can’t reasonably be expected to win the division. So we need two of those guys back on the field when they’re healthy, hopefully soon.
darknova306
6/3/2009-7:33am at 7:33 am (UTC -4)
Agreed. If we can get Reyes and Beltran back by the weekend, we should be in MUCH better shape, and it would allow us to rest Sheff more often.
rustyjr
6/3/2009-7:34am at 7:34 am (UTC -4)
Keep your fingers crossed
oleosmirf
6/3/2009-9:14am at 9:14 am (UTC -4)
and the other 4 players he put around them were all subpar to begin with…
GravediggerHebner
6/3/2009-10:37am at 10:37 am (UTC -4)
Perhaps, but how many teams can claim a 4 team core? St. Louis is Pujols, and the rest. We can complain about the other 4 guys, but we should also appreciate THE 4 guys.
rustyjr
6/3/2009-8:00am at 8:00 am (UTC -4)
this is getting scary though
dirtysanchez
6/3/2009-8:31am at 8:31 am (UTC -4)
very well done post prismo
Agreed..this is getting of hand. I just wonder however if this will refuel the underdog mentality that the mets have been missing for so long. They have not had a payroll under 100 mil in quite some time..
charlies
6/3/2009-8:42am at 8:42 am (UTC -4)
if beltran is out tonight, then he needs to be hospitalized. people with the bubonic plague have recovered sooner. i love beltran and i have never questioned his toughness, even when so many others have, but if he is still (five/six days later) sick with the runs, well then either something is seriously wrong or he is a prima donna. this team needs him back on the field.
oleosmirf
6/3/2009-9:16am at 9:16 am (UTC -4)
Beltran always seems to have something. Whether its a bad knee, or quad or calf or something. He’s always not playing at 100%. For a guy who doesnt run very hard, doesnt slide and isnt a hard nosed player I dont understand why he is always hurt.