Well so there was no high priced free agent under our tree this Christmas as there was in years past. And it made me think of what Peter ” Red Sox Shill ” Gammons had written yesterday. Saying , if the Mets are unable to land Bay , he doesn’t see the Mets adding anyone else of a similar caliber. With their unwillingness to go over the luxury tax threshold, they are more likely to pocket the money to make a mid -season deal. I really don’t know how much I stock I can put in Gammons but if this holds to be true and the Mets tank before the July 31st trade deadline , and the Mets don’t even attempt to make a deal – then there are going to be plenty of irate Mets fans over here. This is the thing that I just don’t understand through the ’07- 09 season we have heard from the front office and ownership that they were putting money aside just in case they needed to make a major acquisition at the trade deadline, and for these same last couple of seasons we obtained a Luis Ayala , Jeff Francouer, a Anderson Hernandez and a Trot Nixon – not exactly high caliber , expensive talent that we were hoping for. So what is it are we a big market team that can throw it’s money around ( wisely) or are we  in a small market mindset right now that tethers us to a solid dollar ceiling that we are not allowed to go over under any circumstance? The way that I see it withall the payroll that we shed this off season and with the minor adjustments in raises – we are around 35 million dollars under our total payroll last season. – To paraphrase Shakespeare’s Hamlet ” There is something rotten in Flushing – and it ain’t the Shake Shack!!!”
Â
                                                                                 
                                    ” Something tells me that the Mets front office sucks at gambling”
And without further adieu – HERE COMES THE INFAMY !!!!!!
He was one of the key middle relievers for the ’73 ” Ya Gotta Believe !” Mets,compiling a 5-4 record with a E.R.A of 3.39 – Happy 69th Birthday Ray Sadecki (1940).
Even though he will be most remembered as a New York Yankee, he was a coach for the Mets during the 2002 season- Happy 61 st Birthday Chris Chambliss (1948) .
New York Mets signed free agent pitcher Scott Holman on December 26, 1979.
New York Mets signed free agent utility infielder Jim Tatum on December 26, 1997.
New York Mets signed free agent relief pitcher Pete Walker on December 26, 2000.
And before have a slug of last nights eggnog -just  remember – There are just 100 painfully disappointing more days until the Mets open the 2010 season against the Florida Marlins at Citi Field.
9 comments
rustyjr
12/26/2009-11:41am at 11:41 am (UTC -4)
just in case you wonder where I got my payroll figures fron – as mets Macks Mets
End of season: Released: OF Wily Mo Pena ($400k), IF Ramon Martinez ($750k), and signed RP Jack Egbert ($400k)… savings: $750,000.00
10-7: Mets acquired first baseman Eddie Lora (minimum minor league contract) and outfielder Chris Carter ($400K) for Billy Wagner ($10.5mil) – savings: $10,100,000.00
10-11: Mets grant free agency to: RP Jon Switzer – savings: $475,000.00
10-11: Mets grant free agency to P Connor Robinson – savings: $450,000
10-19: The Mets release RP Ken Takahashi. Savings: Takahashi had an incentive based minor league contract that could earn him up ti 1.5mil a year. I assume he earned it in 2009, since he pitched so well: savings: $1,500,000.00
11-5: The Mets have told J.J. Putz that they do not intend to pick up his 2010 option and will buy him out instead for $1 million. Putz’s option would have been for $9.1 million. Savings: $8,100,000.00
11-6: 1B Carlos Delgado filed for free agency. Savings: $12,000,000.00.
11-6: C Brian Schneider filed for free agency. Savings: $4,900,000.00
11-6: IF Alex Cora filed for free agency. Savings: $2,000,000.00
11-6: The Mets exercized their option on SP Mike Pelfry, for $500,000.00. Last year, due to his original contract, he earned $2,900,000.00. Savings: $2,400,000.00
11-9: OF Gary Sheffield filed for free agency. – Savings: $400,000.00
11-10: P Elmer Dessens released – savings: $600,000.00
11-16: Passing on resigning OF Fernando Tatis at option rate… savings: $1,700,000
11-16: 16 AAA/AA players file for free agency… 13 are minimal salaries that will be offset by additional minor leaguers at same rate… three had individual contracts: IF Wilson Valdez (381K), C Robinson Cano (408K), and P Carlos Muniz (402K) – savings: $1,191,000
11-30: Mets sign Alex Cora – spending: $2,000,000
12-3: Mets tender John Maine – approx: $2,900,000
12-3: Mets sign C Chris Coste – spending: $600,000
12-3: Mets sign C Henry Blanco – spending: $1,500,000
12-10: Mets sign OF/1B Mike Hessman – spending AAA salary: $90,000
12-10: Mets re-negotiate recent contract signed with C Henry Blanco – reduction of $750,000 in base pay with additional monies tied to encentive performance bonuses – savings: $750,000
12-11: Mets resign RP Elmer Dessens – cost: $700,000.
12-12: Mets non-tender SP Tim Redding ($2,250,000), OF Jeremey Reed ($925,000), OF Cory Sullivan ($600,000), and SP Lance Broadway ($402,500) – total savings: $4,177.500
12-18: Mets signed RP Ryota Igarashi – cost: $1,250,000
12-23: Mets sign RP R.A. Dickey – cost: $600,000
Total savings so far: $41,853,500.00
GravediggerHebner
12/26/2009-11:55am at 11:55 am (UTC -4)
I understand the theory behind what Mack is doing with this whole “savings” thing but it fails to take into account any raises built in to long term contracts, and it also doesn’t account for arbitration raises. It’s a good number to use for conversation but we shouldn’t simply think “this is how much they have to spend on free agents” because that’s not true.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention Omar’s arguably best mid-season acquisition: Luis Castillo
Maybe I just need to get out more but that “Shooting Craps” thing made me LMFAO!
rustyjr
12/26/2009-12:28pm at 12:28 pm (UTC -4)
actually the only real raises were do to david jose johan and frankiw – which adds up to slightly less than 10 million dollars total if memory serves me right – so that in thoery leaves us with what – about 30 mill under where we wre last season? luxury tax is at $ 170 mil I mean come on you dont need to spend anywhere near that but you can still go after no risk players ala bay marlon byrd , derosa etc I just don’t understand this teams mentality sometimes – Richard Neer – who is generally the voice of reason when it comes to that station succinctly said it best when he said it looks like the mets went straight to the bargain bin – im not trying to be negative right now but this team isn’t making me feel all warm and fuzzy at this moment
rustyjr
12/26/2009-12:29pm at 12:29 pm (UTC -4)
oh and how could I forget about slappy lol
trs86
12/26/2009-6:33pm at 6:33 pm (UTC -4)
I went on to his site and ask him and got no real answer. He has not accounted for arbitration or salary raises. It’s about as pointless as a Willie Randolph Mets jersey.
Kingman 26
12/26/2009-12:35pm at 12:35 pm (UTC -4)
What?? I was sure Trot Nixon would put us over the top!!
LOL!
Happy holidays Rusty, and don’t know if you saw it, but I did go back and carefully answer all ten of your questions the other day—I think you will especially like my answer to the last one!
Kingman 26
12/26/2009-12:49pm at 12:49 pm (UTC -4)
Wow, I barely remember Chambliss as a Met coach….I do however remember him hitting the walkoff homer to win the 1976 ALCS and fighting his way through fans to get around the bases…oh well, at least the Royals finally beat the Skanks on Breet’s homer off of Gossage in the 1980 ALCS. That was sweet.
Have a good one everybody!
CaseStreet
12/26/2009-3:16pm at 3:16 pm (UTC -4)
100 days! Can’t wait!
trs86
12/26/2009-6:36pm at 6:36 pm (UTC -4)
Also Gammons must not have looked at the Mets budget at all. To get to last year’s budget they had 28-32 million to spend and last year’s budget was at least 7-10 million under then luxury tax. Add into that the fact the threshold went up again this year. They would have to spend something around 50 million to get to it.