This morning’s addition to “According To Sources” comes courtesy of Andy Martino of the New York Daily News. Martino writes that according to baseball officials familiar with the negotiations the Mets are awaiting a response to what they consider is their best offer. Martino writes that the Daily News reports from Tuesday (which at this time I only recall as 7 years and way above $100M) is that it is an 8 year $140M offer if you include the $16M Wright is due to make in 2013. Also the sources say the deal is back loaded similar to how former Met Jose Reyes contract was structured when he signed with the Marlins. Finally Martino writes that there is deferred money in the offer similar to what was done with Carlos Beltran and Johan Santana.
According To Sources History
- 10/6/2012 – it’s conceivable Wright and Dickey will have new deals in place, at least in principle, by the time the World Series begins later this month.
- 10/9/2012 – The Mets are expected to open negotiations with an offer for somewhere in the neighborhood of $100 million for star third baseman David Wright.
- 10/10/2012 – David Wright’s camp intends to milk talks and draw things out until at least after the World Series, in hopes of reaching a better compromise at the last minute.
- 10/13/2012 – Mets could schedule a meeting and begin formal contract negotiations next week & it’s too early to tell if it’s still possible for either player to be signed this month.
- 10/25/2012 – Contract negotiations between the Mets and Wright & Dickey remain very preliminary and have not advanced to the point of talking years or dollars and they are still talking about when to really get talking.
- 11/6/2012 – The Mets are “not close” to a resolution with either Wright or Dickey.
- 11/7/2012 – Discussions regarding Dickey’s contract extension could see “a resolution before the month ends”.
- 11/8/2012 – Mets are not expressing the same optimism with R.A. Dickey in regards to “progressing, albeit slowly, in completing a long-term extension”.
- 11/8/2012 – Mets are “showing little interest in signing Dickey to extension” and are “discussing him in trades”.
- 11/9/2012 – Speculation that Dickey wanted a Oliver Perez type deal is “completely incorrect” and that a decision to sign or trade Dickey after the NL Cy Young winner is announced could be resolved pretty quickly”.
- 11/13/2012 – Mets made Wright an offer and Wright’s people have made a counter offer.
- 11/17/2012 – Mets plan to offer Dickey a two-year contract extension & if Dickey agrees to a 2 year extension he wants more than $10 million a year.
- 11/19/2012 – Mets “would want a monster package for (R.A.) Dickey, and if they don’t get it, probably would not trade him.”
- 11/20/2012 – “50-50” that Wright signs an extension and Wright is less than thrilled with Years and guaranteed money offered so far. At least one team official is “not sure” if Dickey agreeing to an extension is any guarantee he will not be traded this Winter. Finally that part of the reason for the stalemate between Wright & the Mets is because Jeff Wilpon tries to win every negotiation and doesn’t go for the middle ground.”
- 11/27/2012 – Mets offered Wright a 6 year, $100M contract extension. Wright prefers a deal of 7 years or longer. Mets making little progress in signing both Wright & Dickey to extensions.
- 11/27/2012 – Mets most recent offer to Wright is for 7 years and is worth well above $100M. Negotiations have been ongoing for several weeks with offers and counter offers having been traded back and forth. Wright was “unhappy” with the way contract talks were proceeding but that was before the team increased its offer to seven years.
- 11/27/2012 – Wright had been offered a 7 year extension on top of the $16 million he is owed for 2013. Mets have “been really optimistic” an extension will be reached with Wright. Source says it does not believe a deal would be finalized before the Winter Meetings but another source says it could but it’s speculative that it will.
- 11/27/2012 – Mets have offered Wright a 7 year deal for $135-140 million dollars.
- 11/27/2012 – Mets made Wright an offer that would be worth between $135 million and $145 million over eight years, including Wright’s $16 million salary this season.
- 11/28/2012 – Deferred money is an issue in Wright negotiations and Santana’s $137.5M deal is a “benchmark” Wright and his agents are pursuing. Also if R.A. Dickey is signed to an extension it would “almost definitely” eliminate the possibility he is traded this offseason.
- 11/29/2012 – Mets have made their best offer which is a 8 year $140M offer if you include the $16M Wright is due to make in 2013. The deal is back loaded similar to how former Met Jose Reyes contract was structured when he signed with the Marlins. And there is deferred money in the offer.
Or rather Wright?!? } – 
57 comments
srt
11/29/2012-9:36am at 9:36 am (UTC -4)
I’m kind of surprised this Wright offer appears to be back loaded and/or includes deferred money. I’m not a fan of either.
kingman 26
11/29/2012-9:40am at 9:40 am (UTC -4)
SRT, the Mets have no money and are utterly desperate. They have no choice.
The release of Bay in the manner it was done confirms, absolutely and positively, their utter financial desperation.
They feel they have to keep Wright as the only sure way to keep fan interest and sell tickets and jerseys in 2013, but they cannot afford to commit one penny more than absolutely necessary in the short term.
srt
11/29/2012-10:00am at 10:00 am (UTC -4)
No argument from me Kingman on the Mets being broke. I’ve been commenting on that all along and I’m amazed at the amount of Met fans who believe otherwise.
Even so, don’t you think this is a dumb idea? I think they know it’s not exactly the smartest contract structure they’re offering but it just proves again on how broke they really are.
kingman 26
11/29/2012-10:28am at 10:28 am (UTC -4)
Well, I do not think it is, on the surface, necessarily dumb, but I do not think that is the issue.
To me it is WHY they have to do it that is the bad and very telling part.
fongulalou
11/29/2012-10:50am at 10:50 am (UTC -4)
Greeting back ya ! (24 hrs later)…………
Since I’ve become disengaged for about the past year,
I could use an opinion I trust in explaining to me what
exactly is the rebuilding plan here??? And TX, not only does Charlie Batch stink but so does our fraud of a coach Teflon Tomlin.
Mr North Jersey
11/29/2012-11:05am at 11:05 am (UTC -4)
Fongy! Your gravatar hasn’t aged a bit.
Stick
11/29/2012-11:12am at 11:12 am (UTC -4)
there is no rebuilding plan if you are referring to the to the team on the field into the future.
basically, they are jus tscrambling to keep things afloat in the ST, and maybe you could squint and see a “plan” that consists of wait for the young SP to arrive to carry the team to glory, and figure out how to put a team on the filed after that.
Going all-in on DW screams of ST, survival, do anything to get butts in the seats next year thinking. and not looking past their noses to even 2014.
kingman 26
11/29/2012-11:22am at 11:22 am (UTC -4)
Fongy, it’s great to have you back.
While some (the usual suspects) believe in a “plan” (I insist on putting it in quotes, as it is hypothetical at best and something along the lines of Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster at worst), I have been and remain firmly convinced that the only “plan” is Wilpon survival.
Alderson did indeed do a poor job with the few moves he has made (rebuilding the pen and the Pagan trade) but clearly management has told him he may not spend anything and he has little to trade in a system largely left fallow by Minaya.
Wright? To me it is all about selling tickets and shirts more than winning. Wright is still good, but is not the player he was from 2005–2008, but is beloved by the masses.
Hence, the Wilpons figure that a 4th place team WITH Wright will sell enough extra tickets when compared to a 4th place team without him, so they are desperate to keep him if possible. I go to one game a year, and there are Wright jerseys EVERYWHERE and his every move is cheered. The casual fan loves him, and sad as it may be, I think there are a LOT of people who would rather lose with Wright than win without him. All of this “face of the franchise” stuff makes me ill. He’s the face of 4th place and the face of second half collapses. We need a NEW face.
The deal with Bay clearly showed that they are beyond desperate for cash. They did not sign many of their draft picks which immediately invalidates any ideas that they are building the MIL system as first priority.
They simply are in desperation/survival mode, and that is the “plan.” Mollify as many people as possible with Wright, and maybe Dickey, and spend the absolute minimum possible otherwise. That’s the “plan.”
However, if they keep Dickey, which I support (I want Wright GONE!), the rotation has a chance to be spectacular with RA/Niese/Harvey/Wheeler/Gee. (4 of 5 are Omar’s, so he might deserve a LITTLE credit!)
Prismo
11/29/2012-11:45am at 11:45 am (UTC -4)
Kingman, the Beltran for Wheeler move was pretty good.
I think the plan is to hope and pray that our young players and prospects turn the team around. Next season there will be 1-2 mid-level signings (talking about guys like Cody Ross, not Upton or Hamilton) to round out the team. But I think mostly (like…95% mostly) it lies on the prospects and youth in the organization.
As Kingman said, this is because the Wilpons have handicapped their GM in a likely futile attempt to turn a $140MM team into a $95MM team overnight, before even building an adequate minor league system.
kingman 26
11/29/2012-12:58pm at 12:58 pm (UTC -4)
Totally agree Prismo, and even if Wheeler does not pan out, that was still a great move.
TX
11/29/2012-9:49am at 9:49 am (UTC -4)
4D, it makes total sense in every sense of economics to back load. A dollar today may only be worth .90 cents or so several years from now. Inflation and rising costs and all. Plus, the less money spent now means the more money to earn interest on (assuming they have money).
To me, the only reason that the backloaded contracts really suck are that you are normally not getting an average output on production from the player. So you are getting great production for small salary and not so great production when the salary is large. But, I will say this. With proper planning, the team should have 2-3 players with those larger salaries and will continually have young and cheap in the mix. Then, when those large salaries drop off the books, you are paying your next group (ideally the Harveys and Ikes) big bucks as they produce like allstars and by then, Nimmo and the others are filling in and contributing on the cheap. When you have 4+ of those balloon contracts hitting at once, with no young-in’s to step in, you get your 2011-2013 New York Mess.
srt
11/29/2012-10:01am at 10:01 am (UTC -4)
‘ So you are getting great production for small salary and not so great production when the salary is large’
Yeah, that was kind of my point. But with the Mets being in the financial straits they are, it’s probably they’re only choice. I imagine they’re crossing their fingers that when the higher salary on the back end kicks in, they’ll be in a better financial position to either afford it, or absorb it if Wright doesn’t hold up.
TX
11/29/2012-10:13am at 10:13 am (UTC -4)
“I imagine they’re crossing their fingers that when the higher salary on the back end kicks in, they’ll be in a better financial position to either afford it, or absorb it if Wright doesn’t hold up.”
I agree. At that point, I would think most of the larger debt stuff will need to be addressed on Citi and they’ll be gone if they can’t hack that.
greggofboken
11/29/2012-10:00am at 10:00 am (UTC -4)
I am not a fan of either practice myself — and they are practices that have gotten this ownerhsip in trouble. Here is my question should any of you know it.
Are deferred payments booked against the year in question or are they handled as a future liability?
(Santana and Beltran I believe, each have $5M annually deferred. In Santana’s case, the deferred payment is due 7 years after the year in which the deferment is made.)
So…is the $5M that Santana will have defferred for his 2013 efforts counted as a booked expense and part of the 2013 payroll….or is the $5M counted as part of 2020′s payroll (when the payment will actually be made)? I would hope it’s the former….so that the deal just doesn’t become a lingering handcuff…..but I do not know.
Do any of you?
srt
11/29/2012-10:02am at 10:02 am (UTC -4)
Good question….and I have no idea.
TX
11/29/2012-10:17am at 10:17 am (UTC -4)
I can’t see them being able to hold that 5M against 2013 without actually paying it out. Kind of falls into the same Enron deal where they were recognizing revenue for a particular tax year before the full project’s revenue was actually received. The only way that I figure that they could do it is if they, on paper, recognized it as a salary hit and then put that money in some sort of escrow account of sorts, but even then, it seems like a little too much book cooking, especially if they are claiming losses as they have been the past few years.
greggofboken
11/29/2012-10:30am at 10:30 am (UTC -4)
If my recollection is correct, with the Bonilla payments they held that money and it was in one of the acdcounts that Sterling had set up with Madoff (ostensibly gaining interest….and also ostensibly, well….still there). Given how that turned out this is quietly horrifying that they’re continuing the same shaky process.
TX
11/29/2012-10:39am at 10:39 am (UTC -4)
shaky indeed.
darknova306
11/29/2012-10:02am at 10:02 am (UTC -4)
What it shows to me is that they are trying hard to sign him for the sake of keeping a few extra fans in the seats and to keep the jersey/memorabilia gravy train rolling along, but won’t actually have the resources to build a team around Wright for years to come.
Stick
11/29/2012-11:14am at 11:14 am (UTC -4)
yup.
SaltyGary
11/29/2012-9:57am at 9:57 am (UTC -4)
[URL=http://imgur.com/6fOXP][IMG]http://i.imgur.com/6fOXP.jpg[/IMG][/URL]
SaltyGary
11/29/2012-9:59am at 9:59 am (UTC -4)
Sorry was playing to see if I could get the pic inserted so you don’t have to click on it….
http://imgur.com/6fOXP
srt
11/29/2012-10:03am at 10:03 am (UTC -4)
hahaha
Mr North Jersey
11/29/2012-10:09am at 10:09 am (UTC -4)
You can use the html code but you have to be sure to add the width and height if the image is wider than the comment box.
SaltyGary
11/29/2012-9:59am at 9:59 am (UTC -4)
can we please allow inserted images like we do with youtube videos, screw the bandwidth.
Mr North Jersey
11/29/2012-10:03am at 10:03 am (UTC -4)
Yea looks like those img tags do not work regardless of permissions.
SaltyGary
11/29/2012-10:08am at 10:08 am (UTC -4)
So what did you just do to get my pic to appear?
Prismo
11/29/2012-10:03am at 10:03 am (UTC -4)
I will not talk about contracts. I will not talk about rumors. I will not talk about Wright. I will not talk about Dickey.
Keep telling yourself that Prismo…
TX
11/29/2012-10:19am at 10:19 am (UTC -4)
Sam, I am…
srt
11/29/2012-10:25am at 10:25 am (UTC -4)
I hear ya, Prismo.
I’ve just been accused of wanting Wright extended b/c he looks good and has dimples. LOL
It’s getting crazy out there.
Prismo
11/29/2012-10:30am at 10:30 am (UTC -4)
Heck, that’s why I want him extended too.
SaltyGary
11/29/2012-10:51am at 10:51 am (UTC -4)
Might want to stay away from there. With Joe out of commission I have a bad feeling things are going to bubble over. The anger I saw there since yesterday is escalating at a rapid pace and it seems that most of the level headed people have stepped away. Just let the inmates run the asylum until daddy gets back. Nothing good is going to come out of challenging any opinions.
Stick
11/29/2012-11:18am at 11:18 am (UTC -4)
the inmates already took over. Helps when the boss specifically caters to them.
I refuse to post or engage any of them again. And yo uare correct, anyone (and I include myself here!) that seemed to be reasonable, respectiful, or interested in considering other viewpoints has long since left. With a few notable exceptions that seem to be either 1) optimists that think things will get better or 2) snarky teachers that like to purposely get them riled up.
srt
11/29/2012-11:24am at 11:24 am (UTC -4)
Good point and you might very well be right.
Just a shame that it has to be constantly monitored to that extent. Don’t know why all can’t just stick to baseball debates, even if they have conflicting opinions.
kingman 26
11/29/2012-11:32am at 11:32 am (UTC -4)
Damn, you are tempting me to go rattle some cages containing outcasts with IQs in the mid-50s.
Once a month or so, it can be so much fun.
But really—even at Metsblog that place is roundly mocked. As it absolutely should be.
SaltyGary
11/29/2012-10:52am at 10:52 am (UTC -4)
And I did see the dimple comment and I LOL’d
Stick
11/29/2012-11:19am at 11:19 am (UTC -4)
that was a good one. I don’t know how he found the time to post it, since he is usually posting insightful baseball comments, right?
kingman 26
11/29/2012-11:28am at 11:28 am (UTC -4)
SRT, as has been said from the days of Benjamin Franklin to the modern Mob, you lie down with dogs, you get fleas.
How you can spend time there with those completely pathological social outcast losers is, to me, one of the great mysteries of modern times.
Hell, maybe of ALL time.
srt
11/29/2012-2:02pm at 2:02 pm (UTC -4)
Truthfully, I spend entirely too much of my time on all these baseball blogs. I really need to get a life.
fongulalou
11/29/2012-11:13am at 11:13 am (UTC -4)
Seriously….. What’s the planfor 2013 and beyond?
Have Wright (and maybe Dickey) take up a large chunk of the payroll while continuing foward with a bunch of youngsters, none of who are future all-star types?
I think I’m missing something.
TX
11/29/2012-11:29am at 11:29 am (UTC -4)
Ain’t that the 140 million over 7 years after the option question…
If I had to guess what will happen is this: give the fans their ambassador and Met for live in Wright, re-sign Dickey and float out the year for 2013. Hopefully make a slightly above middle of the pack signing the following year, keep on hoping the kids blossom and possibly make a trade to fill in the rest. But this involves way to much hope and pray with the kids coming up.
Every time I think on Harvey and Wheeler, whom I think can be wonderful, I’m reminded of Brian Matusz, Luke Hochevar and others… So many that had the highest of high on expectations and have flamed out mightily. We all have our own arm chair versions of what to do and about 95% of them involve trading one or both of Wright and Dickey, as we all know the team needs an influx of talented kids. They certainly all won’t work out, but the odds one or two will does go up.
kingman 26
11/29/2012-11:30am at 11:30 am (UTC -4)
No, that’s it!
I responded above…
fongulalou
11/29/2012-11:40am at 11:40 am (UTC -4)
Noted!, I have trolled BUT haven’t really had anything of any value to add the past several months (except the night of Johan’s no-no…And that was simply “Wow!”).
Several teams have shown there are several ways to handle a situation like the Wilpons put them self in AND still have some success BUT apparently Freddy thinks he can continue to shuck and jive…..And it appears he has convinced yet another longtime baseball insider (Sandy) to be his fool. Maybe, I was wrong and a littlle harsh on Omar all those years.
fongulalou
11/29/2012-11:18am at 11:18 am (UTC -4)
Thanks Stick. Still, DW ( as much as I love him) isn’t putting 10k more fannys in the seats in August when we’re 10 out and 10 under with the skanks contending again, football season gearing up and folks getting the kiddies ready to return to school.
So…..It’s the same old Wilpons again?…….
Wow, and to think I was once a hardcore defender.
srt
11/29/2012-11:22am at 11:22 am (UTC -4)
Fongyyyyyyy……
I wish SA didn’t accomplish the goal he was sent here for, which was save the team for the Wilpons.
I know many say ‘better the devil you know’. And I don’t really have a problem with Fred, other than it appears that he can no longer afford to own a MLB team in NY.
Stick
11/29/2012-11:22am at 11:22 am (UTC -4)
I guess you saw my response above. yes, that seems to be the plan, and “same old wilpons” sounds just about right.
and the plan then becomes keeping the big names to appease the fans, parade around for tix sales, prove they are a viable operation, or something along those lines.
beyond that, they will cobble together the rest of the roster on a shoestring, and hope a miracle occurs, part of which is Neise, Harvey and Wheeler have to become the Giants rotation real soon.
if they had any viable offensive players in the minors I would have some hope, but they don’t and now they won’t.
still a chance they trade Dickey I guess, so there is that.
fongulalou
11/29/2012-11:33am at 11:33 am (UTC -4)
Wow…… And they’re selling this “plan” to who?….The die-hards know what the score is, the quasi-die-hards have a pretty good idea what the score is, the casual fan isn’t spending (in this economic climate) on a sub .500/ 4th place team and forget about hooking the new fan. I have to admit, I just don’t get it and THIS is exactly what caused me to lose passion after almost 40 yrs of living and dying 24/7/365 with this team.
Amazing……amazing….amaze…well, ya know…
wanny
11/29/2012-12:23pm at 12:23 pm (UTC -4)
I have to admit, Fongy, that I quietly don’t mind if they stink because I found it quite fun to get great seats on Stub Hub for little money and not have to fight crowds with my 2 year old as I get him introduced to the game!
All that said, you are 100% correct in that it doesn’t seem as if there is a plan at all. They talked about building through the farm system but when given the chance to trade veterans to develop the system they have taken chance of that opportunity just once.
So if they won’t make trades and they won’t sign free agents, the only way to improve is to wait years for 18 year old draft picks to develop.
TX
11/29/2012-12:28pm at 12:28 pm (UTC -4)
All speculation, but MLBTR is saying Royals showing interest in Dickey. Wil Myers for Dickey. Done!
.314 / 37 / 109 in 2012. Plays all OF positions.
wanny
11/29/2012-12:45pm at 12:45 pm (UTC -4)
they heyman article that report is based on states that kc is not interested in moving myers or C salvador perez,
TX
11/29/2012-12:52pm at 12:52 pm (UTC -4)
I know. A man can still dream though…
I honestly can’t see them moving Myers for anyone. He’s a monster.
As a general question, would I/you/we all be happy if Dickey got traded for a Wheeler type prospect (seems like the real deal, but 2 years away)? Or would Dickey getting traded only make sense for major league ready prospects?
And yes, I’m bored today, so accept my preemptive apology.
wanny
11/29/2012-1:16pm at 1:16 pm (UTC -4)
for a wheeler quality prospect i have to do it. i’m not sure that type of guy will be available, tho. i wouldn’t trade wheeler for a SP that I will have to pay big money when Wheeler is just about ready to arrive.
if i am getting prospects in a team’s rankings of 3 or higher than I am looking major league ready,.
Prismo
11/29/2012-1:53pm at 1:53 pm (UTC -4)
Oh no. That guy at that other blog is going on again about how Dickey for Bourjos is the “start of a sensible swap.” Cy Young pitcher for a 4th outfielder. Yeah, great.
wanny
11/29/2012-2:02pm at 2:02 pm (UTC -4)
maybe they can get a backup middle infielder to replace cedeno too.
TRS86
11/30/2012-4:49pm at 4:49 pm (UTC -4)
Lol, no Trumbo, no deal.
SaltyGary
11/30/2012-4:54pm at 4:54 pm (UTC -4)
Oh not again jesus christ. I’m tired of him.
TRS86
11/30/2012-4:48pm at 4:48 pm (UTC -4)
I hear some Angelic Devil is available too.