New York Mets David Wright: Star or Marketing Scheme?

Was the signing of David Wright by the New York Mets truly a baseball decision, or was this more of a marketing ploy?

Baseball’s long term contracts; oh where to begin. There has been one successful seven-year or more contract by playing standards, and that was Derek Jeter’s 10-year, $181 million contract. There have been many unsuccessful seven-year or more contracts in baseball; from both of Alex Rodriguez’s ten-year deals, to Pablo Sandoval being benched with the Red Sox.

In the fall of 2013, New York Mets third baseman David Wright signed an eight-year, $138 million contract. In 2014, Wright played 134 games and hit .269; not the start he would have wanted, but it got the job done for year one. In 2015 however, Wright played a mere 38 games. He was riddled by back/neck injuries. After 37 games in 2016, it is likely that Wright will not play again this season due to back/neck injuries.

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To recap what Wright has done since he has been under this contract, he has played 209 games through 2.5 seasons (with declining games played in each of the seasons). He has hit relatively well when he has been on the field with a .269 and .289 batting average in 2014 and 2015 respectively. That said, his issue has been staying on the field with presumably a total of 75 games played in 2015 and 2016.

Looking at the contract Wright signed, at the time it was perceived to be a decent contract. Even when Wright signed the contract, his health issues where known. At the time however, it was not as bad as it is today.

Next for Wright is the 2017 season, meaning he is almost halfway through his contract. At this point, there is now a question that is highly prominent; was spending all of that money for what the Mets hoped would be their franchise cornerstone but what turned out to be an attempt at a marketing scheme worth it?

There is no statistic readily available that details how the Mets have done in merchandise sales since they signed Wright, however between 2013 and 2014, their overall revenue barely moved.

The Mets produced similar records those two years, winning below 80 games both seasons. In 2015, their revenue skyrocketed, but that is most likely due to them getting to the World Series, selling postseason tickets and more. Also, we do not know how much of their 2015 postseason merchandise was Wright apparel, but it was probably not a lot. As far as marketing and player merchandise goes, the Mets appear to have gained little to nothing from making Wright the highest paid player in franchise history. This could all change if Wright can get and stay healthy. He can become an elite player in baseball again, but he would need to stay healthy, which has been his biggest issue so far.

So far on his current contract, Wright has not made nearly as much of a revenue impact as the Mets would have liked him to.

Listed above is a description of Wright’s hitting through the first part of his contract; it has not been where he would like it, mostly because of his inability to stay on the field.

Finally, Wright’s defense will be greatly hindered by his back/neck because he will not be able to bend down as far and fast as he could when he was healthier. Because the Mets play without a designated hitter, Wright losing the ability to play defense is a big deal. Ideally, Wright should be a DH.

Wrapping up, it is looking like Wright’s contract will end up like most seven or more-year contract. Wright will become a low average hitting, unstably healthy veteran far sooner than the Mets anticipated. He will also struggle to play defense because of his back; bending and diving are the most important parts of playing third base.

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Looking into the future of long-term contracts like this, it has been proven multiple times that these do not work. Although this is the case, teams will continue to dish out money like they grow on trees, not thinking about the interest of the team six or seven years down the road. Smart, right?

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