New York Mets: Patience needed with spending on team
Fans of the New York Mets should be patient and see if anything comes to fruition with the plan in spending by the team.
New York Mets CEO Jeff Wilpon says the team has a “plan” for the future. Mets fans can’t see it now, but let it play out before you judge it all together.
Building this team isn’t just about payroll now. They need to rebuild their farm system, which is why they brought in Omar Minaya.
According to James Wagner of the New York Post, here’s the opinion of Wilpon:
Over a decade ago, Mets were top 5 in payroll. Asked if he could foresee that happening again, Wilpon: “I’d rather look at what we do in terms of wins and losses. Being top 5 in payroll, I don’t think that won us a World Series.”
— James Wagner (@ByJamesWagner) January 23, 2018
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For the fans who are frustrated by the “lack of spending” by the Mets, you need to take a closer look at what the Mets have actually done. According to the site Spotrac, which tracks team spending in all sports, the Mets have spent the fifth-most for 2018 salaries in the 2018 offseason and the fourth-most in overall contract value. They are also 13th in the league in total payroll for 2018, which is a little more than $14.7 million over the league average for the year.
So, the Mets are spending relative to the rest of the league in 2018. Their total payroll is just not as high as the fans want.
New York sports fans are typically impatient, especially one who hasn’t seen their team win in a long time. The Mets can’t build a championship overnight, and given the next three years they have to pay off Ponzi scheme victims, this time should be used to build the farm system and develop young talent for the Majors.
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It’s not always about the here and now, especially given the situation the Mets are in. The Mets can be playoff contenders in 2018, if the pieces they have in place step up. That said, they are not spending (relative to the rest of the league). Let it play out before judging the team’s decision-making this offseason.