New York Mets could use Robinson Cano money to pay Corey Kluber

The Mets snagged Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz and are looking at Corey Kluber too. Maybe both deals have a lot more in common than we think.

The New York Mets took all the headlines by trading for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz. Looks like Brodie Van Wagenen is in full win now mode.

But maybe he has a few tricks left up his sleeve, especially with the rumors swirling around in regards to Corey Kluber. Let’s be honest, having Kluber in the rotation would be a massive boost to the team in 2019.

But what would it cost? It would surely cost the Mets a few good players and a ton of money. Do the Mets have enough funds to pay Kluber as he’s owed more than $50 million over the next three years.

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It turns out, if Brodie played his cards right, he may have a lot more to spend than we think he does and can easily get Kluber for relatively cheap in 2019. The trick is to use the $20 million that the Mariners sent along with Cano to help with the cost.

If the Mariners actually did send the Mets money, it would be a waste not to spend it now.
Imagine this scenario. The Mets do trade for Kluber and they put the $20 million towards his contract. Then they just pay the money out of pocket during the final two or three years of Cano’s contract. By paying more in the future, when the Mets have less currently on the books, the team can upgrade what they have no without having to pay a whole lot extra out of their own pocket.

Here’s a quick example. The Mets could pay Cano an extra $6-7 million in 2021, 2022, and 2023, but not have to pay a single cent out of pocket in 2019 for Kluber, as he will make $17 million next season.

This is increasingly seeming like something that Brodie would do simply because of the Cano trade. He’s gladly going to pay a lot in the future for Cano in order to win now. So an extra $20 million three to five years from now wouldn’t hurt in this scenario.

Now Let’s dig a bit deeper. In 2019 Jay Bruce and Anthony Swarzak would combine for $22.5 million and in 2020, Bruce would cost $14 million. Once the Mariners take on those contracts, the Mets only have to add $1.5 million in 2019 and $10 million in 2020 out of their own pockets. That’s if they don’t use part of the $20 million during these two years.

In 2019, Kluber will make $17 million. In 2020 he will make $17.5 million. In 2021 he will make $18.5 million. The last two years are options. Let’s say they put the $20 million towards Kluber’s first two seasons. Then out of pocket they have to pay $7 million in 2019 and $7.5 million in 2020.

If the Mets do this, Brodie would have worked out an ingenious plan where he would only pay Cano and Kluber a combined $8.5 million extra in 2019 and $17.5 million in 2020. Or the Mets could use nearly all of the $20 million just for 2019 and not have to pay Kluber anything out of pocket in 2019.

It’s a crazy plan that just makes too much sense. Spend an extra $20 million down the line, spend pennies on Kluber now, and maybe even have some money left for another big signing. Even if the $20 million has to he spread out the duration of the contract, then the Mets could still take $4 million off of Kluber’s out of pocket expenses each year.

This plan doesn’t work just for Kluber. The New York Mets can sign anyone and just use the money to make their first few seasons cheaper. Let’s see if the team can pull this off.