New York Mets making mockery of luxury tax thresholds
By David Hill
New York Mets owner Steve Cohen has not been shy about opening the vaults.
After Jacob deGrom spurned the Mets to head to Texas, the front office began another spending spree. Justin Verlander was brought on board to be the new co-ace of the rotation. Jose Quintana signed on Wednesday, adding a solid option to the middle of the Mets’ rotation.
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Those signings have pushed the Mets’ payroll to stratospheric levels. ESPN’s Jeff Passan noted that the Quintana signing pushes the Mets’ payroll to approximately $298 million. The Mets are now in the Steve Cohen Bracket, a fourth level created just for Cohen’s willingness to spend, as they are now paying 90% for every dollar they spend.
At this point, if the Mets were not to pay another dime on their roster, they would have a luxury tax payout of approximately $34 million. But that is not going to be the case. The Mets are still hoping to bring Brandon Nimmo back as their long term center fielder. Another piece for the rotation would make sense. And the bullpen still needs help. The Mets are not done.
Considering the Mets penchant for adding the best talent possible, their payroll will easily exceed $300 million. If Nimmo does return, and the Mets add another starter that they have been linked to, such as Kodai Senga or Ross Stripling, that payroll could push closer to the $325 million level.
And Cohen does not care. All that matters is getting that championship, to raise their first championship flag at Citi Field. He can easily afford to keep increasing payroll, adding as many pieces as possible in his quest to bring the World Series back to New York.
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The New York Mets have blown right past the luxury tax and are in their own tier. That will not slow their spending down at all.