NEW GOLD STANDARD?
Cohen could be headed to record $300M payroll
Steve Cohen might set a record before he wins a title, not that Mets fans will mind as long as the former leads to the latter.
With the signing of Max Scherzer to a three-year, $130 million contract on Monday, the Mets’ estimated luxury-tax payroll — which includes player benefits and minor league call-ups as well as approximations for arbitration-eligible players — climbed to a tick above $266 million, per Spotrac. Could the Mets become the first team to hit the $300 million mark?
When you factor in their continued interest in free-agent infielder Javier Baez, their desire to sign another starting pitcher and potential in-season additions, it’s a definite maybe.
The 2015 Dodgers hold the record, as tabulated by the Associated Press’ Ron Blum, with a $297,918,681 luxury-tax payroll, an end-of-season figure that also includes performance and award bonuses. Those Dodgers, you might recall, lost in the National League Division Series ... to the Mets.
These Mets might not take a direct route to the record. Tuesday night will bring the non-tender deadline, and further down the road this offseason, the team could trade players (veteran Jeff McNeil ranks as an obvious trade candidate) in deals that gain them budget flexibility.
Furthermore, no one knows whether the 2022 season will feature a luxury tax, thanks to the collective bargaining agreement expiring on Wednesday night. The inclusion of one could factor into the Mets’ calculations, as it did last season, Cohen’s first running the team.
After adding nearly $90 million to the team’s 2022 investments in less than a week, though, Cohen has inspired Mets supporters to think very big.