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Cheapskate Wilpon Spends Less in 2006

Rotblatt
Apr 10 2006 05:53 AM

I fucking hate sportswriters.

How hard is it to get the facts straight? The story all offseason has been how much money we spent, when in fact, our payroll dropped by $220,858.

Not a lot, I'll grant you, but to listen to the sportswriters, we added several million to our payroll.

[url=http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/a-look-inside-the-2006-open-day-payrolls/]This[/url] is a pretty interesting article. Marlins payroll is only at $14,998,500. Crazy. Yankees come in under $200M, dropping over $13M from payroll.

Our median salary is quite low--$912K (17th in the majors), compared to $2.9M for the Yankees and $3M for the Sox. The Marlins' median salary is $327K.

Frankly, I think this shows that despite having the 5th highest payroll (down from third last year), we're in pretty good shape financially. Our highly paid veterans are supplemented by some inexpensive youngsters. We've got a cable channel, meaning we should have the moolah to add players if/when needed.

Floyd, Glavine, Trachsel, Matsui, Bradford, Iriki & Valentin all come off the books [url=http://www.mlb4u.com/0607FA.html]next year[/url], totalling almost $30M.

Let's assume we throw Milledge into LF, put Heilman or Pelfry into the rotation, and leave Hernandez at 2B and Bannister as our #5. We've only got one rotation spot, one relief spot, and a couple bench spots to fill with that $30M.

Now, I suspect we'll go after or or even two top-of-the rotation starters this offseason--Weaver, Mulder, Zito, Contreras, Schmidt & Wood are all options--and it's not outside the realm of possibility that we'd offer Glavine another year.

Nonetheless, we ought to be able to keep our payroll where its at and upgrade our team at the same time.

So long as we don't do anything stupid like trade Milledge or Pelfry, we look like we're in good shape for the near future (knock on wood).

Bret Sabermetric
Apr 10 2006 06:06 AM

Are you rooting for the Mets to finish in the black in 2006, or in the playoffs?

Edgy DC
Apr 10 2006 06:08 AM

I suppose it's possible that Floyd gets another year, with Milledge taking root in right. A lot of baseball is yet to be played.

soupcan
Apr 10 2006 07:02 AM

Bret Sabermetric wrote:
Are you rooting for the Mets to finish in the black in 2006, or in the playoffs?


That's funny.

="Rotblatt"]Weaver, Mulder, Zito, Contreras, Schmidt & Wood


Didn't Contreras just a big extension with a no-trade?

Benjamin Grimm
Apr 10 2006 07:08 AM

At the moment, they do seem to have that nice mix of youth and experience that's served Atlanta so well for so many years. Hopefully they can keep this balance, and not give in to the temptation to trade youth for experience.

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Glavine came back next year. And if he has a good 2006, and gets only a one-year deal for 2007, I don't think I'll object too much.

soupcan
Apr 10 2006 07:09 AM

Dollars to doughnuts, Glavine's back in Hotlanta next year.

Benjamin Grimm
Apr 10 2006 07:10 AM

That wouldn't surprise me either. Nor would Glavine to Baltimore.

soupcan
Apr 10 2006 07:17 AM

Or Boston even.

Gwreck
Apr 10 2006 07:21 AM

My guess with Glavine is that length of contract will be more important than location. Unless he gets 15+ wins this year, I think he'll need 2 years after 2006 to reach 300 wins. I could be wrong, but "last ever 300-game-winner" could be a big deal for him.

Rotblatt
Apr 10 2006 07:48 AM

="Bret Sabermetric"]Are you rooting for the Mets to finish in the black in 2006, or in the playoffs?


In the black, of course.

I'm one of those rare fans who understands that Mets ownership only cares about hoodwinking the fans to line their own pockets. What might surprise the rest of you is that I actively support--nay, encourage--this practice.

While the rest of you poor schmuks are yelling your little hearts out for Wright, Reyes & Petey, I'm raising my plastic bottle of Bud to the Wilpons for assembling the illusion of a good team and the PR machine to drive it home to the citizens of New York. Sure, they could've saved more money by trotting Jake out there instead of Delgado, and Heilman instead of BIlly, but where's the hype in that? They understand that you have to spend money to make money.

My greatest hope? To be the Chicago Cubs of the East Coast. We trot out awful team after awful team, while selling out every single game.

This year, the Mets smartly capitilized on the sportswriter's inability to read a balance sheet and raised ticket prices by over 6%, despite actually LOWERING payroll.

Home run for the Wilpons!



Whoooo!!! LGF!!!!

Bret Sabermetric
Apr 10 2006 07:50 AM

You only think you're goofing on me.

Rotblatt
Apr 10 2006 07:51 AM

soupcan wrote:
Didn't Contreras just a big extension with a no-trade?


Oops. Yup, he did.

Rotblatt
Apr 10 2006 08:01 AM

Bret Sabermetric wrote:
You only think you're goofing on me.


Or maybe I'm completely serious and all my rah-rah posts on this forum are solely designed to advance the Wilpon revolution.

Which would make you my arch-nemesis, Bret.

Benjamin Grimm
Apr 10 2006 08:03 AM

Wow. This is like trying to follow all of the nutty plot twists on 24!

Willets Point
Apr 10 2006 09:30 AM

Yancy Street Gang wrote:

I wouldn't be at all surprised if Glavine came back next year. And if he has a good 2006, and gets only a one-year deal for 2007, I don't think I'll object too much.


Nooooooooooooooooooo! The last thing the Mets need is an older, even less effective pitcher. No bones about it the Glavine signing was a mistake. The sooner Glavine is an ex-Met, the happier Met fan I am.

soupcan
Apr 10 2006 09:56 AM

Dude's pitching well though and has been for a while now...

Centerfield
Apr 10 2006 09:58 AM

I can't tell if Willets is being facetious or not. Yesterday I actually thought to myself, "You know, this Glavine signing may not have been all that bad."

Edgy DC
Apr 10 2006 10:00 AM

The last thing the Mets need is probably a flesh-eating bacteria or somesuch.

Benjamin Grimm
Apr 10 2006 10:02 AM

It hasn't been the BEST signing ever, but it hasn't been the disaster it first appeared to be. He didn't do as well as we would have liked back in 2003, but the later years of his deal are looking better than I thought they'd be.

Iubitul
Apr 10 2006 10:23 AM

Yancy Street Gang wrote:
Wow. This is like trying to follow all of the nutty plot twists on 24!


Next thing we know, ScarletKnight will turn out to be a German-speaking mole...

MFS62
Apr 10 2006 10:26 AM

Hmmm
I wonder if Beltran's mole speaks German?

Later

OlerudOwned
Apr 10 2006 10:27 AM

Iubitul wrote:
="Yancy Street Gang"]Wow. This is like trying to follow all of the nutty plot twists on 24!


Next thing we know, ScarletKnight will turn out to be a German-speaking mole...
I would've assumed Beltran's speaks Spanish, so we'll have to look somewhere else.
EDIT: Beaten to the punch

cooby
Apr 10 2006 10:28 AM

I think instead of Banner Day, we should take up a collection and a petition to have that baby removed

OlerudOwned
Apr 10 2006 10:29 AM

At least he's not Drew Brees (New Orleans Saints QB)

Iubitul
Apr 10 2006 10:32 AM

I've started to warm up to the former "Manchurian Brave". About a week ago, I was reminded that [url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ltD21rYWVw&search=Baseball%20Nike%20Greg%20Maddux%20Tom%20Glavine%20Heather%20Locklear]Chicks Dig The Long Ball[/url]

Willets Point
Apr 10 2006 10:42 AM

soupcan wrote:
Dude's pitching well though and has been for a while now...


I'm not convinced. I'd rather be rid of him and go with someone younger and less likely to implode. Allowing a few good starts let us err into extending the Glavine fiasco another season would be a mistake imho.

The Big O
Apr 10 2006 10:47 AM

="Gwreck"]My guess with Glavine is that length of contract will be more important than location. Unless he gets 15+ wins this year, I think he'll need 2 years after 2006 to reach 300 wins. I could be wrong, but "last ever 300-game-winner" could be a big deal for him.


Went searching for a counterexample, but came up short.

Outside possibilities:

Randy Johnson (264 wins), age 41; sans injuries, could only take 3 years or so in Yankeeland
Pedro (194), age 33; youngest pitcher among the top actives, plus all those forthcoming 110-win seasons can't hurt
Pettitte (173), age 34; probably not, but last year's ERA makes you wonder
Mark Mulder (97), age 28; the youngest & best of the Big 3: ~100 in 5.5 = ~300 in ~18; that team should be good for awhile; plus, he'll never get booed due to sycophantic idol worship
Johan Santana (59), age 27; 56 wins in 3.5 years; will have to consistently pitch a little better than last year, and Terry Ryan can't let him down
Felix Hernandez (4), age 20; barring the returns of Bret Boone, A-Rod, John Olerud & Edgar Martinez, he'd probably have to get out of Seattle, and soon

More sobering is that Clemens could probably get past 373 and into Walter Johnson-land, if he wanted to.

Centerfield
Apr 10 2006 10:47 AM

I love that commercial.

ScarletKnight41
Apr 10 2006 10:57 AM

Iubitul wrote:
="Yancy Street Gang"]Wow. This is like trying to follow all of the nutty plot twists on 24!


Next thing we know, ScarletKnight will turn out to be a German-speaking mole...


Why not go all out and accuse me of being a MFY Fan?

:p

KC
Apr 10 2006 11:03 AM

Uh, let's not lump Germany and/or German speaking people with the MFY's.
My grandfather was from Germany and had a mole.

MFS62
Apr 10 2006 11:05 AM

KC wrote:
Uh, let's not lump Germany and/or German speaking people with the MFY's.
My grandfather was from Germany and had a mole.


(well, since this thread has already ranged far)
I wonder if Suzyn Waldmann can tell us if Steinbrenner has any moles?

Later

Edgy DC
Apr 10 2006 11:31 AM

]More sobering is that Clemens could probably get past 373 and into Walter Johnson-land, if he wanted to.





Nymr83
Apr 10 2006 11:39 AM

Willets Point wrote:
="soupcan"]Dude's pitching well though and has been for a while now...


I'm not convinced. I'd rather be rid of him and go with someone younger and less likely to implode. Allowing a few good starts let us err into extending the Glavine fiasco another season would be a mistake imho.


i'd rather save that decision for the end of the year, theres no rush.

The Big O
Apr 10 2006 12:47 PM

Walter Johnson wrote:
::having a nutty::


Of course, the fact that [censored] won't/doesn't is but one of many bricks in his overwhelmingly inferior wall.