One of the things the Mets have to weigh during the administration of new owner Steve Cohen is whether they should spend their valuation on players because their wealth allows it.
When it came to George Springer, the answer was no.
The Mets let Springer camp know last weekend that they were willing to spend six years at $ 120 million, but no more. At the time, the Mets were almost out of the question, as Springer headed toward the six-year, $ 150 million pact he reached Wednesday with the Blue Jays.
If the Mets had agreed to that, adding $ 5 million a year to their offer, they believe they had a great chance of landing the star center field, aided by the attraction of proximity to Springer’s Connecticut roots.
But Mets officials felt that the Blue Jays were willing to expand them because until then they had been excluded from the bigger things they had pursued, including Francisco Lindor, who got the Mets.
The Mets were also heavy:
1. If Springer were signed, would that prevent Michael Conforto from being detained as well? This falls into the realm of what even Cohen is willing to spend. Conforto will be a free agent after the 2021 season, as will Lindor. In an ideal result, the Mets would keep both.
But if they do, they also have the $ 20 million a year from Robinson Cano returning to the bottom line during 2022-23. Also, they probably have to keep or replace two starters because Steven Matz, Marcus Stroman and Noah Syndergaard are entering their walking years. Cohen has said the Mets will spend like a big-market team, but “not like drunken sailors.” The Mets wondered, if they had all this on the payroll, would it be advisable to have two outsiders who were as long-term as would have been necessary for Conforto and Springer?
2. If Springer had been willing to take the $ 120 million, the Mets would have found out, or waited for the DH in the American League in 2021. But the lack of clarity in this area is clouding their search in the central field. The addition of a full-time center fielder would move Brandon Nimmo to the left field and force the Mets to decide whether Pete Alonso or Dominic Smith would play first base without a DH. The Mets could move Smith between the left and the first and have two of three, between Alonso, Nimmo and Smith, starting. This would provide depth, but would not use bats completely.
Non-Springer field market representatives are asking the Mets how many bats will be available if the NL doesn’t go to the DH in 2021.
3. Since getting Lindor and Carlos Carrasco, the Mets have been trying to figure out how to hand out the rest of what Cohen will go through this offseason – in a bigger piece or tackling some areas?
External executives who dealt with Jared Porter in his waning days while the Mets GM said he presented that the Mets were very focused on the 20-30 list places because they were concerned about depth over the long season, but also that it might be the best way (instead of another big outlay) to get more wins.
The Mets would like to treat the center field, even if it’s just to add defense or a straight bat to complement Nimmo. They could pivot prominent defensive end Jackie Bradley Jr., even though he’s a left-handed hitter. Or they could look for a straighter, smaller piece, like Albert Almora Jr. They want to join the bullpen, preferably a left-hander who can work late in games. Brad Hand, who led the majors in savings last year, tops his list. They want an additional reserve of starting pitchers, though they would like to have more starting alternatives that have minor league options. The fact that Joey Lucchesi, obtained earlier in the week from the Padres, has two minor league options left, made him even more attractive to the Mets, who started this offseason with huge worries about having alternatives to Triple-A when injuries, poor performance or fatigue hit the biggest league list during the 2021 campaign.