A Very Hot Stove

[smg58]

We're still below last year. Piazza was ~$16M, the Cameron trade saved us ~$6M, we had $6M in buyouts ($2M apiece to Leiter, Vaughn, and Hidalgo), $4.5M from Roger Cedeno's contract, $4.5M saved on Trachsel's contract, ~$2M from Heredia's buyout plus the $1M we're not paying the Yankees for Stanton, plus ~$9M saved by buying out Mintky, Ishii, and Looper. And I'm probably missing a few things, too. Don't assume we're done dealing.

[Elster88]

Tell me we're not still paying Mo.

[seawolf17]

Bobby Bonilla comes back on the books in 2009.

[Valadius]

I don't think we're still paying Mr. Deli Sandwich.

[smg58]

We bought out the last year of Mo's contract last season. In that sense we're no longer still paying him, although we did defer some of his money.

[Guest Rotblatt]

As near as I can figure from the website below, we're at just under $100M. That doesn't include Mo, however, whom I believe we owe $3.75M in 2006.

http://mlbcontracts.blogspot.com/2004_12_27_mlbcontracts_archive.html

Even with Mo, plenty of room there--I figure probably $15M-$20M we could add.

Next year, we'll have $23.5M coming off the books between Glavine, Floyd, Matsui & Trachsel.

We've definitely got some flexibility here.

[Valadius]

When do Wright and Reyes become arbitration-eligible?

[Frayed Knot]

Reyes after '06.
Wright most likely not until after '07

[Valadius]

Well we're gonna have to keep some of that $23.5 million available for Reyes next year - and for Heilman and Seo, for that matter.

[seawolf17]

This is going to be blasphemous, but let's see Reyes get a little better before we start throwing long-term big dollars at him.

[Valadius]

He does need to learn how to draw walks and not strike out as much, but he still deserves long-term moolah. I'd start with $3 million in 2007.

[Centerfield]

From today's Newsday:

By their estimation, the Mets' payroll for next season is roughly at its 2005 level; the 10 players no longer under contract account for more than $30 million, which is what Wagner, Lo Duca and Delgado will make in the coming year.

That's no coincidence, either. One Mets official proudly displayed the breakdown and denied the club is merely spending wildly to buy a contender.

So much for turning into the MFY's...

[Elster88]

...as noted on page 2 of this thread

[Centerfield]

D'oh. RMPL.

[Elster88]

It's all good. The beginning of this thread is a tasty morsel for me to eat. I'm filled with self-loathing everytime I read (about 17,000 times per day) about how the Mets are buying the back pages and the town from the Yanx, because I contributed to it.