The New York Mets had the largest payroll among MLB teams in 2024, well over $300 million. The transition period that they were said to be experiencing this year was mostly on that front. The organization knew that, once the 2024 World Series ends, they will see a huge portion of that payroll come off the books.
The 2024 Mets deserve a lot of credit for contending and reaching the National League Championship Series as they transition from being a team full of expensive veterans to one with an established star, many quality supporting pieces, a couple of blossoming young stars, and some exciting prospects on the way.
The Mets will soon get a major influx of cash
If you think the Mets peaked in 2024 with their NLCS appearance, think again. According to SNY, they could see as much as $179 million come off the books in the form of contracts expiring:
“Here is a rough estimate of the payroll that the Mets will be shedding this winter. They could, of course, elect to have some of these players return on new contracts,” SNY posted on X with a picture of all the players with expiring contracts after the World Series.
The Mets will have money and choices
That last part of their caption is awfully important for the Mets — some of these players will likely be back, or at least they will try to re-sign a few of them.
The ones on the ‘retained’ list probably won’t return, but the Mets sure would love to bring back Pete Alonso at the right price. The same can be said about the majority of their 2024 rotation (Luis Severino, Jose Quintana, and Sean Manaea), outfielder Jesse Winker, and some relievers and infielders like Jose Iglesias.
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The most important takeaway here is the huge financial flexibility this team will have in the offseason, with the millions of dollars coming off the books and the wealthiest owner in baseball. Of course, president of baseball operations David Stearns said that the Mets will be aggressive when they see a fit. They have the means to significantly improve their team for 2025 and beyond.
Will they land Juan Soto? How about an ace like Corbin Burnes or Blake Snell? Will they steal Max Fried from the Atlanta Braves? Only time will tell, but one thing is true: they have the means to put together an elite roster.