Summary of what he said via twitter

Adam Rubin ?@AdamRubinESPN
Fred said Sandy has payroll flexibility. Can see Omar-era payroll returning.

Anthony DiComo ?@AnthonyDiComo
Fred also says payroll has zero limitations going forward, and could go back to old heights

Adam Rubin ?@AdamRubinESPN
Fred said it's about return on investment. Under Omar, #Mets didn't get ROI. Fred added he's free and clear of past financial woes.

Adam Rubin ?@AdamRubinESPN
Fred Wilpon said they'll be big investors next winter in free agency if that's "appropriate."

53m Adam Rubin ?@AdamRubinESPN
Fred Wilpon said his family's finances are doing "great."

53m Adam Rubin ?@AdamRubinESPN
Fred Wilpon doesn't expect Terry Collins contract to be addressed until after the season.

Adam Rubin ?@AdamRubinESPN
Fred said he strives to break even. Said payroll will be at level to be competitive -- even if that's $140M or $150M

Mike Puma ?@NYPost_Mets
Fred Wilpon in camp, painting a rosy outlook. Says he is happy with Sandy Alderson as the day he hired him.

Mike Puma ?@NYPost_Mets
Fred: "This is to me a break even business. I strive to break even. I'm not looking to make money. But if people don't show up that's hard."

Andy Martino ?@MartinoNYDN
Wilpon's assesment of Mets finances was rosy. Said not just Madoff resolution, but overall economy improving, plus his real estate business

Mike Puma ?@NYPost_Mets
Fred on the payroll: "We fed it pretty good the last five or six years and I think if the market were such, yes, the payroll could go up."

yea...I'll believe the payroll increases when I SEE it....definitely NOT taking his word for it....not like they ever lied before lol....

"Fred: "This is to me a break even business. I strive to break even. I'm not looking to make money. But if people don't show up that's hard.""

And THIS is why no one believes what the wilpon say....you AREN'T looking to make money???? Yea sure fred....

up until Madoff scandal, the Mets had the #1,2, or 3 payroll in the NL for over a decade. It actually goes to say that spending is not a problem as long as there is money to spend.

Kind of reminds me of those old Joe Isuzu commercials

what he is saying is he makes money in his other ventures, so as long as the Mets dont lose money he is ok. The Mets have been losing money lately, so he has cut expenses.

My favorite line is that he wants to break even but if people don't show up its hard. Hey Fred here is a novel idea, give us a team worth showing up to see.

"And THIS is why no one believes what the wilpon say....you AREN'T looking to make money???? Yea sure fred...."

I am sure he would be thrilled if the team made money, but if he was really looking to make money he would sell the team and invest it in real estate something he actually knows about.

It's also fair to say that the Mets spent a lot BECAUSE they were receiving $$$ from madoff. Now that he is gone, I doubt payroll will EVER be that high again. IMO, payroll only really needs to be at a maintenance level of about 120m. That is paying your own home grown talent and adding FA's to fill holes.

Slashing payroll to save a struggling BB team is a dumb idea.

What the Wilpons did by slashig the payroll so violently was in effect a giant hedged.....

….they made it impossible to win or lose a lot so they could focus elsewhere.

As far as the ball club is concerned it’s never a good idea to just write off 3 years and take a brake for a while.

Deeds, not words.

Yup. We need action, not these phony statements we've been hearing for years.

Yes because before cutting payroll the team lost $70 million in one year. I guess that was the time to add a bunch of money to the payroll.

Peej

you do realize that you have to SPEND money to MAKE money right?

Yes but by being saddled with a few bad contract the amount you would have to spend over and above in order to be competitive and draw big crowds would be too much. And if one or two of the players you get turn out to be injuries or busts it would mean even higher losses. At that time the owners fighting the Picard lawsuits were not in a position to make that risk.

So spending money to make money doesn't always work. Instead they took time to straiten out their finances and let those bad contracts expire. Now if fans get excited about this younger team and turn out it could be time to change the philosophy of spending next year.

Now if fans get excited about this younger team and turn out it could be time to change the philosophy of spending next year.

The problem with that is they want the best of both worlds. They want to sell what they hope is an exciting young team that doesn't have a prayer of winning this year, yet but they are going to charge you ticket prices that are top 5 in baseball to do it.

I agree, there is no need for a 140 million dollar club. If the spend wisely they can be very good at 100-120, and I think they will do it.

If they cut payroll and didnt put anything into player development, I would agree, but seeing as how the farm is in much better shape now than it has been since maybe the early 90s, if not the 80s I disagree. The parent club has been stagnant for three years, but the franchise is stronger now than it was three years ago. This was a necessary move to clear bad contracts and start over. The only thing I would have preferred them to do would have been to cut Bay earlier, even if they did not replace him with another contract.

So if the owners are not prepared to "have action" should they ignore all media requests, even if it is to say they will be more active in the future?