You have proven our point. Wow, the current regime has slashed the budget spent on the field by about 33% in just 2 years! I didn't realize how drastic their assault against the on-the-field product is in order to keep Fred on as owner. No wonder the team stinks so bad - what a HUGE slash in payroll - over 50 million and still cutting - wow! Thanks for the stats. I am not sure your 2011 # is right, but it doesn't matter. Also, for 78th time, the CURRENT payroll is all that matters - it doesn't matter AT ALL that they spent 5 or 10 years ago. They are cutting massively NOW!

The nats have had one good year..... ever....

Lets shoot higher okay?

The mets have cut payroll every year since uncle bernie got exposed....

maybe they will find another pnzi scheme but untill them it isnt wise to pre-bernnie examples...

its a brave new world where money doesnt grow in fake financial statments

Alderson ADDED TEN NEW PLAYERS in 2011 for $10M. NOT counting Dickey. That accounts for $10M of $17M that payroll rose from 2010 to 2011. In Alderson's 1st yr (2011) Mets had their SECOND HIGHEST PAYROLL EVER in their history.

Instead of ADDING $10M to payroll couldn't Alderson have traded some players to CUT payroll? Couldn't he have traded Reyes before 2011 season to dump his $11M salary? Even though he would've gotten garbage back for him at that time after Reyes missed almost all 2009 & had couple DL stints in 2010? Couldn't Alderson have traded Mike Pelfrey to dump another $4M?

How is ADDING TEN NEW PLAYERS & increasing payroll $10M NOT trying to improve the team? How is getting Wilpon to eat $20M in salary for Ollie, Castillo, Igarashi & Matthews Jr to get rid of dead wood & replace them NOT trying to improve the team?

FACTS:

2010 payroll = $126M

2011 payroll = $143M -- 2nd HIGHEST payroll in Mets history in Alderson's 1st yr!

2012 payroll = $95M




2013 = $71M TODAY -- 2.5 months before Opening Day

Mets had their SECOND HIGHEST PAYROLL EVER in their history in 2011 (Alderson's 1st yr). $143M payroll according to Cot's Baseball Contracts: (same #'s that MLB uses). Mets cut payroll 33% for 2012 ($95M payroll). That's ONE significant payroll cut in the last TWELVE YEARS.


Nationals (with new billionaire owner Ted Lerner) started their rebuild in 2007 season by IMMEDIATELY cutting payroll FORTY PERCENT (vs Mets 33%). Washington payroll went all the way down to just $37M. 2007 Nats had #28 of 30 MLB payrolls/ #15 of 16 NL payrolls.

Cubs with new owners started their rebuild in 2012 by cutting payroll 20%. Their payroll is listed at $79M right now. Cubs payroll was $144M in 2010. In 2011 Cubs payroll was $134M. 2012 Cubs payroll was $109M. Down 25% since 2010. Looks like Cubs payroll will go down again in 2013.

Astros are rebuilding too. 2010 Astros payroll was $92M. 2011 Astros payroll was $77M. 2012 Astros payroll was $61M. That's a 33% cut since 2010.





Rebuilding teams cut payroll. That's a FACT!

FACTS:

Mets payrolls according to Cot's Baseball Contracts (same #'s MLB uses):

2009 = $149M (HIGHEST Mets payroll EVER)

2010 = $126M

2011 = $143M (2nd HIGHEST Mets payroll EVER in Alderson's 1st yr)

2012 = $95M



Mets had their SECOND HIGHEST PAYROLL EVER in their history in the MIDDLE OF THE MADOFF CRISIS!!

"The mets have cut payroll every year since uncle bernie got exposed"



NO they HAVEN'T!

See my previous post for the REAL FACTS.

They HAD to have their SECOND HIGHEST PAYROLL EVER in their history in 2011? They couldn't have traded Reyes to dump his $11M salary before the season? Even if they got got garbage for him since he missed all of 2009 & had couple DL stints in 2010? Mets couldn't have traded Pelfrey's $4M salary? That would've cut $15M right there.

Mets HAD to re-sign Dickey for 2 yrs/ $8M after 36 yr old's contract was over after 2010 (Dickey's ONE good yr to that point -- previous career ERA of 5.43)? Could've spent $3M less if they let him walk.

And Mets HAD to sign TEN NEW PLAYERS? For total of ADDITIONAL $10M+ ?


2011 NEW player contracts:

Capuano ($1.5M)
Paulino ($1.3M)
Carasco ($1.2M)
Chris Young ($1.1M)
Hairston ($1.1M)
Byrdak ($900,000K)
Willie Harris ($800K)
Blaine Boyer ($725K)
Taylor Buckholz ($600K)
Hu ($420K)



And Mets HAD to eat salary of Ollie, Castillo, Igarashi & Matthews Jr & pay ADDITIONAL $$$ to replace them? Couldn't stick them back out there & let them play out their contract without adding $$$ to replace them? If Mets don't care about trying to win why didn't they do that?

" I say that right NOW, cost cutting is the primary objective (proven with FACTS)"



If cost-cutting's the "primary objective" can you explain the FACT that Mets traded the extremely popular Cy Young Award winner RA Dickey WITHOUT reducing payroll now or in the future?

In FACT trading Dickey & taking on below avg player Buck's SAME SALARY AS DICKEY'S will be a NET LOSS with LOWER TICKET SALES now that Dickey's gone.

So why'd Mets trade popular Cy Young winner which results in a NET LOSS?
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"YOU....ARE....A....WILPON.....DEFENDER"



NO....I'M....NOT.

I....STATE....FACTS.

FACTS....LIKE....METS....HAVING....SECOND....HIGHEST....PAYROLL....EVER....IN....THEIR....HISTORY....IN....2011. ADDED....TEN....NEW....PLAYERS....FOR....TOTAL....OF....$11M. NOT....COUNTING.... RE-SIGNING....RA DICKEY. WHICH...THEY....DID....NOT....HAVE....TO....DO. IN....THE....MIDDLE....OF....THE....MADOFF....CRISIS!

FACTS...WHICH....YOU....CAN'T....DISPUTE!

33% payroll cut - ouch! No wonder the team has no outfield, power, speed, or bullpen, and is completely irrelevant and non-competitive!

He spent $10 million to fill roster holes. That prevented payroll for the actual TALENT ON THE FIELD to only go down $12 million instead of $22 million.

I'll have to remember this strategy though. Next time I go to a bar I'll have six beers and one cup of coffee and when I get home I'll tell my wife "I had a cup of coffee so drinking beer wasn't the ONLY reason I went to the bar".

Yeah and that FORTY PERCENT payroll cut that Nationals billionaire NEW OWNER did right off the bat in his 1st season really hurt that team's rebuild huh?

Don't teams expect to improve by filling roster holes by bringing in TEN NEW PLAYERS?

And don't teams that want to improve bring back good players they had the yr before but whose contract ended? Like RA Dickey?

If Mets weren't interested in improving in 2011 why didn't they trade Reyes BEFORE the season? If they weren't interested in improving why would it matter if they got garbage back for him then? Only dumping his $11M salary, right?

If Mets weren't interested in improving in 2011 why didn't they trade Pelfrey before the season? If they weren't interested in improving why would it matter if they got garbage back for him? Only dumping his $4M salary, right?

If Mets weren't interested in improving in 2011 why'd Mets bring back one yr wonder 36 yr old RA Dickey for 2 yrs/ $8M? If they weren't interested in improving why wouldn't they just let him walk after his contract expired?

Couldn't Mets have non-tendered players who were too expensive in arbitration? Like Pagan?
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"That prevented payroll for the actual TALENT ON THE FIELD to only go down $12 million instead of $22 million"



How does bringing in TEN NEW PLAYERS & bringing back players whose contracts expired after the previous season for a total of about $12M MORE in ADDITIONAL PAYROLL qualify as NOT spending on TALENT ON THE FIELD & cutting payroll?
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Really don't care what you tell your wife when you're trying to justify getting drunk on 6 beers.

I really don't care when you try to pass off BS on the this board that payroll was increased from 2010 to 2011.

We've been through this a frightening number of times. You have to field a team. Holes on the roster have to be filled.

With the Madoff situation, owing money to MLB and Selig forcing out McCourt what do you think was the likelihood of Wilpon/Katz trading off every ML quality player for nothing would have been? Do you imagine that would have gone unnoticed?

Yes. Have to field a team. DON'T have to bring in TEN NEW PLAYERS to do it. And don't have to bring back players that got too expensive in arbitration or whose contracts expired.

You really think bringing in players like Hu, Paulino, Carasco, Willie Harris, Blaine Boyer, Taylor Buckholz, Byrdak & Hu were going to convince the fans to buy tickets?

And why bring back 36 yr old one-year-wonder RA Dickey for 2 yrs/ $8M? Dickey's advanced age & only ONE yr of being good was the perfect cover to let him walk.




See? That's where your whole argument falls apart. Mets could've traded mediocre Mike Pelfrey at the very least & dumped his $4M salary. And kept All Star Reyes. Could've non-tendered Pagan to avoid paying $3M in arbitration. Could've let 36 yr old Dickey walk after his 2010 contract expired & not paid him $3M in 2011. Those moves right there would've brought down Mets 2011 payroll $10M from what it turned out to be. And if they didn't sign any new players & that's ANOTHER $10M less.

Even if they just signed Carasco, Young & Paulino to "keep up the pretense" of fielding MLB team that would've only cost $4M vs $20M they spent between signing 10 new players & bringing back players.

So how come they spent all that extra $$$ if Mets had no interest in improving the team but just wanted to have "pretense" of MLB team? How come they spent all that extra $$$ IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MADOFF CRISIS?