As Jordan Montgomery remains unsigned, Evan says the Mets should entertain offering the lefty a two-year deal with an opt-out after the first year, to give New York a more competitive rotation in 2024.
Tiki doesn’t see the benefit given the Mets’ modest expectations this season, but Evan says the Mets should take any short-term commitments that gives the team a better chance to sneak into the playoffs.
“I’m getting one year where I’m better,” Evan said. “It gives me a better chance to win right now…maybe you win 89 instead of 84 games, and that gets you into the postseason. And once you’re in, I don’t know, maybe something crazy happens. Maybe you shock the world like Arizona did, or like Philadelphia did.”
Tiki also noted the luxury tax, and the historic penalties Steve Cohen has already had to pay, but Evan, noting Cohen’s riches that surpass any other owner in baseball, doesn’t want to hear that as a reason to not help the team in the here and now, while not sacrificing the long-term plan.
“As a baseball fan, and as a guy who had his season tickets raised…you can’t ask fans to make a decision based on the amount of money,” Evan said.
“What do I lose out of that? It doesn’t hurt me from building long term…if I can get Jordan Montgomery on a one-year deal with an opt out, the only negative is money. You can tell me it’s unreasonable to ask Steve Cohen to pay that kind of tax, but as a fan, I don’t want to hear it.”