Mets team president Sandy Alderson joined Carton & Roberts Friday to talk about the Francisco Lindor/Carlos Carrasco trade, of course, but free agency and the Mets’ plans in general became a big topic as well.
And when it comes to that, well, Alderson reiterated a line he had mentioned on Thursday: the Mets can spend, but just because they can doesn’t mean they’ll do it willy-nilly.
“The luxury tax is a line, it’s a reference point, but I don’t think all of our decisions will be driven by that, and I don’t get the sense that our long-term game plan involves doing everything we can in a single year,” Alderson said. “If you sign a six or seven-year deal with someone today, it probably means that’s one less you can execute tomorrow. There are trade-offs always, and I think what Steve (Cohen) is worried about is sustainability, not some mercurial rise in year one that locks us in with less flexibility later on.”
It seems as if both Alderson and GM Jared Porter are comfortable – “comfortable but not satisfied,” Porter said earlier Friday on WFAN – but there are two questions Evan specifically asked about: is JD Davis the third baseman
“Right now, yes,” Alderson said of the former. “I can see lots of things changing, though. Am I predicting a change? No, but while he’s our third baseman now, as with probably 80 percent of our roster, that’s subject to change but unlikely to.”
As for the outfield, which has two corner outfielders, one of which became a center fielder last year, and a slew of sub-optimal full-time options? Alderson admittedly agreed with that synopsis, as given by Evan, but help is likely on the way there.
“I think you’re right to point out our outfield only has two true outfielder, so that suggests a need to focus there, because we need more,” Alderson said. “Do we consider Dom Smith an outfielder? No, Dom Smith is a first baseman, but so is Pete Alonso. We’re not a perfect team; we hope we’re closer than we were two or three days ago, but we’re going to keep working on it, and are looking to add something in the outfield.”
The market has moved slowly so far, with the Mets and Padres really the only teams making splashes, and 12 of MLB Trade Rumors’ Top 15 free agents still available (with a 13th, Marcus Stroman, accepting the qualifying offer from the Mets).
Bad for players, but Alderson understands how the economics of the situation dictate it.
“I think there are two reasons for the slow market, and the first thing is economics, because the impact on teams was pretty universal,” he said. “Some teams lost more than others, whether because they had higher payrolls or have more of their revenue oriented towards tickets, but the economic hit is real in terms of the 2020 bottom line.”
The other? It’s the wonder if baseball will look “normal,” or “modified,” or even happen at all.
“The other thing is the uncertainty about 2021. What’s going to happen, and are we going to start on time or be delayed?” Alderson said. “That uncertainty is there, but I think it’s affecting players more than teams, in a sense; the economics of it impact clubs, and as a result, the uncertainty makes it easier to delay and keep your powder dry until we get closer to a resolution.”
That said, the Mets have already signed James McCann and now made this deal, and in the words of Porter earlier in the day – don’t ever count the Mets out until they are.
“You can never be satisfied in baseball. You have to always look to get better,” Porter said. “These are long seasons with lots of ups and downs. We’re going to continue to be creative and opportunistic, and evaluate everything, and a big part of our process is to be aggressive at the right moment.”
Listen to Alderson's entire segment with Carton & Roberts below!
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