Mets building to win now … and long term

This story was excerpted from Anthony DiComo’s Mets Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

The Mets may win. The Mets may lose. No matter what, the Mets are going to be expensive.

After agreeing to terms over the last week with Justin Verlander, José Quintana, Brandon Nimmo and David Robertson, New York’s payroll for luxury tax purposes (including projected arbitration salaries from Cot’s Contracts) soared well above $300 million for the first time in franchise history. And it could still jump considerably higher if the Mets are able to acquire another free agent pitcher such as Kodai Senga, who remains on their radar.

Even Steve Cohen, the richest owner in Major League Baseball, would prefer not to remain at such payroll levels long-term. But this is the short-term path the Mets have chosen, understanding it’s their most realistic way to compete for a title right now. That’s why the Mets employ the two highest-paid players in MLB history in Verlander and Max Scherzer, who both make $43.3 million per annum. Combine the salaries of Verlander, Scherzer and Francisco Lindor ($34.1 million), and that total becomes larger than what a third of the league spent on their entire 2022 payrolls.

The idea is that the Mets can use Cohen’s money to remain competitive in the short term without hamstringing themselves in future seasons. Only Lindor, Starling Marte, Edwin Díaz and Nimmo remain under guaranteed contract past 2024, by which point the Mets hope their farm system will have developed into something capable of churning out cheap, useful pieces on an annual basis. That would allow the Mets to dip more easily back under MLB’s luxury tax thresholds, which start at $233 million and top out at $293 million.

Assuming they remain above the highest threshold next year, the Mets will not only pay a 90 percent luxury tax on the overage (anything above $293 million), but their highest 2024 Draft pick will also drop 10 spots (as it will next June due to 2022 violations). It's a steep price that Cohen can afford and is willing to pay.

“I think the biggest takeaway here is that Steve’s committed to winning,” general manager Billy Eppler said this week. “He talked about that at his introductory press conference. He talked about that again last year. … That commitment remains very evident to this day.”

If anything, the Mets’ willingness to go over the tax means that they may as well keep spending now. Senga remains very much in play, according to a source. Even if the Mets do not acquire him, they're likely to spend on lesser pitching help for the rotation or bullpen.

This willingness to spend on free agents has become the norm since Cohen bought the team. Such is the benefit of being a true big-market team. There’s no one out there whom the Mets can’t acquire. There’s no free agent whom the Mets cannot woo.

All it costs is money.