In business, sometimes you have to know when to cut your losses. Maybe an investment you made didn’t work out, or you tried to grow too quickly and focused on the wrong things. Sports are very much a business, too, and few teams had a worse 2023 than the New York Mets.
The season before, the Mets finished 101-61. They lost in the playoffs, but they entered 2023 with great hope. They had hitting, they had pitching, and they had a taste of the postseason. Just like Jerry Seinfeld’s conversation with a subway nudist during a Seinfeld episode, fans loved their chances to win it all.
Instead, 2023 quickly turned into a nightmare. The Mets suffered injuries, droughts, and plenty of discontented players and fans as they stumbled to a disappointing 75-87 record.
Along the way, the Mets got rid of several of their key players — and spent a ton of money in the process.
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Around the trade deadline, the Mets traded the two pitchers they had given massive deals to in free agency. The team sent Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros and Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers. In a fitting twist, the Astros and Rangers met in the ALCS, with the Rangers ultimately winning the World Series.
Either way, the Mets are paying $35,520,753 to Verlander and $35,510,753 to Scherzer to help cover their respective contracts. If Verlander pitches at least 140 innings next season and exercises his 2025 option, the Mets would owe another $17.5 million to Houston.
But they’re not done quite yet.
The Mets are also giving $3,548,387 to the Miami Marlins for closer David Robertson, $3,260,000 to the Milwaukee Brewers for outfielder Mark Canha, $819,892 to the Arizona Cardinals for outfielder Tommy Pham (who, like Scherzer, reached the World Series with his new team), and $255,806 to the Los Angeles Angels for reliever Dominic Leone.
In total, the Mets are paying $78,915,591 for six players who are no longer on their roster. If Verlander ends up exercising his option, that number jumps to north of $96.4 million.
It’s safe to say these Mets investments didn’t work out. And it’s a costly lesson for the team.
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