Earlier this month, the Yankees sent a shock wave through baseball when they acquired Giancarlo Stanton from the Marlins for Starlin Castro and two prospects. The Yankees assumed $265 million of the $295 million remaining on Stanton's contract.
On the other side of town, the Mets have been relatively quiet this winter aside from signing setup man Anthony Swarzak to a two-year contract worth $14 million. They're not expected to spend much more money this winter, reportedly another $10 million to $15 million or so. It won't be the first time the Mets have a disappointingly low-key offseason.
Even though the two New York teams play in different leagues, they are competing for headlines, and according to Mike Puma of the New York Post, Mets owner Fred Wilpon was not happy the Yankees added Stanton. From Puma:
"Fred is pissed every time the Yankees make a move," said a person who speaks to Wilpon regarding baseball matters. "And he always seems surprised."
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Wilpon believes (handing out big contracts) is "unsustainable," according to a source, a sentiment he has held for several years as the Yankees have made blockbuster acquisitions.
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"[Wilpon] keeps saying the Yankees can't keep this model up," a source said. "And they keep showing that they can."
According to Cot's Baseball Contracts, the Yankees currently have approximately $166 million on the books for 2018. They've made it no secret they want to get under the $197 million luxury tax threshold. The Mets, meanwhile, have $125 million on the books. There was a $45 million payroll difference between the two clubs in 2017. The Yankees had the second highest payroll. The Mets were 12th.
Spending big has been an issue for the Mets for several years now, since the Wilpons got caught up in the Bernie Madoff ponzi scheme. They're in the game's biggest market and they have a new ballpark, yet the payroll is consistently a notch below what you'd expect. No wonder Wilpon is upset the Yankees added Stanton. They're making him look cheap.
