Look, I don’t have any understanding about what the payroll will be or can’t be going forward. Let’s say arguably we have $50 million or $60 million coming off next year. Do I think it would even be prudent to invest that full $50 million or $60 million again in a situation which binds us going forward so that we’re only in the market every three years when this lump sum comes off our books? No.
This is interesting, and something I hadn’t really considered.
If the Mets don’t throw all of the $50-60 million that comes off the books after this season back into the team’s payroll in the offseason, of course, fans will revolt. They’ll accuse small-market Sandy of being cheap, and argue that a big-market team should never cut payroll from season to season.
But if you think about it, what Alderson’s saying here is smart. Ideally, a team should always have financial flexibility in the offseason — enough to fill any pressing needs via free agency or take on big contracts via trade.
So, looking down the road, it would behoove the Mets to either maintain a little flexibility next offseason or to stagger contract lengths to ensure that a certain amount of is freed up after every season.
That way, whenever you hit the point when it seems like you really are just one player away from a certain playoff bid — a spot where overpaying for free agents is excusable — you know you will always have the requisite payroll to lock him down.
Tedquarters 
I don’t really care what the Mets’ payroll is, as long as they are spending what they need to to field a winning team.
The frustration comes in when they can’t/won’t spend the money to problems with the roster.
Oops. That should have been:
… to *fix* problems with the roster.
I’ve been saying all along that it’s disturbing that what Sandy seems to be selling is a universal reduction in payroll. I understand the flexibility angle, but that doesn’t fly if they’r going to lose. Also, they need to renew Reyes so that takes some too, and would probably be cheaper this spring than next.
The argument here is that the flexiblity is an excuse to not spend. It’s impossible in baseball to say one big free agent makes that much difference. It can, certainly, but it feels a little like waiting for Godot. What if that option never comes and we hover on the edge of ‘good’ waiting for something to blow the extra bit on? Also, isn’t that basically what Omar did in 2008? Took a team that underperformed down the stretch but was otherwise a playoff team, and sign the best pitcher in baseball? If you look at it today, if we had Santana, or Santana’s money to spend on starting pitching, we’d be in very good shape.
Where do you see a “universal reduction in payroll”.
The other way to look at this is that you also want to maintain some financial flexibility come July 31, when you are able to take on other teams expiring bad contracts to fill in the gaps as you make a run for the playoffs. Even if by some miracle we were in first place last year come trading deadline, Omar shot his financial load and would not have been able to bring in players (in fact I don’t remember Omar ever being a player in the July 31 trading deadline) to give the team depth.
Certainly that too. Good point.
Well there was the Roberto Hernandez/Oliver Perez for Xavier Nady deal in ’06…
Though that was moreso due to the Duaner Sanchez injury and the Mets needed a reliever replacement. Less so about payroll.
Well, spending all of the freed up money is very Yankee-like but if you do operate with a budget, it might hamstring you in the future, as I think a 6 year deal with Lee will or a 7 year deal with Crawford would.
In addition, this organization will require a nice sum to resign Mr. Wright after 2012…
Also, the 2012 free agent class is not steller, aside from Prince and Pujols…
The 2012 FA class is rather weak anyway. If the Mets don’t get the top FAs they shouldnt spend money just for the sake of spending money. Look at the Nets – they were a bridesmaid this NBA offseason and they overspent on some middling guys and now mired right back in last place.
Don’t forget, the Mets have a few of their own players to re-sign anyway.
In the end, the Mets success or failure isnt going to be on who they bring in via FA. Its going to be how they develop their young hitters and how they select and develop future pitchers. The story will be told in 3-5 years, not even in 2012.