Checking on Mets 2022 Payroll

So following the Mets spending spree from a couple of weeks ago, I figured it would be a good time to check on what will be a franchise-high payroll:

Jacob deGrom: $36,000,000 (actual)
Max Scherzer: $43,333,333 (actual)
Carlos Carrasco: $12,000,000 (actual)
David Peterson: $600,000 (estimate)
Taijuan Walker: $8,000,000 (actual)
Joey Lucchesi: $2,000,000 (est)

Trevor May: $7,750,000 (actual)
Seth Lugo: $5,000,000 (est)
Edwin Diaz: $10,000,000 (est)
Miguel Castro: $3,000,000 (est)
Drew Smith: $2,000,000 (est)
Trevor Williams: $3,000,000 (est)

James McCann: $8,150,000 (actual)
Tomas Nido: $2,000,000 (est)

Pete Alonso: $10,000,000 (est)
J.D. Davis: $4,000,000 (est)
Jeff McNeil: $5,000,000 (est)
Francisco Lindor: $34,100,000 (actual)
Luis Guillorme: $2,000,000 (est)
Robinson Cano: $20,250,000 (actual)
Eduardo Escobar: $10,000,000 (actual)

Brandon Nimmo: $7,000,000 (est)
Dominic Smith: $4,000,000 (est)
Mark Canha: $13,000,000 (actual)
Nick Plummer: $600,000 (est)

So that’s $192,583,333 in actual salaries, $59,000,000 in arbitration estimates, and just $1,200,000 in minimum salaries (the Mets are becoming a veteran team). That’s a grand total of $252,783,333 — a stunning figure for the franchise, and what we all expected when Steve Cohen bought the team.

And they aren’t even done. They need to add a couple of bullpen arms, and hopefully another big bat for the outfield or third base. So this number could approach $300 million. Cohen wasn’t kidding when he said if he was going to go over the luxury tax threshold, he would do it by a lot. No one knows what that threshold will be, but you can be sure that it won’t be higher than $254 million.

So the Mets are finally spending a lot of money. Now we have to find out if they spent it wisely.