More Lies from Sandy Alderson
It’s as though Sandy Alderson cannot stop himself from lying. He told two more on Thursday. Or was it just a matter of semantics?
Speaking to reporters in Port St. Lucie, Alderson denied the New York Post report that the Mets were under payroll restrictions by the banks that loaned them money. The tweet from Mike Vornukov of The Star-Ledger (via Mets Blog) said:
Sandy Alderson said Mets are not and were not under any kind of payroll restrictions due to banks or loans.
I do not believe this for a second. But maybe it is technically true. Perhaps the Mets were under “operational” restrictions or something like that, so when Alderson said “payroll restrictions” it was not a lie. But come on, we all know what that means.
In any case, I am glad reporters are finally raising the issue, and I hope the Post stands by its story with further investigation to prove Alderson and the Mets have been lying all along.
Alderson also addressed the 2014 payroll, which he says stands at “north of $85 million,” according to a tweet from Marc Carig of Newsday. Knowing Alderson, that means the payroll is at $85 million and a penny. What happened to Sandy Alderson’s statement that the payroll would not be less than last season’s fraudulent $87 million?
Okay, let’s say “north of $85 million” means $87 million. But here’s the caveat Alderson threw in — the number includes $4.5 million for “promotions, insurance, etc.” That means the Opening Day payroll is actually closer to $80 million!
This is a disgrace for a New York team. It is also a lie because when he said $87 million, he knew everyone assumed that would mean actual Opening Day payroll, without the extras. Again, you could argue that it is semantics, but it was meant to deceive.
Obviously the Mets are not including the buyouts to Jason Bay and Johan Santana in the 2014 numbers. They were clearly not included in 2013 because there would be no way to get to $87 million with the buyouts included. The Mets would have been smart to include them this year, then at least they could have the appearance of a $90 million payroll. But then again, when have the Mets ever been accused of being smart?
Why is the payroll # so goddamed important anyway? If it were $140M and the team sucked, we’d all be criticizing. Should they have dumped $150M on Jacoby Ellsbury, to collect while he’s injured every year? Shin Soo Choo?
The important thing is for the team to be good. Yes, I’d like them to be aggressive, but not on high risk/bad players for long term contracts. They have publicly stated they want to avoid this.
Andrew, the payroll number is important for two reasons. First, it shows a commitment to winning. In the case of the Wilpons, fans are not convinced that they care about winning, so raising the payroll would be a symbol that they are serious about it.
Secondly, let’s face it, most of the best players are expensive. If you want to build a winning ball club, you have to spend. The Yankees have missed the playoffs just twice in 20 years and it is because they spend money. On the other hand, the Cardinals and Braves are consistent winners with reasonable payrolls. But they have spent decades building their organizational philosophies that result in winning. The Mets need to start winning soon; we can’t wait decades.