Juan Soto, Met

[varoadking]

I admit that I was dead wrong...I honestly thought that the added value of being in Monument Park someday would be the tipping point...especially with the kind of dollars he was going to get regardless...

Now I gotta hope the Phillies don't go to another WS for at least the next 7 years, and the Mets for at least the next 5 as I expect Soto to opt out for a few more Pesos at that point...

[SkinsNatFan21RIP]

I'm stunned. I knew it would be monumental but this is over the top. I never could reconcile the Nats offer of 440 M while 10 years earlier the franchise sold for 450 M. There is something morally wrong about this in sports and not just MLB. I see very wealthy teams dominating because the are in large markets or have extremely wealthy owners who want to dominate in another field. The disparity does not bode well for the overall health of sports leagues and I don't think the average fan will endorse these outlandish contracts.

There's one sports league in the US that has this problem. The rest have salary caps.

[Natsinpwc]

There's one sports league in the US that has this problem. The rest have salary caps.

The NBA cap has lots of exceptions.  Go look at what the Golden State salary was versus the cap when they won. 

[HalfSmokes]

The NBA cap has lots of exceptions.  Go look at what the Golden State salary was versus the cap when they won. 

At the same time, teams can afford to re-sign their own stars. Jokic, Giannis, Luka, Tatum, Shia, and Curry are all either with the teams that drafted them or traded for them young. The second apron is going to crush high spending teams and it’s something the MLB would never do

[Natsinpwc]

At the same time, teams can afford to re-sign their own stars. Jokic, Giannis, Luka, Tatum, Shia, and Curry are all either with the teams that drafted them or traded for them young. The second apron is going to crush high spending teams and it’s something the MLB would never do

Yea I guess that's what I meant by exceptions.  You can exceed to sign your own players. 

they were $70 million over the cap in 2021-22

https://www.spotrac.com/nba/golden-state-warriors/cap/_/year/2021

Only the NFL and NHL have hard caps.  The NFL doesn't have guaranteed contracts for the most part so easier to deal with.  NHL fans complain all the time that it's ruining the sport and you can't keep good teams together.  And guess what.  There are still some teams that don't compete year after year. 

MLB seems to be doing fine revenue wise.  Fans like dominating teams and stars on those teams.  Especially the casual ones.  Weren't ratings up for the World Series this year?  A Mets- Dodgers rematch in the NLCS will draw huge ratings.  Plenty of other teams are competing or trying to compete.  We just happen to be in a place with owners who don't care. 

[nfotiu]

You don't have to buy into the mega contracts to compete in the MLB, and you probably shouldn't.   If you spend up to the lux tax threshold and manage the team well, you should be in the mix most years.   We don't have owners interested in doing that at the moment.   

[IanRubbish]

wow. Didn’t expect the opt-out.

Boras rarely does a contract without one. 

[imref]

You don't have to buy into the mega contracts to compete in the MLB, and you probably shouldn't.   If you spend up to the lux tax threshold and manage the team well, you should be in the mix most years.   We don't have owners interested in doing that at the moment.   

The Braves are probably the best example of that, but even they have 7 players making more than $15M next year (and 3 over $20M). The Nats, OTOH, will pay Luis Garcia Jr. $5.4M

The Orioles are competitive though with only one player making more than $10M.

[Natsinpwc]

The Braves are probably the best example of that, but even they have 7 players making more than $15M next year (and 3 over $20M). The Nats, OTOH, will pay Luis Garcia Jr. $5.4M

The Orioles are competitive though with only one player making more than $10M.

The orioles will eventually need to start increasing payroll or become irrelevant again.

[HalfSmokes]

The orioles will eventually need to start increasing payroll or become irrelevant again.

The O's are the 2010s Nats without the free agent signings.

[HalfSmokes]

The Braves are probably the best example of that, but even they have 7 players making more than $15M next year (and 3 over $20M). The Nats, OTOH, will pay Luis Garcia Jr. $5.4M

The Orioles are competitive though with only one player making more than $10M.

Right now, Braves are 4th in payroll, Nats are 28th. Not really comparable

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Again, this is the dumbest league in all of sports. Its the haves and the have nots. Its not a realistic sports leagues where one team can simply outbid 98% of all the others. Free agency is just a fun place for teams like the Dodgers and Mets.

Mets remind me of Man City, which basically stunk until rich owners took over and just bought everyone.

[1995hoo]

The 6:00 news here in New York had the Yankees’ GM saying they have plenty of time to make a move that would put them in the same place they were this year.

To which I said, “You mean failing to win the World Series?”

[Natsinpwc]

The 6:00 news here in New York had the Yankees’ GM saying they have plenty of time to make a move that would put them in the same place they were this year.

To which I said, “You mean failing to win the World Series?”

You're not going to replace Soto in the lineup.  They need a 1B too.  And they probably won't want to use all of the $50 million thay saved.  We will see. 

[Slateman]

The 6:00 news here in New York had the Yankees’ GM saying they have plenty of time to make a move that would put them in the same place they were this year.

To which I said, “You mean failing to win the World Series?”

Pretty sure 28 other teams would like that.

[imref]

Heyman says the Yankees refused to give Soto a free suite in the stadium fearing it would set a bad precedent. The Mets gave him one.

[sixthree175]

Soto is a great hitter and still a young man...

...But, he's a below average fielder, and has average foot speed,  He has already won a WS, and is destined for the HOF, which means he can coast with impunity for the remainder of his playing days.  A single point of failure.  To me that adds up to < $500 million.  F!%k the Mets.

[Slateman]

Soto is a great hitter and still a young man...

...But, he's a below average fielder, and has average foot speed,  He has already won a WS, and is destined for the HOF, which means he can coast with impunity for the remainder of his playing days.  A single point of failure.  To me that adds up to < $500 million.  F!%k the Mets.

He has a HoF bat. Not a great bat. A HoF bat. And he has a chance to be in the elite of that club. He's currently 20th in wRC+ all time. This is the opportunity to get the next Ted Williams or Lou Gerhig in their primes.

[nobleisthyname]

Honestly even saying he has a HOF bat underrates Soto a bit in my opinion. Barring injury he's likely going to end up an inner-circle guy.

[Natsinpwc]

Yea I mean .421 career OBP and career slugging .532 is elite.  Doesn't have any holes in his offense.  He was 7.9 bWAR last year even counting the defense and base running.  He and Ohtani are all time greats.  Just need to keep it up.   

[SkinsNatFan21RIP]

This will never not be depressing. How all of this turned out and just losing everyone sucks so much. Its hard to continue being a fan with the Lerners in charge.

[Natsinpwc]

This will never not be depressing. How all of this turned out and just losing everyone sucks so much. Its hard to continue being a fan with the Lerners in charge.

Look at the bright side. Cheap tickets on the secondary market. And no lines in the restrooms.

[HalfSmokes]

Look at the bright side. Cheap tickets on the secondary market. And no lines in the restrooms.

The bright side is that Mark is 71. At least there is some chance that I get a few years with a decent owner

[varoadking]

The bright side is that Mark is 71. At least there is some chance that I get a few years with a decent owner

I'm 72.  I gotta admit that I'd probably be tryin' to screw you guys outta your life savings if I had the chance too...and I plan to live forever...

[Slateman]

The bright side is that Mark is 71. At least there is some chance that I get a few years with a decent owner

Bro, Ted lived until 97. Annette is 94. Mark gonna be around for another 15+ years