Just when it appeared MLB's off-season was slowing down, Carlos Correa and the San Francisco Giants couldn't complete their 13-year, $350 million contract due to an issue during the star's physical.
Enter Steve Cohen and the New York Mets.
With nearly $500 million already dished out to free agents, the Mets continued adding, agreeing to sign Correa to a 12-year, $315-million deal.
With a record-setting payroll in 2023, let's take a look at some of the numbers that define where Cohen's spending has his team sitting.
11: The Mets are projected to rack up a $111.6 million luxury tax bill, meaning they will be paying more in taxes than 11 teams are projected to spend on their 26-man rosters in 2023, according to Cot's Baseball Contracts. The Rays, Orioles, Nationals, Marlins, Guardians, Royals, Brewers, Pirates, Reds, Athletics and Diamondbacks' projections have them spending between $49.5 and $111.4 million on salaries.
86.6: No duo will make more than Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer's $86.6 million combined in 2023 alone. The duo have the largest average annual value contracts in MLB history at $43.3 million per year. The Mets will be paying their two aces more than seven teams are projected to spend on their entire 26-man roster. However, they aren't the only Mets pair amongst the league's top earners — more on that later.
94: The difference between the Mets and the second-highest projected payroll in baseball, which belongs to the Yankees, is $94 million. The cross-town rivals have been the two top-spending teams this off-season, with the Yankees adding four players for $573.5 million, meanwhile, the Mets are approaching $1 billion.
384+111=495: The Mets are estimated to be paying $384 million in player salaries in 2023, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan, which results in the $111.6 million luxury tax bill and combines for a grand total of $495 million spent on payroll. That's right, the Mets will be paying nearly half a billion dollars for their roster this season. For comparison, the Los Angeles Dodgers had the highest payroll in 2022, spending over $277 million on their 111-win team.
656: The Mets may boast the best left-side infield duo in the majors. With Correa slotted to play third base and Francisco Lindor entrenched at shortstop, it's also the most expensive. The duo will make $656 million over the course of their respective deals. With Lindor signed through 2031 and Correa 2034. The Padres' duo of Xander Bogaerts and Manny Machado are close with $580 million combined.
806.1: The total amount spent on nine free agents by the Mets so far. With Jacob deGrom bolting for Texas before the Winter Meetings and Chris Bassitt, a free agent, the Mets looked to be in limbo at the beginning of December. Not only had they lost a two-time Cy Young winner, but division rival and the reigning NL champion Philadelphia Phillies had only gotten better with the signing of Trea Turner. But New York answered in a big way, signing Verlander and setting the stage for a winter of spending.
4:29
