Trading Todd Frazier, Jason Vargas and Zack Wheeler, all nearing free agency, would not be a sufficient shift. Trading starter Noah Syndergaard, who is under team control through 2021, would. Syndergaard has been inconsistent but has the stuff to tilt any team’s chances in October. The Mets should stage an all-out auction and reap a bonanza in return.
With Machado in town, though, a big-picture question is perhaps more nagging: Will the Mets owners ever have it in them to pursue a major free agent from another team? The Wilpons committed to an overall payroll this season that is far richer than the Padres’ — roughly $158 million compared with $97 million — but their investments are dubious.
The Mets are paying more than $83 million this season to a group of nine players who have given them very little: Cano, Yoenis Cespedes, Jeurys Familia, Jed Lowrie, Juan Lagares, Wilson Ramos, Justin Wilson, Travis d’Arnaud and Keon Broxton. The lesson, as always: It’s not how much you spend, but how you spend it.
Cano’s big Tuesday night was a respite from his usual spot in the Carlos Baerga/Roberto Alomar quicksand, where a star second baseman’s productivity abruptly ends upon his arrival in Queens. Machado cost a lot more money than Cano, but he would not have cost any prospects. And he presented something close to a sure thing.
“There were a lot of unique situations that came up — the position the organization was in with the talent, not a lot of committed dollars on the books, and he was already an established superstar at 26 years old,” Preller said. “He’s a two-way player, and especially at third base, we didn’t have an immediate guy to step in and play for us. All those reasons lined up pretty well.”
The Mets have never given a contract worth more than David Wright’s $138 million, and they were not about to do so for Machado. The Padres have not won with him yet, and are not close to being a superpower like the Los Angeles Dodgers.
But at least they know where they are heading. The Mets cannot say the same.