THE METS LIVE
HEY DODGERS, "YOU WANNA DANCE?"
THE METS COME BACK TO CHALLENGE THE DODGERS
Remember the scene in Goodfellas when Joe Pesci’s character demanded Michael Imperioli’s (pre-The Sopranos) character, Spider, to dance and then ended up shooting him in the foot?
Well, that’s what it feels like the Mets are doing these days with the Dodgers. “You guys think you’re so tough? You think no one will challenge you for NL supremacy? Think again, big guys. You wanna dance?!?!”
The Mets rescued their offseason over the past few days and put the Dodgers on notice that they are not conceding the NL to them.
Yesterday, the Mets acquired a number one pitcher, Freddy Peralta, and a right-handed reliever, Tobias Myers, in a trade that sent pitcher Brandon Sproat and minor league infielder/outfielder Jett Williams. Both were rated among the game’s top 100 prospects by Baseball America.
The move came hours after New York introduced big-money free agent addition Bo Bichette at a Citi Field news conference, and one night after the team acquired center fielder Luis Robert Jr. in a trade with the Chicago White Sox and took on all of his salary. Bichette is expected to be the team's third sacker, despite never having played the position before.
Every transaction was a good deal for the Metropolitans. Peralta went 17-6 with a 2.70 ERA in 33 starts last season. He led the NL in wins and finished fifth in Cy Young Award voting. He struck out 204 batters in 176.2 innings and earned his second All-Star selection. He is only making $8 million this season and Freddy, who celebrated his wedding anniversary last night, can become a free agent following the World Series.
Mets GM David Stearns has turned around the offseason by improving the roster in less than a week. The prior additions of Marcus Semien, Jorge Polanco, and relievers Devin Williams and Luke Weaver, helped the revamped Mets compensate for the losses of Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil. The one mistake they made was inespicably letting Edwin Diaz escape to the Dodgers.
Nevertheless, the billionaire Mets are now clearly in the face of the billionaire Dodgers. Do you wanna dance?
THE YANKEES HAD A FIRST, LAST SEASON
Meanwhile, in the Bronx, the Yankees completed the inevitable deal with Cody Bellinger, finally agreeing to a five-year, $162.5 million deal to return to his pinstripes. Bellinger, slashed .272/.334/.480 with 29 homers last season for the Yanks. The deal includes a $20 million signing bonus, opt-outs after the second and third seasons, and a full no-trade clause.
According to The Athletic, the Yankees’ luxury tax payroll is at approximately $324 million, according to Spotrac. The highest threshold is $304 million, which means the Yankees will be taxed 110 percent on every dollar they spend over it. They currently have the fourth-highest luxury tax payroll in MLB, behind the Los Angeles Dodgers ($412 million), New York Mets ($380 million) and the Philadelphia Phillies ($325 million).
