5 NY Mets trades and free agent signings to keep the payroll at $320 million or less

5) Sign Kazuma Okamoto for $18 million a year

As badly as I wanted to make additional trades, like one for Jarren Duran, we have to be somewhat realistic even though we’ve already teetered into fantasy territory with all of these trades that seem to fit so perfectly. Trading for a first baseman isn’t practical or as needed when they have already reduced payroll as much as they have. As an answer to the payroll reduction, the Mets splurge with a three-year deal on Kazuma Okamoto at an $18 million AAV.

Okamoto was projected by MLB Trade Rumors to get a $16 million AAV over 4 years. Let’s up it a little bit and give him an opt-out after the second year. He becomes your main first baseman, pushing Jorge Polanco into a more definitive DH role. Okamoto can provide the Mets with additional depth at third base as well. A good mix of hitting for power and average over in Japan, he has always been one of the more sensible Mets free agent signings to make. Only Cody Bellinger may make more sense, but with his demands likely to include 5+ years, we can understand why he’s not coming to Queens.

The Okamoto signing pushes the payroll up to $320.5 million. We're over budget! It's around this time the Mets need to slash someone from the ball club. Richard Lovelady and his $1 million major league portion of his split contract DFA'd and sent to the minors solves this.

Four trades and a free agent signing have completely changed the look of the Mets. The biggest question is if they're any better and if there are still holes to fill.