How much the NY Mets spent in free agency this offseason and where they rank

New Year’s Day should have some MLB activity, in particular with Tatsuya Imai’s deadline set for January 2. It hasn’t seemed to matter what holiday is on the calendar. MLB teams are actively adding to their organization even in small ways. It has been a while since the New York Mets have made any significant moves and yet this slow offseason of theirs has resulted in Steve Cohen spending more than all but three teams.

Where the Mets rank in offseason spending

MLB Trade Rumors took a look at who and how much every club has dished out on guaranteed deals. It doesn’t include any minor league contracts. The Mets have handed out a lot of those.

Only the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, and Philadelphia Phillies have spent more total money than the Mets this offseason. The Blue Jays, with the Dylan Cease deal alone, blow everyone else away at $277 million. The Orioles, headlined by the Pete Alonso deal, are at $195.1 million. Trailing them are the Phillies at $182 million. Kyle Schwarber’s $150 million makes up for a large portion.

The Mets have Devin Williams at $51 million, Jorge Polanco at $40 million, and Luke Weaver at $22 million listed. The $113 million total beats out the Atlanta Braves whose $106.25 million has been spread out over a bullpen rebuild with Robert Suarez’s $45 million and Raisel Iglesias’ $16 million accounting for most of their cash-out.

There are likely a few smaller contracts that might have been missed here. For instance, Richard Lovelady and his $1 million split contract wasn’t included while other split deals for players were. It also doesn’t take into account any payroll added via trade. Right now, the Boston Red Sox and Colorado Rockies have yet to spend a dollar in free agency. The Red Sox, however, have made significant trades by bringing in Sonny Gray and later Willson Contreras from the St. Louis Cardinals.

So far, only three deals worth $100+ million have been handed out making this one of the slower MLB offseasons. There are about 6-7 more players or so who’ll reach triple digits.

From a Mets perspective, the offseason has felt like a lot has happened around them but not with them. That’s due to all of the subtractions. The Mets are right there alongside the biggest spenders yet again. Even if they don’t add another $100 million deal to the books, it looks like they’ll be a top spender yet again. Do they really have any choice?