Author of "The Worst Team Money Could Buy" clarifies which Mets team has it worse

The 2023 New York Mets are digging up a time capsule and earning themselves a moniker of the worst team money could buy. It was one previously held by the 1992 club which lowered the bar to a new level.

According to one of the authors of the book, John Harper, it’s not comparable. The 2023 team is much worse.

A wedding ring for someone who says “no.” Brown toilet paper. Volcano insurance in Yellowstone—let’s face it, when that thing blows we’re all gone. These are all bad investments. The 2023 Mets might be right up there with them.

Co-author of The Worst Team Money Could Buy says the 2023 Mets are more of an abomination

Harper’s right. The Mets would need a couple of miracles to get to 48-48. They’ll need even more to come within 4 games of first place.

The 1992 Mets had a payroll of about $44.3 million which was less than a million more than the second highest-paid team in baseball, the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Mets were expensively bad but they also weren’t outrageously priced in comparison. In fact, the Dodgers with their $43.7 million payroll actually had a worse record than the Mets in 1992. At 63-99, they fell short of the 72-90 record over in New York.

What may surprise many is how several of the highest paid teams struggled in 1992. The Boston Red Sox (4th highest payroll) and New York Yankees (6th highest payroll) finished below .500. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Orioles, Montreal Expos, and Houston Astros had the 27th, 28th, and 29th highest payrolls and all finished .500 or better.

The difference between the 1992 Mets and the 2023 club is how much more the present day roster is getting paid. More so, it’s the gap between them and the rest of the league.

Half of the 26 MLB teams in 1992 had payrolls of $30 million or more. Four were over $40 million and only the Toronto Blue Jays had a winning record. It pales in comparison to what we’ve witnessed this year. John Harper confirms it.