UPDATE --> Timetable: Mets 2014 Payroll Expectations

As the offseason has trudged forward we have heard rumor after rumor of the Mets being priced out on a variety of players.  With $55 million dollars coming off the books, how could that even be possible?  Nonetheless, here is a look at how payroll expectations have changed over the pays five months:

6/11/13: Joel Sherman reports in the NY Post that Sandy Alderson believes the 2014 payroll will land between $90 and $100 million dollars, meaning the Alderson will have between $35 and $45 million dollars to spend.

9/30/13: ESPN's Adam Rubin reports that Alderson has roughly $35 million dollars to spend this winter, and that fans should expect the team's payroll to drop slightly from its $95 million dollar level from 2013.

11/19/13: ESPN reports that Sandy Alderson believes the 2014 payroll will be no lower than it was in 2013, using a figure of $87 million.

11/21/13: John Harper of the NY Daily News reports that Sandy Alderson has just $25 to $30 million dollars to spend this winter, which would result in an estimated payroll between  $80 and $85 million in 2014.

12/8/13: Sandy Alderson tells the team's press corp that he believes the 2014 payroll will be no lower than it was in 2013, using a figure of $85 million ($2 million less than he reported on 11/19/13).

The team's projections for next season continue to trend downward despite the recent signing of medium ticket free agent, Curtis Granderson.  Meanwhile, Fox Sports reported Ken Rosenthal reported that the Mets do not have a strict offseason budget.  So is this more smoke and mirrors from the Sandy Alderson front office, or have things changed yet again.  We'll have a better idea by the end of this week in Orlando.

CarGo No Longer An Option For The Mets..Or Is He?

I'm one of the few who spent the summer questioning why on earth the Rockies would ever trade away Carlos Gonzalez.  It just didn't add up for me.  Granted CarGo's services are about to get pretty expensive ($10.5M in 2014 rising every season to $20M in 2017), but you're talking about a twenty-seven year old who is not only under contract for years to come, but he also had a chance to lead the league in home runs prior to getting injured this summer.  Maybe he isn't an elite player..certainly not as rare as a Troy Tulowitzki, but still.

I felt pretty vindicated yesterday when the news broke that Rockies wouldn't be trading the young slugger this winter.  Again..why would they?  However, after a little more research I learned that Rockies owner, Dick Monfort, actually said the following:

My plan is to always keep them (Tulowitzki and Gonzalez). Is that the smartest thing in the world to do? I don't know but our fans think so.

Wow..that is about as non-committal as it comes!  In fact, I'm more confident that CarGo is available than I have ever been.  According to John Harper of the New York Daily News, many people in Colorado believe that a full rebuild is in order.  That's likely the reason Troy Tulowitzki's name came up as a possible trade option this week.  Again, while I think it would lead to full fan revolt, I can only begin to imagine the prospects the Rockies would receive in return for the two of these guys.

So I suppose this leaves the option of Carlos Gonzalez on the table this winter for the Mets brass, and the large portion of the fan base that has been demanding his acquisition since early summer.  I'm less certain the Mets have/are willing to part with the prospects necessary to make the trade happen.  However for the time being, that isn't the issue.  For a team looking to fill so many holes, the possibility of Gonzalez still provides hope.

As October and November give way to December and January we'll undoubtedly get a better idea of where Mr. Monfort's intentions really lie.  We'll also have a better idea of what the Mets' front office is thinking.  But for the time being at least, all options remain on the table this winter.