Will New York baseball ever top spending? The Mets are especially a joke. At least with the Yankees, we actually believe there is a chance they can make it to the World Series, so we always root against them. But with the Mets, it’s never even an option. And that’s even more of a joke because the NL has been butt awful for the most part in the past decade. However, the Mets will continue to get over-the-hill vets for their final contract, they will have no incentive to play hard with the guaranteed money coming their way, and the Mets will continue to be a joke.
I’m not saying that Santana is going to be bad, but the thought that paying $130 million to one guy and expecting THAT to bring you a World Series is laughable. Sure, teams can buy World Series. Regardless of what you think, the Red Sox have purchased two of them. Their payroll isn’t at Yankees standards, but those guys pay for more big named guys than anyone. The difference between the Sox and the Mets? The Sox can actually identify talent that is still rising and can still give you a few year (Mike Lowell), while putting them in a winning atmosphere. The Mets go for people’s names we recognize, like Tom Glavine, who are on the decline and have no incentive or motivation to compete at the highest levels.
All I think is that the Sox and Yanks passed on this guy for a reason, and we’ll probably learn the Mets made another bonehead signing in due time.