PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. -- Fans already know the Mets will have a low payroll in 2014. How low? Try seventh-lowest in the majors and third-lowest in the National League, in the vicinity of Cleveland, Oakland, Minnesota and Tampa Bay, according to a fangraphs.com study.
Here are the top seven:
1. Dodgers $223 million
2. Yankees $197.5M
3. Phillies $175.5M
4. Tigers $161M
5. Red Sox $155M
6. Angels $151M
7. Giants $147M
And the bottom seven:
30. Marlins $42.5M
29. Astros $49M
28. Pirates $71.5M
27. Rays $75.5M
26. Athletics $79M
25. Indians $80M
24. Mets $82M
The article projects Opening Day rosters to calculate payrolls. Performance bonuses apparently are not included, and players such as Jose Valverde could get significant bumps with performance. Also apparently not included is the $4 million to $4.5 million that teams annual include for extra expenditures, since players land on the DL and more than 25 players are being paid at any given time.
So, in reality, the Mets' payroll is actually closer to the $87 million to $88 million range.
