Morning Briefing: Mets Top MLB in Payroll for Fourth Straight Year
Good morning, Mets fans! McLean deserved better.
Nolan McLean was excellent, but the bullpen was not. McLean struck out eight over 6 1/3 innings and exited with a 1-0 lead, but Luke Weaver couldn’t hold it and Luis García didn’t have it. The Mets (7-6) dropped the rubber game to Arizona, 7-1. Read Michael Simon’s a full recap here.
Jeff McNeil, the 2022 batting champ, the two-time All-Star, the homegrown squirrel, is making his return this weekend. The Mets host the Athletics Friday at 7:10 p.m. ET. Clay Holmes (2-0, 1.42 ERA) faces RHP J.T. Ginn (0-0, 5.14 ERA). The game will air on WPIX.
Keep reading for an update on how the Mets’ payroll stacks up.
Latest Mets News
Jorge Polanco, who is suffering from left Achilles tendinitis, was out of the lineup Thursday and Carlos Mendoza said he could go on the injured list if his condition doesn’t improve.
LHP A.J. Minter threw a perfect inning with a strikeout and earned a win for Low-A St. Lucie in his first rehab appearance of the season. He threw six of nine pitches for strikes. MMO’s Mathias Altman-Kurosaki has more here on Minter’s outing plus news on Nate Lavender, Craig Kimbrel and Tommy Pham.
The Mets’ $352.2 million payroll topped MLB for the fourth straight year, according to an Associated Press study released Thursday. The figure is below the record-setting $355.4 million the Mets spent in 2023 and up from the $322.6 million they spent last year. The lowest-spending team is the Guardians at $62.3 million, which is less than a million more than what the Mets will pay Juan Soto this season.
Soto, 27, is the highest-paid player in MLB at $61.9 million this season. Second is Cody Bellinger ($42.5 million). Bo Bichette and Zack Wheeler are tied for third ($42 million), Vladimir Guerrero Jr. ($40.2 million) is fifth and Aaron Judge ($40 million) is sixth. MLB’s average salary rose 3.4 percent on Opening Day to a record $5.34 million, according to the AP.
After the Mets came the Dodgers ($316.6 million), Yankees (297.2 million), Phillies ($282 million) and Blue Jays ($269 million). The Dodgers’ payroll would be $395.2 million if it weren’t for deferred money in nine players’ contracts, per the AP. The Mets have deferred money in three contracts and their payroll would be $360 million.
The Mets had the fifth-highest payroll increase compared to the previous year. The top four were the Tigers, Braves, Cubs and Blue Jays. The Twins cut their payroll the most, followed by the Cardinals, Guardians, Rangers and Nationals.
Juan Soto Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Latest MLB News
Tigers center fielder Parker Meadows was hospitalized after colliding head-to-head with teammate Riley Greene on an outfield fly. Manager A.J. Hinch said he had a concussion.
Brent Rooker of the Athletics left Thursday’s game against the Yankees after fouling off a pitch. He has played in 214 consecutive games.
Triple-A Salt Lake (Angels) signed LHP Joey Lucchesi to a minor-league contract and reinstated LHP Angel Perdomo from the development list.
Latest on MMO
Jordan Baron writes about the scuffling David Peterson. His ERA is 6.30 in 15 starts since the 2025 All-Star break.
While it is too early to panic on Peterson, Robert Colonna looks at the starting pitching depth, you know, just in case the time to panic arrives at some later date.
Dave Melendi recapped Wednesday’s Met minor-league action. Jonah Tong and Jack Wenninger pitched well. A.J. Ewing and Chris Suero are off to hot starts at the plate.
On This Date in Mets History
2008: Angel Pagan‘s walk-off single in the 12th inning beats the Phillies, 4-3. José Reyes and Ryan Church have two hits apiece and John Maine throws six innings of one-run ball.
1999: Todd Pratt singles home Matt Franco in the 11th inning to help lift the Mets to a 4-3 victory over the Expos. John Olerud goes 3-for-5 and John Franco earns the save.
1969: Tommie Agee sends one into the upper deck in left field for what will stand forever as the longest home run in Shea Stadium history. The Mets beat the Expos 4-2 in front of 8,608.
Born on This Date: Phil Hennigan (1946), Leroy Stanton (1946), Frank Lary (1930).
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