The contrast between a Major League Baseball franchise and an ordinary individual lies in the significant financial repercussions of a $217,000 error, which is beyond the means of most people. Following Phil Bickford’s clearing of waivers, the New York Mets have opted to part ways with him, resulting in them being obligated to pay him $217,000 from his anticipated arbitration-awarded salary. Tim Healey clarifies that not all of this sum was assured.
The Mets released reliever Phil Bickford.
So, he got J.D. Davis’ed. Bickford will get 45 days of termination pay — $217,000 in this instance.
His contract was for $900,000, but he won it in arbitration (not a settlement to avoid arb), so it wasn’t fully guaranteed.
— Tim Healey (@timbhealey) March 26, 2024
Bickford’s stint with the Mets has come to an end, adding him to the increasing number of players who didn’t secure spots on their teams’ 40-man or Opening Day rosters. It’s anticipated that he’ll seek opportunities elsewhere, probably through a minor league agreement, as this outcome was somewhat expected. While the $217,000 owed to Bickford won’t significantly impact the Mets’ spending capability, considering it’s just one of many financial commitments they have on their payroll.
How much are the Mets paying players not on the roster in 2024 now?
It seems like there was a formatting issue in your message. Could you please provide the list of retained salaries for 2024 according to Spotrac again?
According to Spotrac, the retained salaries for 2024 are as follows:
– Max Scherzer: $30,833,333
– Justin Verlander: $25 million
– James McCann: $8 million
– Adam Ottavino: $500K (from opting out)
– Yohan Ramirez: $100K (resulting from the trade that brought him here)
This totals $64,433,333. Adding Bickford’s $217K brings the Mets’ total retained salaries to $64,650,333, which is a relatively minor amount in comparison.
Additionally, the Mets have deferred salaries for Bobby Bonilla and Bret Saberhagen. Including the $1,193,248 owed to Bonilla and $250K for Saberhagen, the dead money rises to $66,093,581, still a relatively small percentage.
The team may add more to this pool as the season progresses. However, such moves are usually temporary, as seen with players like Michael Tonkin, who is earning only $1 million and could be expendable both to the roster and payroll if he struggles on the mound. Furthermore, the Mets might become trade deadline sellers and continue to eat all or most of the contracts to receive a larger return.
Decisions like parting ways with Bickford and incurring a $217K cost are common. While this amount may seem insignificant to Steve Cohen’s wealth, some may argue that the team should have non-tendered him back in November to save the cash, although it wouldn’t even cover the cost of a league minimum player.
