Mets COO Jeff Wilpon, speaking with the team's beat writers, said the Opening Day payroll could match last season's or be roughly $10 million less, noting the team is open to increasing payroll if it's for a player who significantly improves the team.
The Mets' payroll last Opening Day was $154.4 million. Their current projected Openin Day payroll for 2018 is $135.8 million, per Cot's Baseball Contracts.
While noting that increasing payroll doesn't always translate to wins, Wilpon said that he understands "where the fan perception is. That is not lost on us.