It was not all that long ago that we here at Amazin’ Avenue would follow up any significant Mets transaction by writing about its effects on the team’s payroll, a necessity in a decade-long era of suppressed budgets imposed by its then-owners. It was part of writing about a team that spent a decade chasing payroll flexibility rather than putting the best possible team on the field.
It’s been just a little over two years since Steve Cohen was approved as the new owner of the Mets, having paid about $2.