LOS ANGELES — The Mets have significant dollars coming off the books this winter, but most — if not all — of that money is already spent for 2019.
A combination of backloaded contracts and raises due to arbitration-eligible players, with Jacob deGrom at the front of the line, almost ensures the Mets will have to expand payroll if they want to sign free agents this offseason.
Baseball-reference.com calculates the Mets as holding $141 million in guaranteed contracts headed to the season’s conclusion. For 2019, the Mets already have $92.5 million in guaranteed contracts, with another estimated $40.