Sandy Alderson explains why the Mets chose not to sign George Springer
By Josh Hill
The Mets lost out on George Springer this offseason, but Sandy Alderson has a pretty solid reason for dropping out of that race.
Not since the turn of the century has baseball in New York felt so lively.
The Yankees are tried and true as far as delivering on baseball jolly, but hope has tended to wither and die on the vine in Queens these last two decades. Despite a trip to the World Series in 2015, the Mets have been more of a silent fart on a hot New York summer night than any sort of contender.
That has seemingly changed, and Mets team president Sandy Alderson is a big part of that. New York entered the winter with massive free agent like J.T. Realmuto and Trevor Bauer as potential additions, but opted to sign neither of them.
According to Anthony DiComo from MLB.com, while Alderson wanted the Mets to land George Springer he wasn’t willing to mortgage the future to win now.
Specifically, the Mets didn’t want the Springer contract — which would have been a massive financial undertaking — to prevent the team from giving Michael Conforto a long-term deal.
“Regarding Springer, Alderson indicated that the Mets were willing to go to five years, but not six, in part because a longer contract would have made it more difficult for them to sign fellow outfielder Michael Conforto to a long-term extension — a pursuit the Mets intend to begin soon,” DiComo reported.
Springer eventually signed with the Toronto Blue Jays for $150 million, a price that would have been a bit too steep for the Mets.
Did Mets make the right move not signing George Springer?
It’s not as though losing out on Springer somehow ruins the Mets offseason. New York added Francisco Lindor to form a dynamic superstar duo with Peter Alonso. Add to that Dominic Smith, Brandon Nimmo, and Conforto and all of a sudden the Mets young core is starting to look incredibly appealing and talented.
The Padres set the tone this offseason by assembling a World Series-caliber roster that took what the Baby Braves did and did it better. New York will have that to deal with (as well as the aforementioned Braves) in addition to a Cardinals team that got better, a sneaky Cubs team, and sleepers like the Nationals, Brewers, and Phillies. Lest we forget the defending World Series champion Dodgers added Trevor Bauer to its rotation.
Adding Springer would have no doubt bolstered the Mets into the upper-echelon of the National League, but they’re not that far behind as it is. Not sacrificing the future to win now is a move that, given how talented the young Mets core is, could be a move that delivers more than just a year or two of immediate gratification.