Rob Manfred: 'I'm Confident The Mets' Finances Are In Acceptable Condition'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Are you hoping that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred will demand that the Wilpons start spending more money on players?
Well, don't get your hopes up.
"I'm confident the Mets' finances are in acceptable condition, and that they have available to them the resources to field a very competitive club," Manfred said on Thursday, according to Newsday.
According to Baseball-Reference.com, New York's payroll is an estimated $98.2 million. That ranks 20th in the major leagues.
Manfred, who served as the chief operating officer of MLB before assuming office in January, replaced Bud Selig. It's well-documented that Selig has a close relationship with Mets CEO Fred Wilpon.
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Selig made similar comments regarding the Mets' finances before he retired.
In what many considered an odd and suspicious move, Manfred named the elder Wilpon the chairman of MLB's finance committee last month.
"I think it's important to understand the role of the finance committee,'' Manfred said, according to the newspaper. "It reviews very senior-level compensation and internal financial matters.
"Fred is a long-experienced businessman very capable of handling those matters, and this committee has nothing to do with any investment made by or on behalf of baseball. So I don't see the issues.''
When Newsday reached out to the Mets for a comment regarding Manfred's statements, a spokesman simply responded, "We're excited about the upcoming season."
General manager Sandy Alderson kept a low profile this offseason and was very conservative in his spending. He only signed two players -- Michael Cuddyer for $21 million and John Mayberry, Jr. for $1.45 million -- to major league deals.
