This year the off-season has been, in one word, moneytastic! Who would have thought that Juan Soto would command a deal bigger and grander than Shohei Ohtani’s? But the New York Mets went all out; they gave him a whopping $765 million, the extra perks, and a stellar signing bonus. And he found it hard to resist, and understandably so. The Mets now stand tall as the team that spent the most this off-season. The number according to Spotrac is standing at $919+ million. Now that’s of course going to increase if they get Pete Alonso.

However, on the one hand, Mets spend the most. There is also a team that spent the least, and that’s the Miami Marlins. And they spent a record-breaking $0 this season. All this after Bruce Sherman, the principal owner of the franchise, has mentioned several times, “We will spend money at the right time, I guarantee it.” These were his words exactly when in November he and Peter Bendiz introduced the new manager of the team, Clayton McCullough.

Miami Marlins’ quiet off-season could land them in hot water

The Miami Marlins are for sure flying under the radar. And it’s raising a few eyebrows! The other teams are aggressively signing free agents, and meanwhile, the Marlins have only made minor moves. They signed Eric Wagaman, the infielder, to a one-year split contract. But interestingly, this doesn’t affect their major league payroll. They are focused on keeping their roster intact rather than splurging on any high-profile players. But this could lead them into hot water!

This lack of activity, where the Miami Marlins have spent just nothing, $0, could land them in trouble with both the league and also the MLB Players Associations. Teams like the Marlins, who get revenue sharing, are required to have a luxury tax payroll that is at least 1.5 times the amount they got from revenue sharing. So the Marlins are expected to get $70 million in revenue sharing this time, meaning their minimum payroll should be approximately $105 million. But now, their projected payroll is $82.8 million. It’s the lowest in baseball.

The team is more focused on trading than just adding to the lineup. Jesus Luzardo and Jake Burger have departed, and this isn’t new for them. Previously, too, they traded many players for prospects like Jazz Chisolm Jr. and Trevor Rogers. They were asked if they were willing to spend more. But Marlins president of baseball operations Kim Ng said, “Bruce continues to give us all the resources we need to build this franchise for sustainable success.” 

The New York Mets going all out with their spending

The New York Mets literally put every team to shame with their spending. Steve Cohen is known to have deep pockets and wants to make the team championship-worthy. And this time around, he showed his power. Their biggest signing was, of course, Juan Soto. He signed a 15-year deal and also got a $75 million signing bonus. Talk about making a bank! He also got several perks. But that’s not all the signing the team did. They signed Sean Manaea back for $75 million, according to Spotrac. The team and Manaea agreed on this contract despite the player becoming a free agent after opting out of his $28 million contract.

However, that’s not even all. They signed Anthony Gose to a minor league contract for two years and $2,000,000. They also signed Griffin Canning to a one-year contract for $4,250,000. Clay Holmes was signed for 3 years and $38,000,000. Then they signed Chris Williams on a minor league contract for 1 year and $10,000. They signed Brandon Wassel for a year and $570,500 too. Michael Hobbs signed a one-year, $2,500 contract with the team. Then there is Yuki Sako, and also Sean Harney, who was traded to NYM. Plus, Oliver Ortega signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets.

Now the team might be playing a game of chicken with Pete Alonso, but most insiders feel they will at last sign Alonso. After all, he is the one member who makes complete sense in the lineup. This will probably be a short but $90 million contract, as many like Ken Rosenthal believe.

Do you think the Mets will splurge more? Let us know in the comments.