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The folks over at Royals Review got curious about what would happen if each Major League Baseball team's SB Nation site took over as general managers for the offseason, and all thirty sites immediately hopped on board.
In a nutshell, all rosters were reset to the day the World Series ended, and each simulated general manager was responsible for all decisions pertaining to his or her team's 25-man roster. You can read the full rules of the simulation and monitor all official transactions — posted by RoyalsRetro — at Royals Review.
As Amazin' Avenue's version of Sandy Alderson, I've already made a few moves, some of which mirror what has happened in real life.
Tender/Non-tender
The Mets have non-tendered Andres Torres, Manny Acosta, and Mike Pelfrey. Contracts were, however, tendered to Ike Davis, Daniel Murphy, Josh Thole, and Bobby Parnell.
Contract Negotiations
The Mets released Jason Bay and deferred $15 million of the $21 million he was owed to 2014 and 2015. He'll earn $6 million in 2013 and $7.5 million each of the following two years.
David Wright was signed to a seven-year, $122 million extension on top of his existing $16 million option for 2013. If that sounds familiar, it's because it's the deal he signed in real life.
Trades
Here's where the offseason starts to look a lot different.
The Mets acquire CF Denard Span from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for RHP Jeurys Familia and RHP Rafael Montero.
Familia and Montero was a bit of a steep price to pay, but Span's under team control at reasonable salaries for the next three seasons, the last of which is an option year that can be declined if he's no good over the next couple of seasons. For now, he'll play center field on an everyday basis and slot into the leadoff spot of the batting order.
The Mets acquire RHP John Axford from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for 2B Daniel Murphy.
The bullpen was in serious need of some help, and Murphy was expendable. With the move, Frank Francisco and Bobby Parnell are slated to split the setup duties while Axford closes. Despite a rough 2012 season, Axford should be an excellent relief pitcher; he was simply dominant between 2010 and 2011.
Current Roster
Here's the current constitution of the roster after the moves:
| Player | 2013 Salary | Position |
|---|---|---|
| Josh Thole | $1,200,000 | C |
| Ike Davis | $2,800,000 | 1B |
| Jordany Valdespin | $400,000 | 2B |
| David Wright | $16,000,000 | 3B |
| Ruben Tejada | $500,000 | SS |
| Lucas Duda | $500,000 | LF |
| Denard Span | $4,750,000 | CF |
| Mike Baxter | $500,000 | RF |
| Anthony Recker | $500,000 | Bench |
| Justin Turner | $500,000 | Bench |
| Zach Lutz | $400,000 | Bench |
| Juan Lagares | $400,000 | Bench |
| Kirk Nieuwenhuis | $400,000 | Bench |
| Johan Santana | $25,500,000 | SP |
| R.A. Dickey | $5,000,000 | SP |
| Jon Niese | $3,050,000 | SP |
| Matt Harvey | $400,000 | SP |
| Dillon Gee | $400,000 | SP |
| John Axford | $5,100,000 | RP |
| Frank Francisco | $6,500,000 | RP |
| Bobby Parnell | $1,500,000 | RP |
| Josh Edgin | $400,000 | RP |
| Elvin Ramirez | $400,000 | RP |
| Robert Carson | $400,000 | RP |
| Jeremy Hefner | $400,000 | RP |
| Jason Bay | $6,000,000 | Released |
| Total | $83,900,000 |
With approximately $16 million to work with in the budget, the top priorities at the moment are:
- Extend R.A. Dickey's contract.
- Acquire an everyday left fielder and a platoon partner for Baxter in right field. Trading Lucas Duda makes sense here if those objectives are met.
- Acquire a catcher. At the very least, Thole requires a platoon partner.
- Acquire a second baseman. Like catcher, an everyday player would be great, but a right-handed hitter to platoon with Valdespin remains an option.
- Find more bullpen help.