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The SB Nation Winter Meetings Simulation 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.
After belting 20 home runs in a part-time role, Scott Hairston was due for a raise on the free-agent market, but the Mets decided to bring him back on a two-year, $9 million deal. It might sound like a steep price for a part-time player, but
Hairston will slot into a strict platoon in one of the corner outfield spots with Mike Baxter to start the season. That makes for a total salary of approximately $5 million in one of the outfield corners. Should Baxter falter, Kirk Nieuwenhuis might get another shot at regular playing time.
The move allows the Mets to remove Juan Lagares from the 25-man roster and put Nieuwenhuis on the bench for the time being. Here, then, is the updated 25-man roster:
| 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 |
| Scott Hairston | $4,500,000 | 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 |
| Lucas Duda | $500,000 | 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 | $88,000,000 |
The remaining top priorities are:
- Bringing in a second baseman
- Signing an everyday outfielder for one of the corners — failing that, a platoon partner for Nieuwenhuis
- Finding a right-handed hitter to complement Josh Thole behind the plate
- Another bullpen arm or two so Elvin Ramirez and Robert Carson aren't penciled into the Opening Day roster