The Mets may extend their budget this winter, are looking at Mike Moustakas

The Mets’ front office and ownership have been taking quite a bit of flack this offseason for their apparent unwillingness to spend amid reports that the team is looking to cut payroll coming off a 92-loss season season. The media has been pressing this issue, and fans are understandably frustrated.

That said, John Harper of the New York Daily News is reporting that sources within the organization are saying the front office will do more to improve the team over the rest of the offseason than what has been perceived, and that GM Sandy Alderson still has the ability to bring potential deals to ownership that could potentially extend any payroll limits.

And with that, the Mets are apparently intrigued by the possibility of adding Mike Moustakas for a discounted price. And while they aren’t heavily involved in talks with the Royals’ former third baseman, they are keeping an eye on his market. The 29-year-old hit .272/.314/.572 last year in Kansas City with a 114 wRC+ and 2.2 fWAR in 148 games.

So far this offseason, Anthony Swarzak is the only free agent the Mets have signed. It’s been a quiet winter across the league, though, so it’s possible that the slow market could drop prices of some free agents, including Moustakas. But whether the Mets will actually take advantage of that remains to be seen, and fans will undoubtedly remain skeptical until something actually happens.