The Mets Could Be So Broke They Might Trade David Wright

David Wright could be a casualty of the Mets’ financial disaster. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

If the Mets make David Wright available via the trade market, the Phillies ought to send Bernie Madoff a nice basket of muffins in prison.

Thanks to a series of Tweets on Sunday by Michael Salfino, a freelance journalist for the Wall Street Journal, speculation abounds that the Mets may be so broke, they don’t have enough money to sign David Wright or R.A. Dickey to contract extensions.

In those tweets (which have since been deleted) Salfino said…

"Source who would DEF know tells me Wilpon/Mets are broke, can’t extend R.A. or Wright and have maybe two years left before they lose team. And Mets lack of cash, I’m told, is the reason they deferred Bay. More than a baseball decision, they just pass that along to next owner. And you all know I don’t pull that source thing like, ever. So trust me on this. – Michael Salfino"

The Mets have already made Dickey available and are actively fielding offers for the Cy Young candidate. Wright, meanwhile, has not been presented to the world as a potential trade candidate.

Yet.

Still, one wonders just how bad New York’s financial situation is, and whether it is so bad that they would be desperate enough to trade their lone marquee  player. Matthew Pouliot of HardballTalk.com says trading Wright would only hurt the Mets’ asking price in the event they are forced to sell the team.

"I still wouldn’t buy the idea that a David Wright extension can’t happen because the Mets have no money. An extension wouldn’t up Wright’s 2013 salary, and having Wright in the fold would likely make the team more attractive to a buyer should the Wilpons be forced to sell."

And of course, after making those initial tweets, Salfino deleted them and replaced them with these.

So, this could all be a bunch of crap. But since when does that stop any of us from talking about it?

It’s no secret the Mets are short on cash and the organization is a financial mess. Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme saw to that.

If Wright is made available, the Phils would certainly be interested. However, there would still be at least a few major obstacles to a deal getting done.

First, it’s doubtful the Mets would trade Wright within the division. Second, there are likely other teams that have better trade chips than the Phils. Third, it would probably make this little girl extremely angry.

Wright had his best season since 2008, hitting .306/.391/.492 with 21 HRs and 93 RBIs with 15 SBs and 41 2Bs in cavernous Citi Field, posting a 6.7 WAR last year. He enters his 2013 season at 30 years old, and is set to make $16 million next year, the final year of his contract.

Signing Wright to a long-term deal would likely cost the Phillies at least seven years and $140-150 million. It’s not ridiculous to think the deal could be even higher, given the scarcity of talent at third base.

However, it would give the Phillies stability and premium production at the hot corner for at least the next 3-5 years, maybe more if Wright can stay healthy.

Trading for San Diego’s Chase Headley would be a more palatable option, if only because he’s a couple years younger than Wright, and would probably be less expensive in terms of a contract extension and prospects. But getting Wright would be a coup for Amaro, should the Mets decide to make him available.

Sadly, it’s probably not going to happen.

Still, New York’s financial situation bears watching, if for no other reason than to bask in the sheer ridiculousness of the Mets’ utter futility.

And who knows, maybe Wright becomes a casualty of it all.

See? Sometimes it pays to read the Wall Street Journal.