Buzz: Mets Money, Madoff and Budget
In a post to MLB Trade Rumors, Tim Dierkes looks at what will likely be the main storylines this off season, from the Aroldis Chapman Sweepstakes to the future of Roy Halladay and, “Will the Mets reduce payroll for 2010, despite multiple needs?”
…i heard from two people this week, neither of whom know one another, one with the team, one in the business community, and both said 
Bernie Madoff may have paid the Wilpons back roughly half the money they initially invested… which may explain the difference in reports suggesting they lost $700 million, while some say they lost $300 million…
…as far as the team spending money on improving the roster… i keep reading that Omar Minaya can only spend $15 million on new acquisitions… but, i am not 100 percent convinced of this…
…i mean, like every team in baseball, including the Yankees, reports suggest the Mets will cut payroll… for what it’s worth, i have also heard investors are insisting the Yankees trim roughly 20 percent… i also sense the Mets are willing to eat dollars to move players who they feel occupy positions that can be upgraded… i interpret that to mean Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez, but that’s a total guess… i have no idea how eating salary factors in to the rumored $15 million number that is floating around, since they’re sunk costs… and so, i will not judge the team’s spending until i actually see what they spend it on, and how it stacks up against other teams…
