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New York Mets Rumors: Tyler Clippard Too Expensive To Retain?

By Kenneth Teape

Oct 30, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Tyler Clippard throws a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the 8th inning in game three of the World Series at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2015; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Tyler Clippard throws a pitch against the Kansas City Royals in the 8th inning in game three of the World Series at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /
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New York Mets Rumors: After a flurry of offseason moves that have greatly increased their payroll and talent, is Tyler Clippard now out of the Mets’ price range?

The New York Mets have had an exceptional offseason. After making a surprise run to the 2015 World Series, the front office has done everything they can to assure that the Mets are loaded enough to make a trip back, this time hopefully coming away with the trophy.

With a dominant starting rotation in place, Sandy Alderson got to work quickly to strengthen the middle infield, signing Asdrubal Cabrera and trading for Neil Walker from the Pittsburgh Pirates, sending Jon Niese to the Pirates in the deal. The biggest coup was the most recent ones for the Mets, as they were able to retain Yoenis Cespedes with a monster three-year, $75 million deal last weekend.

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That signing gives the Mets the makings of arguably the strongest lineup in the National League, as they no longer have a real hole in their lineup as they did for a majority of the 2015 season. The other problem area the Mets have throughout the 2015 season was their bullpen.

By the time the World Series rolled around, manager Terry Collins had very little trust in anyone outside closer Jeurys Familia and Addison Reed. That problem does not look like it will be a problem this time around, as the Mets retained left-handed pitcher Jerry Blevins and also brought aboard left-handed pitcher Antonio Bastardo, signing him away from the Pirates with a two-year, $12 million deal.

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Despite the additions they have made, the Mets still had interest in bringing back Tyler Clippard. The Mets acquired Clippard last July right before the MLB trade deadline to help bolster their late inning bullpen. He was able to do just that, but was derailed at the end of the season by injuries that sapped his effectiveness.

Despite that, the Mets were hopefully that they could bring him back to help stabalize the backend of their bullpen once again. But, it does not seem like that is a possibility anymore. According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, Clippard is not in their current price range.

While some fans will scoff at Clippard being too expensive after the deal Cespedes just landed, it is probably true. After signing Bastardo, the Mets were forced to part ways with the versatile Carlos Torres despite coming to an agreement on a contract for 2016 to avoid arbitration. If the Mets were to sign a player of Clippard’s caliber, it would mean another player has to be taken off the 40-man roster and designated for assignment.

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At this time, that does not seem like a route that the Mets are willing to take, and rightfully so. They could still look to add to their stable of arms in the bullpen, but it will more than likely come in the form of a minor-league contract. In that scenario they would not have to make a roster evaluation until Spring Training; with what we saw happen to the Mets last season, injuries do occur so a spot may open up on it’s own in that way.

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