Jeff Wilpon and Brodie Van Wagenen cited financial and playing-time commitments to Yoenis Cespedes, who is expected to miss at least half and perhaps all of the 2019 season, and the presence of the Mets' other outfielders as reasons not to pursue star free agents Bryce Harper and Manny Machado.
"I don't know how many teams have two $30-million players," said Wilpon, the chief operating officer of a team with one player who makes almost that much money. "I think that's a bit of the answer. We went into this offseason, Brodie knows exactly where the target is for the payroll, still has some room in there to do some things, so we'll see where that brings us."
Van Wagenen, the general manager, said: "Cespedes has the highest (average annual value) of any outfielder in the game, and he was rewarded with that contract for a reason. We believe in him, we believe he can make a high impact and we hope that he will in the coming season and beyond."
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