I am Keith Hernandez

So the Yankees just signed Mark Teixeira for 8 years at $180 million, bringing their total offseason free agent spending on three players to $422.5 million. They are utterly crushing the market this offseason and look to be a favorite come Octoboer.

Now, I am a firm believer in the capitalist way, if they have the money to spend why not spend it. You wouldn’t tell Google they couldn’t sign the best engineer in the world, would you? What is getting to me is how lazy journalists are making this out to be a trend with BOTH Ny clubs. “Yanks, Mets spend big” was the headline of a local New Hamphire column. ESPN, NY magazine, NYPost and others have recited the same. The problem is the Mets have signed one player for $37.5 million this offseason, a sum that is considered around baseball a discount for what he was commanding. $422.5 to $37.5 million. That, in the eyes of reporters across the country is equal. How in the world does that math add up?
Consider that the Cubs re-signed Ryan Dempster for $54 million and the Phillies signed Raul Ibanez for $33 this same offseason. Are these teams spending outrageously? Not at all. Like the Mets, they addressed their needs and filled in gaps via free agency. Shouldn’t the Mets fall into this tier?
The problem is that many sports journalists want to lump the Yankees and Mets into one catwegory: the big, money spending bullies of the east coast. The reality is the similarities this offseason (granted, some years boths spent widely) are nil. The Yanks have signed the top 3 free agents available for the highest contract of the season while the Mets filled one position with a deep discount and anothe via trade.
To say these two teams are spending in the same manner is just bad journalism. Especially with the undertones of the economy and Wall St in the articles., playing it up as NYC is the root of America’s economic situation. Yes, the Yankees are spending. They always do. Nothing new. Please don’t lump the Mets into everything the Yanks do. It would be like comparing the Brooklyn apartment I live in (still ridiculously priced) to a soho loft.