Sure, there were 78 million reasons for Starling Marte to choose the Mets.
There also was a long-held hope to join together with another star from the Dominican Republic.
“I always said that I wanted to be his teammate,” Marte said of Robinson Cano on Wednesday. “And now that I had the opportunity to do so, I decided to take it.”
The Mets inked the center fielder, who last season hit .310 with a .383 on-base percentage in addition to his 47 steals between Miami and Oakland, because Steve Cohen was willing to dish out the money in a four-year pact.
But Marte clearly will enjoy the return of the infielder, who was suspended last season after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug.
Marte said the two have long talked about joining up, though they had not discussed the prospect this offseason. Once Marte signed with the Mets, the two connected.
“He sent me a message and we spoke a little bit,” Marte said through interpreter Alan Suriel. “I always look forward to having conversations with him and just to continue learning from him.”
Marte, who will move around the outfield and projects to be the Mets’ leadoff hitter, said he was happy about the many Latinos in the Mets’ clubhouse.
It was not a teammate but a visit that helped sway Mark Canha.
On Nov. 22, Sandy Alderson jumped on a plane from Florida to Phoenix to meet up with Billy Eppler so the two could recruit Canha, who was nearby. It was the only in-person meeting Canha had with a team.
“Nobody else did that, so that was big for me,” said Canha, a former Oakland A who overlapped with Alderson. “I didn’t think much of it at the time. But then after the meeting, I was like, ‘Man, I’m really glad they did that.’ ”
Somehow, none of the seven-year pro’s 645 games have come against the Mets. He said did not know much about the club.
“The Mets may not have been the favorite before that meeting,” Canha said. “And then after that meeting, they were one of the favorites.”
Canha’s former team in Oakland has a current 2022 projected payroll of about $71 million, which is less than Marte will make in his four seasons with the Mets.
“I’m used to a little bit less exciting offseasons as well with my previous team, so it was kind of crazy,” he said about the millions the Mets have doled out. “It was all very new for me and very exciting.”