Mets free agency moves only make Braves look wiser with their money

The New York Mets threw a lot of money to ace Justin Verlander, but compared to the Atlanta Braves payroll, it’s certainly not a good look.

The Mets recently lost their ace Jacob deGrom, so in return, they made a big splash on the market by signing Justin Verlander. Last season, they signed Max Scherzer, and according to Paul Hembekides of ESPN, New York will pay the two a combined $173.3 million over the next two seasons.

In comparison to the Braves, Atlanta is paying roughly the same amount (slightly less) for Matt Olson, Ronald Acuna Jr., Raisel Iglesias, Austin Riley, Ozzie Albies, Michael Harris II and Spencer Strider combined.

The Braves were roughly the same caliber as the Mets this season, too. Atlanta knocked New York out of the top spot of the NL East during the last week of the regular season, and they’ve had more postseason success throughout the 2010s than the Mets, including a World Series win in 2021.

Verlander was certainly a good addition this offseason, but he’ll essentially just fill the hole deGrom left rather than enhance the team, as he would’ve done with deGrom still around.

The Braves are extremely smart for building up their farm, making a low-cost yet championship-caliber team.

The Braves made great moves in their farm system, keeping a low cost

Of the combined players equalling roughly Verlander and Scherzer’s earnings over the next two seasons, all but two came directly from the farm system. Harris and Strider, in particular, just started their careers over the past two seasons, and they’ve been effective so far.

While a good farm does take time to build up, the Braves are proving it’s an effective strategy that allows them a lot of flexibility if they want to invest in big players.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing that the Mets have invested so much in star players, but it certainly shines a good light on the Braves for their own spending habits.