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Mets NYM

199671–91 (0.438)
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GM: Joe McIlvaine

Overview

Ranks vs the 30 teams in 1996, or a custom range (defaults to every team-season since 1985, when our data starts).

to

Front Office

PoorAverageGreat
Value
Payroll $M
$24M
Surplus $M
+7
Win %
0.438
TAB
+6.0
WAB
-7.0
Roster composition
Roster fWAR
36.5
Dead money %
36%
Depth Players
5.0
Dead WAR
-1.6

Offense

PoorAverageGreat

Pitching & Defense

PoorAverageGreat

Roster

1996 depth chart — stacked by playing time

C

BTodd Hundley150
LBrent Mayne21
RAlberto Castillo6
RCharlie Greene1

1B

RButch Huskey75
LRico Brogna52
LRoberto Petagine40
RTim Bogar32
RAlvaro Espinoza⇄9
RChris Jones5
BCarlos Baerga⇄3
LMatt Franco2
LAndy Tomberlin1

2B

BJose Vizcaino⇄96
RJeff Kent⇄89
REdgardo Alfonzo66
BCarlos Baerga⇄21
BJason Hardtke18
RTim Bogar8
RAlvaro Espinoza⇄4

3B

REdgardo Alfonzo36
RAlvaro Espinoza⇄26
RTim Bogar25
LMatt Franco8
RButch Huskey6
BCarlos Baerga⇄1

SS

RRey Ordonez150
RTim Bogar19
REdgardo Alfonzo15
RAlvaro Espinoza⇄10

LF

RBernard Gilkey151
RChris Jones17
LAndy Tomberlin9
BCarl Everett9
BKevin Roberson1

CF

LLance Johnson157
BCarl Everett15
RChris Jones8

RF

RAlex Ochoa76
RChris Jones44
RButch Huskey40
BCarl Everett37
BKevin Roberson9
LAndy Tomberlin8

DH

—

Starters

RMark Clark3.0 WAR
RJason Isringhausen2.7 WAR
RBobby Jones1.8 WAR
RPaul Wilson1.0 WAR
RDave Mlicki0.7 WAR
RPete Harnisch0.4 WAR
RRobert Person0.2 WAR

Bullpen

★ LJohn Franco28 sv
RDoug Henry0 h
RJerry Dipoto0 h
RDave Mlicki0 h
RPaul Byrd0 h
LBob MacDonald0 h
RDerek Wallace0 h
RBlas Minor⇄0 h

Each position shows its top 3 by games (top = starter) — click "+more" for the rest. The letter is bats/throws; ⇄ marks a player traded mid-season. Starters are ranked by WAR, bullpen by holds; ★ marks the closer (most save chances). MLB Stats API.

Key additions (new vs 1995)

PlayerfWAR
Bernard Gilkey7.6
Lance Johnson6.4
Mark Clark3.0
Paul Wilson1.0
Alvaro Espinoza0.6
Kevin Roberson0.3

Key subtractions (gone from 1995)

Player1995 fWAR
Bobby Bonilla2.4
Bill Pulsipher1.7
Bret Saberhagen1.4
Mike Birkbeck0.8
Ryan Thompson0.8
Brett Butler0.7

Contract Value

WAR translated into tier-adjusted market value, then compared with what the player was paid by Mets. Guaranteed contracts from the 2015-present contract-data period use the known contract period through 1996; everyone else is shown as a 1996 season snapshot.

PlayerPeriodfWARTier Market $MPaid $MSurplus $M$ / WARTierContract
Bernard Gilkey 1996 +7.6 +124.4 2.8 +121.6 $0.4M 2.05× –
Lance Johnson 1996 +6.4 +104.7 2.7 +102.0 $0.4M 2.05× –
Mark Clark 1996 +3.0 +46.8 1.1 +45.7 $0.4M 1.96× –
Jason Isringhausen 1996 +2.7 +42.8 0.2 +42.7 $0.1M 1.96× –
Todd Hundley 1996 +4.7 +42.4 1.8 +40.5 $0.4M 1.12× –
Bobby Jones 1996 +1.8 +21.5 0.4 +21.1 $0.2M 1.49× –
Alex Ochoa 1996 +2.0 +19.0 0.1 +18.9 $0.1M 1.22× –
John Franco 1996 +1.2 +13.0 2.6 +10.4 $2.1M 1.34× –
Jose Vizcaino↔ 1996 +1.7 +11.0 1.5 +9.5 $0.9M 0.82× –
Paul Wilson 1996 +1.0 +7.8 0.1 +7.7 $0.1M 1.02× –
Jeff Kent↔ 1996 +1.3 +5.9 1.4 +4.6 $1.0M 0.56× –
Carl Everett 1996 +0.6 +4.3 0.2 +4.1 $0.3M 0.83× –
Dave Mlicki 1996 +0.7 +3.9 0.2 +3.7 $0.3M 0.67× –
Edgardo Alfonzo 1996 +0.7 +3.2 0.2 +3.1 $0.2M 0.56× –
Alvaro Espinoza↔ 1996 +0.6 +2.6 0.2 +2.4 $0.3M 0.58× –
Kevin Roberson 1996 +0.3 +2.1 0.1 +2.0 $0.4M 0.83× –
Andy Tomberlin 1996 +0.3 +1.8 0.1 +1.6 $0.5M 0.83× –
Rey Ordonez 1996 +0.2 +1.1 0.1 +1.0 $0.5M 0.61× –
Robert Person 1996 +0.2 +1.0 0.1 +0.9 $0.6M 0.67× –
Tim Bogar 1996 +0.2 +0.8 0.2 +0.6 $1.1M 0.56× –
Rico Brogna 1996 +0.2 +0.7 0.3 +0.4 $2.1M 0.56× –
Roberto Petagine 1996 +0.1 +0.4 0.1 +0.3 $1.4M 0.56× –
Chris Jones 1996 +0.1 +0.6 0.3 +0.2 $4.0M 0.83× –
Blas Minor↔ 1996 +0.0 +0.0 0.1 -0.1 $27.6M 0.67× –
Bob MacDonald 1996 -0.1 -0.3 0.2 -0.5 – 0.67× –
Butch Huskey 1996 -0.1 -0.4 0.1 -0.5 – 0.56× –
Derek Wallace 1996 -0.1 -0.4 0.1 -0.5 – 0.67× –
Pete Harnisch 1996 +0.4 +3.2 3.7 -0.5 $9.4M 1.02× –
Jerry Dipoto 1996 -0.1 -0.4 0.2 -0.7 – 0.67× –
Brent Mayne 1996 -0.1 -0.2 0.7 -1.0 – 0.52× –
Paul Byrd 1996 -0.4 -1.9 0.1 -2.1 – 0.67× –
Carlos Baerga↔ 1996 -0.5 -2.2 1.0 -3.1 – 0.56× –
Doug Henry 1996 +0.1 +0.8 0.8 +0.0 $10.4M 1.34× –
Alberto Castillo 1996 +0.1 +0.2 – – – 0.52× –
Charlie Greene 1996 -0.0 -0.1 – – – 0.52× –
Jason Hardtke 1996 -0.1 -0.4 – – – 0.56× –
Matt Franco 1996 -0.1 -0.6 – – – 0.58× –
Mike Fyhrie 1996 -0.1 -0.3 – – – 0.67× –
Pedro Martinez↔ 1996 -0.1 -0.6 – – – 0.67× –
Ricky Trlicek 1996 +0.0 +0.1 – – – 0.67× –
Total—+36.4+458.323.8+436.0—

Trades

Every graded 1996 deal involving the Mets — best expected value first. Surplus is realized value in $M; 13 total.

1996 · NYM / COL
NYM · Joe McIlvaine +$5.6M
Armando Reynoso
COL · Bob Gebhard −$5.6M
Jerry Dipoto
NYM came out ahead by $5.6M
1996 · ATL / NYM
ATL · John Schuerholz +$4.8M
Paul Byrd, Andy Zwirchitz
NYM · Joe McIlvaine −$4.8M
Greg McMichael
ATL came out ahead by $4.8M
1996 · NYM / STL
NYM · Joe McIlvaine +$114.4M
Bernard Gilkey
STL · Walt Jocketty −$114.4M
Erik Hiljus, Eric Ludwick, Yudith Ozorio
NYM came out ahead by $114.4M
1996 · TEX / NYM
TEX · Douglas Melvin +$4.0M
Damon Buford
NYM · Joe McIlvaine −$4.0M
Terrell Lowery
TEX came out ahead by $4.0M
1996 · NYM / CLE
NYM · Joe McIlvaine +$27.2M
Mark Clark
CLE · John Hart −$27.2M
Reid Cornelius, Ryan Thompson
NYM came out ahead by $27.2M
1996 · NYM / SEA
NYM · Joe McIlvaine +$2.4M
Randy Vickers
SEA · Woody Woodward −$2.4M
Blas Minor
NYM came out ahead by $2.4M
1996 · NYM / ANA
NYM · Joe McIlvaine +$0.0M
Kevin Flora
ANA · Bill Bavasi +$0.0M
Aaron Ledesma
Even trade
1996 · SDP / NYM
SDP · Kevin Towers +$0.8M
Pete Walker, Scott Adair
NYM · Joe McIlvaine −$0.8M
Roberto Petagine, Luis Arroyo
SDP came out ahead by $0.8M
1996 · CHC / NYM
CHC · Ed Lynch +$2.4M
Chris DeWitt
NYM · Joe McIlvaine −$2.4M
Matt Franco
CHC came out ahead by $2.4M
1996 · NYM / MIL
NYM · Joe McIlvaine +$5.6M
Cory Lidle
MIL · Sal Bando −$5.6M
Kelly Stinnett
NYM came out ahead by $5.6M
1996 · NYM / PHI
NYM · Joe McIlvaine +$32.0M
Ricardo Jordan, Toby Borland
PHI · Lee Thomas −$32.0M
Rico Brogna
NYM came out ahead by $32.0M
1996 · NYM / TOR
NYM · Joe McIlvaine +$148.0M
John Olerud
TOR · Gord Ash −$148.0M
Robert Person
NYM came out ahead by $148.0M
1996 · CLE / NYM
CLE · John Hart +$40.0M
Jeff Kent, José Vizcaíno
NYM · Joe McIlvaine −$40.0M
Carlos Baerga, Álvaro Espinoza
CLE came out ahead by $40.0M

Current & Historical Payroll

1996 payroll
$24.0M

What the front office was committed to as of 1996, 1996–2002. Pre-2015 has no contract-terms data — forward italic $ are realized actuals (hindsight, not commitments known then). Control labels (ARB/FA) are point-in-time.

current $ guaranteed $ actual $ (hindsight) arbitration (proj) pre-arb (proj) free agent

Guaranteed / signed (10)

PlayerAgeSvc1996199719981999200020012002
Pete Harnisch298.000$3.7M$1.9MFREE AGENT
Bernard Gilkey296.000$2.8M$3.9M$3.7MFREE AGENT
Lance Johnson329.000$2.7M$2.0MFREE AGENT
John Franco3512.000$2.6M$3.0M$2.9M$3.0M$3.4M$3.6MFREE AGENT
Todd Hundley276.000$1.8M$4.2M$4.9MFREE AGENT
Jose Vizcaino287.000$1.5MFREE AGENT
Carlos Baerga276.000$980k$4.8M$4.7MFREE AGENT
Brent Mayne286.000$725kFREE AGENT
Bob MacDonald316.000$200kFREE AGENT
Alvaro Espinoza3412.000$179kFREE AGENT

Arbitration-eligible (16)

PlayerAgeSvc1996199719981999200020012002
Jeff Kent284.000$1.4MARB 3FREE AGENT
Mark Clark285.000$1.1MFREE AGENT
Doug Henry325.000$750kFREE AGENT
Bobby Jones263.000$405kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Chris Jones305.000$338kFREE AGENT
Rico Brogna264.000$325kARB 3FREE AGENT
Jerry Dipoto283.000$225kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Tim Bogar293.000$215kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Dave Mlicki284.000$195kARB 3FREE AGENT
Carl Everett253.000$178kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Andy Tomberlin293.000$130kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Kevin Roberson283.000$125kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Blas Minor304.000$120kARB 3FREE AGENT
Butch Huskey243.000$116kARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Pedro Martinez273.000—ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Ricky Trlicek274.000—ARB 3FREE AGENT

Pre-arbitration (14)

PlayerAgeSvc1996199719981999200020012002
Edgardo Alfonzo221.000$180kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Jason Isringhausen231.000$169kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Roberto Petagine252.000$135kARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Paul Byrd251.000$123kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Alex Ochoa241.000$109kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Rey Ordonez250.000$109kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Robert Person261.000$109kPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Derek Wallace240.000$109kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Paul Wilson230.000$109kPre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Alberto Castillo261.000—Pre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Matt Franco261.000—Pre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Mike Fyhrie260.000—Pre-ArbPre-ArbARB 1ARB 2ARB 3FREE AGENT
Charlie Greene25–—
Jason Hardtke24–—

Graphs

How each 1996 acquisition stacked onto Mets's playoff-odds curve. The side table is ranked by PPA.

Rosternomics — front-office performance, roster value, and transaction history. Follow @rosternomics on X.
Decision-maker records extend to 1933; resource-controlled WAR and payroll metrics cover 1985–2026. Data sources include FanGraphs, Baseball-Reference, the Chadwick Bureau register, the Lahman Database, prospect rankings from Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and FanGraphs, and public payroll records. Transaction and trade data was obtained free of charge from and is copyrighted by Retrosheet. Executive birth/death data via Wikidata (CC0).
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