For Chaim Bloom's Red Sox, it could be worse

Not how much you spend but how you spend it

The Padres are stingy compared to the New York Mets and Billy Eppler. Eppler was the former GM of the Angels for five seasons, and they did nothing in his tenure. Eppler signed a four-year contract and is the point guy for owner Steve Cohen. Cohen bought the Mets in 2020, and I can best describe his wealth by saying I have no intention of starting a GoFundMe page for Mr. Cohen.

The Met's philosophy was to win it now and spare no costs. Eppler followed that mantra precisely, and the Mets LT hit $104 million. How do you manage that? Eppler was certainly not an advocate for a "youth movement" and signed Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer for a combined salary of $86 million, or about three times the payroll of the Oakland A's. Both have been dumped for prospects as Cohen's immediate championship gratification went kaboom quickly.

The roster is a wreck with a monstrous payroll, underperforming "stars," and dead money that could end homelessness. Cohen had no patience to wait, and Eppler did his duty and scrapped the "plan" by trading or just dumping the players.

A GM, or whatever the title is, has an advisory responsibility such as "Boss, this is not a good idea." The Mets will battle their city rivals to see who can have a more embarrassing season. I'll root for the Yankees, but they must catch the Mets. If cutting payroll is an owner's prerogative, Bloom will be high on the list as a hire.