Mets GM Sandy Alderson proudly announced in a press conference Thursday that in order to save money for the cash-starved franchise, players will have to cover their own expenses next season including equipment, uniforms, travel, lodging and meals.
“Due to the Wilpon’s financial blunders, the Mets can no longer afford expenses necessary for a baseball team so next year will we be forced to make players cover their own costs,” said Alderson. “This includes paying for or stitching their own uniforms. We recommend players not get their jerseys dirty during games so they can be re-used without requiring to be washed. Players will also have the option of paying for their own flights to other cities for road trips or by hitchhiking to get to the cities.”
“We can barely afford the electrical and water bills at Citi Field as it is,” said Alderson. “Plus we still owe Bobby Bonilla $30 million, so how can we be expected to pay for other expenses the players build-up during a season.”
There were mixed reactions to the announcement in the Mets clubhouse, which next year will be room 312 of the Flushing Holiday Inn. Mets star David Wright was excited about the idea, seeing it as a way to possibly miss some more time with the team.
“I hate hustling during games and sometimes when you hustle, your jersey gets dirty,” said Wright. “That will take care of the jersey re-usage for me. I’m also excited to not be forced to fly to road trips. If I’m hitchhiking to Philly or Atlanta, I might be able to miss some of the games which makes it a win-win situation for me because we have no chance of winning those games anyway.”
On the other hand, rookie Lucas Duda was opposed to it.
“We had better accommodations than this when I was on Buffalo in Triple-A,” said Duda. “At least we had busing for road trips, now we won’t have anything. This sucks!”
By Josh Burton. Follow Josh on Twitter & Facebook
