Mets set to shatter payroll records, soar to about $350M

By RONALD BLUM
AP Baseball Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Steve Cohen’s New York Mets are on track to shatter spending records in his third season as owner, boosting payroll to about $350 million for purposes of the luxury tax and poised to pay a penalty of about $80 million. New York added starters Justin Verlander and Jose Quintana plus reliever David Robertson and Japanese pitcher Kodai Senga while re-signing center fielder Brandon Nimmo.