The World Series champions have been accused of becoming baseball’s Manchester City, spending their way to success. But there are differences

Deferred contracts were once baseball’s annual joke played on the New York Mets.

They released veteran third baseman Bobby Bonilla after a dismal season in 1999. But rather than pay the $5.9m left on his contract as a lump sum, the club offered a 25-year deferred deal at a munificent 8% interest rate.