COVID19
Due to Major League Baseball’s dictate, teams had to classify games as postponed until a policy could be made on how to handle refunds for games which have not and will not be played. Only recently has teams been permitted to set their own policies.
The first to release policies were the White Sox and Cubs. Their policies were identical in that individual game tickets from Opening Day until May 31 will be refunded. For season ticket plan holders, they have the choice of a refund for the unused games, or in the alternative, they can utilize their money as a credit for a number of things including a 2021 season ticket plan.
For those opting the credit option, they will be receiving 5% in interest on their money.
By coming out and doing this first, not only did the Chicago teams set the standard, they showed how to do right by their fanbases. When you break it all down, this was really the only right option.
Then, there are the Wilpons. The same people who nearly lost everything to a Ponzi Scheme, are continually at MLB’s debt limits, couldn’t raise their share of the funding for the Islanders Belmont arena, and blew a $2.1 billion deal because Jeff Wilpon wanted to play GM with Steve Cohen’s money, did something far different.
First and foremost, their plan did not address tickets through May 31. No, even with MLB discussing not returning to play until June at the absolute earliest (with that also being a bit of a pipe dream), the Mets plan only addresses tickets through April 30.
Next, as noted by Tim Healey of Newsday, “Refund” doesn’t appear until 1,175th word of Mets’ 1,284-word policy.”
It should be noted there does not appear to be a refund guarantee. While the refund language is buried DEEP in the policy, the language is also muddled. Specifically, it says “submit an online request via their My Mets Tickets account beginning on Thursday, May 7 at 10 a.m.”
While this can be reasonably interpreted to mean refunds will be given to those who request it, this policy does come far short from guaranteeing it.
Reading the policy in depth, the Mets really don’t want to refund the money. They’re offering a 20% credit to season ticket holders and a 10% credit to all other ticket holders if they do not request a refund. It should be noted that’s just for games through April. A new policy can still be implemented for May and beyond.
On the one hand, this credit does surpass what other teams are offering. On the other, it does give rise to questions about the Wilpons financial ability to operate the team when they’re offering credits surpassing other teams, and they’re only addressing tickets through April.
No, the Mets aren’t the only team who hasn’t set forth a May policy. The Yankees also failed to address May. However, no one is questioning the Steinbrenners ability to financially operate their team.
No, that is something we worry about with the Wilpons. Between this, the push to cut player salaries, laying off of ballpark employees, and other issues which have and will arise, you just wonder what is going to happen to them and the Mets.
The Mets winning streak is now at nine games. Unlike yesterday when the Mets needed a ninth inning homer to pull out the win, the Mets won this one decisively.
After Marcus Stroman gave up a first inning three run homer, the Mets scored 13 unanswered.
The Mets didn’t score until the fourth when Amed Rosario and Stroman hit back-to-back RBI singles. Jeff McNeil continued his power surge with a go-ahead three run homer.
In the win, Brandon Nimmo hit two homers, and Michael Conforto hit another homer to further his Major League lead. Pete Alonso also homered. Stroman picked up the win in the 13-6 victory.
Good teams pull out victories late in games. They show resiliency and rise to the challenge. In tonight’s simulated game, we see how good this Mets team could’ve been had they actually played games:
Down 3-2 in the ninth with the threat of their winning streak being snapped, Brandon Nimmo led off the top of the ninth with a double. Amed Rosario went the other way advancing him to third, and Dominic Smith hit a game winning two run homer to give the Mets a 4-3 victory.
The home run happy Mets also got homers from Yoenis Cespedes and Jeff McNeil. Justin Wilson earned the win in relief, and Edwin Diaz recorded the save.
Michael Conforto got the Mets on the board in the first with the first of his two homers in the game. In the simulated world both Conforto and the Mets are red hot:
Early on this was a back-and-forth affair with both teams scoring in the first two innings. The Marlins led 4-3 until Jeff McNeil tied it on a solo homer in the fifth.
In the sixth, Yoenis Cespedes hit a two run homer giving the Mets the lead for good. When all was said and done, Michael Wacha got the win, Edwin Diaz got the save, and the Mets won 9-5.
In last night’s game, it took the Mets until the later innings for their offense to explode and route the Braves. Tonight, the Mets scored in each of the first three innings with a seven spot in the third.
Jeff McNeil homered yesterday, and he had a two home run game tonight. He had a four RBI game. Wilson Ramos had five, and Robinson Cano had three.
With Rick Porcello holding the Braves to three earned over six, this was an easy 15-5 victory.
To date, despite the Mets already having 20+ games from their 2020 season canceled, they have yet to issue one refund to their fans. They have not issued a refund despite the fact MLB already has announced it will have a shortened season, and early indications are the season may be played at a neutral site meaning Mets fans may never get to see the Mets play at Citi Field this year.
Still, the Mets, like the other 29 teams and the secondary market, are holding onto your money. The reason is MLB is using the very dishonest practice of calling games which will never be played postponed instead of cancelled. As reported by Bill Shakin of the LA Times, that has already led to a class action lawsuit.
Despite the pending lawsuit, all 30 of the Major League Baseball teams are keeping their fans money. They’re keeping the money of both season and single game ticket holders. At the moment, those fans are getting absolutely NOTHING in return, and it is unclear when, or if, those fans are ever going to get a refund.
While these games have come and gone unplayed, there have been a number of notable promotions for each team. For the Mets, there have already been a number of popular promotions which have come and gone with not one being distributed to the fans.
Those promotions include the Jacob deGrom back-to-back Cy Young bobblehead, the Pete Alonso Rookie of the Year bobblehead, and the Jeff McNeil bobblehead.
#OpeningWeekend will be here before you know it! Be at @CitiField as we start the season against Washington.
Saturday, 3/28 – @Pete_Alonso20 ROY bobblehead
Sunday, 3/29 – @JdeGrom19 Cy Young bobblehead?️: https://t.co/1pkMPg0MsR pic.twitter.com/CvffU826fO
— New York Mets (@Mets) February 17, 2020
On the horizon is the Amed Rosario bobblehead which is purportedly a two part bobblehead which will link up with Robinson Cano. For the Cano one, you have to go to a game in late August. Of course, there is the matter of whether that game ever gets played.
There have also been Free T-Shirt Fridays with a Noah Syndergaard replica jersey among those items which were supposed to be given to fans. There would have been other promotions as well like player posters and magnetic schedules. These were all promotional items which were supposed to be distributed to fans as part of an incentive to get them to spend money on Mets tickets.
Keep in mind, not only are the Mets holding onto their fans money, but they are also holding onto the promotions which would have been distributed at those games. While the Mets may not be able to unilaterally refund their fans money as this is likely a larger MLB policy, there is nothing preventing them from doing the right thing and sending their fans the promotional items for those games.
Overall, if the Mets and the other MLB teams are going to keep their fans money, they should be forced to give the fans some return for their purchase. While the Mets cannot play games in this environment, they can send the promotional items to fans.
No, it is not likely they can do that now. That is unrealistic due to the myriad of safety concerns, and with the shutdown, the Mets cannot possibly have enough employees on site to perform this task. However, that does not mean they should not be preparing to do right by their fans by preparing to send them the promotions they would have received had the games actually been played.
The Mets broke a 2-2 tie in the seventh and then began a complete annihilation of the Atlanta Braves. When all was said and done, they’d win 13-2
Michael Conforto hit two homers, and Pete Alonso finished a triple short of the cycle. The Mets also got homers from Jeff McNeil and Jake Marisnick.
In an exciting back-and-forth game, the Mets blew the lead a few times, and then in the ninth, Robert Gsellman was on the mound with the bases loaded and just one out.
Gsellman got the most dangerous hitter in the Braves lineup, Ronald Acuna, Jr., to ground into the inning ending 6-4-3 double play. After starting the double play, Amed Rosario hit a lead-off homer in the 10th to give the Mets a 9-8 lead.
It was a two home run game for Rosario. After Brad Brach converted the save, the second one was a game winner.
In the first game of this series, the Marlins offense exploded. In the next game, the Mets responded. In tonight’s game, no one could score:
From the Marlins perspective, you knew this was likely coming with Jacob deGrom on the mound. Jake was Jake shutting out the Marlins for seven innings.
Robert Gsellman, Edwin Diaz (2 IP), and Justin Wilson shut the Marlins down to keep them scoreless through 11. That allowed Brandon Nimmo to be the hero as he hit a walk-off homer to give the Mets a 1-0 extra inning victory.
Last night, the Mets blew a 3-0 lead. Tonight, the Mets were not going to repeat that performance. No, this time Michael Wacha and the Mets made sure to put the Marlins away:
Before you could blink it was 7-1 Mets.
In the first, Robinson Cano hit a bases loaded single giving the Mets a 1-0 lead. In that four run inning, we’d also see Dominic Smith and Amed Rosario deliver RBI single. Smith would knock in another run with a sacrifice fly in the three run second.
Later in the game, Pete Alonso and Michael Conforto would homer in the Mets 9-2 win.