Mets fans are besides themselves right now. They went from literally the worst owner in all of pro sports to someone who promises to be the best.
Right now, Mets fans are anticipating a whirlwind of an offseason. They’re already putting J.T. Realmuto behind the plate, Trevor Bauer on the mound, and George Springer in center. Oh, and they’re also expecting Marcus Stroman, Charlie Morton, and literally every free agent available.
Mets fans aren’t penciling this in either. No, they’re putting this down in Sharpee. That’s how high their level of expectation is right now.
That right there is going to be the biggest challenge for Steve Cohen, Sandy Alderson, and the soon to be fully assembled Mets front office. Unless Cohen is prepared to start spending like a drunken sailor, there needs to be some leveling of expectation, and they need to do that while not diminishing the level of excitement.
Right there is one of the benefits of bringing back Alderson. With Alderson, the Mets fans already see someone they can trust to build a winner in New York. Agree or disagree with his moves, the fanbase is well aware he can do this job in this market.
If it’s James McCann instead of Realmuto, the fans can trust it’s not purely a cost savings driven decision. If the Mets opt for Jackie Bradley Jr in center instead of Springer, we can believe that is part of a larger plan to improve the defense to help the pitching.
However, there’s going to be a point where fans are going to want to see THE big name. The fans haven’t seen that happen since Carlos Beltran and Pedro Martinez signed with the Mets entering the 2005 season.
The Mets need to identify which player is the big name they need to pursue at all costs. That can be a free agent, and it could also come in the trade market with Francisco Lindor and Nolan Arenado available.
Right now, the excitement level surrounding the Mets is at the highest it’s been since Matt Harvey stepped on the field to pitch the ninth. Cohen needs to find a way to keep the excitement level there instead of having fans watch on in horror as their chances of winning a World Series fade away.
While the country and the world were waiting with baited breath to see who would be president, two teams began the rehabilitation process of the 2017 Houston Astros.
First, the Detroit Tigers hired AJ Hinch to replace the recently retired Ron Gardenhire. Then, after a one year hiatus, the Boston Red Sox rehired Alex Cora.
This offseason all of the aghast and offended MLB teams will be pursuing free agents like George Springer, Josh Reddick, Brad Peacock, Charlie Morton, and others. Member after member of that organization has been or will be pursued. That even includes Jeff Luhnow who Alex Rodriguez was rumored to want as a member of the New York Mets front office.
Seemingly every MLB team is willing to cast outrage and morals aside for all of the 2017 Houston Astros. The one exception is Carlos Beltran.
As the narrative goes, the sign stealing saga was all Beltran’s doing. It didn’t matter that the Astros organization had to put the technology in place to aide and abet the players, and it didn’t matter an operation of this caliber truly needed top to bottom coordination. No, as it went, Beltran was THE driving force.
Undoubtedly, Beltran played a role, and it was very likely significant. The same goes for every player from that 2017 team who went unnamed. However, when it came to the retired Beltran, he wasn’t afforded the same anonymity. No, he was put out there with a target on his back.
People were all too happy to go out there and come after him. They demanded his firing even fully knowing it could very well mean the end for him in baseball.
The real shame was this came during the time of Beltran’s own redemption story. He was returning to the Mets to win that World Series he couldn’t. He was returning to the place where the owners not only challenged his worth but also tried to stop him from saving his career.
Unfortunately, Beltran was thrown another curve. Again, he was left standing there without taking a swing. For the second time in his life, he was out.
Only this time it seems like it is for good.
That is very clearly different than the fates of Hinch and Cora. It is different than the fates of his former teammates. In the end, Beltran is going to forever be the fall guy for what happened in 2017. In roughly two years, we’ll see if his punishment includes not being inducted into the Hall of Fame.
But for right now, Beltran is out of baseball with no discernible path to return. While you could justify this, it is difficult to ascertain why he’s being held to a much higher standard than every other member of that organization.
Steve Cohen is now the owner of the New York Mets.
With reports the sale of the New York Mets being finalized, and with free agency having already begun, Steve Cohen has to hit the ground running. In light of that, here’s a helpful first day to-do list:
1. Have security escort Jeff Wilpon from the building.
2. Officially announce Sandy Alderson re-joining the Mets.
3. Sit down with Brodie Van Wagenen to have him explain trading Jarred Kelenic and making moves to obtain former clients like Jed Lowrie and Michael Wacha.
4. Fire Van Wagenen.
5. Call the agents for Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, and Noah Syndergaard to find out the parameters for a potential extension.
6. Call Indians and ask for initial asking price on Francisco Lindor and what pitchers they’d be willing to trade.
7. Have security do a sweep of the building up ensure Wilpon and Van Wagenen have vacated the premises.
8. Give a big raise to all the scouts and front office personnel who handle the draft.
9. Talk with media about plans going forward and to send message out to fans about this being a new era of competitiveness in all areas and accountability.
10. Order Shake Shack and enjoy a first day well done.
The Cleveland Indians are known to be floating Francisco Lindor, and with this being the Indians, they are looking to probably try to contend while also making any deals. That would make sense given their pitching and their keeping another perennial MVP caliber player in Jose Ramirez.
Still, the Indians want us to believe they are cash strapped and need to move a player like Lindor. Presumably, anyone not named Ramirez or Shane Bieber is available to be traded. If that is the case, the Mets need to push and push hard to get a mega-deal done.
In addition to Lindor, the Indians also have Roberto Perez. He’s a 31 year old catcher who is elite defensively with a still very questionable bat. Perez is a relatively expensive $5.5 million, and he will be a free agent after the season. For a Mets team who needs a starting catcher, Perez would be enticing. He also shouldn’t interfere with the presumed chase for James McCann.
On the pitching front, the Indians have Zach Plesac who was an issue for them in terms of the COVID19 infection. The Indians may be reluctant to move him pre-arbitration, and they should. Still, if there are issues between him and the team, the Mets are in a prime position to grab him.
Looking deeper than Plesac, there are useful bullpen arms like Nick Wittgren and a good fourth outfielder in Delino DeShields. Both players are arbitration eligible and could cost more than the Indians are willing to play them. Depending on a potential deal, the Mets could and should be interested in grabbing them in a potential deal.
In return, well, the Mets have plenty to offer the Indians. Given the glut at first base, the Mets could offer one of Pete Alonso, J.D. Davis, or Dominic Smith. With Davis, the Mets could or should offer both. There is also Brandon Nimmo in the outfield as well as Andres Gimenez, Jeff McNeil, and/or Amed Rosario in the middle infield. Certainly, if you can obtain Perez, the Mets should be willing to move Tomas Nido and/or Ali Sanchez.
If you are going to move from a pool of that Major League talent, thereby freeing up logjams, you can then be in a position to hold onto Francisco Alvarez, Ronny Mauricio, and/or the other Mets top prospects. That said, if the Mets are given a window to extend Lindor, all bets should be off. Looking at Mookie Betts last year, getting a top five player in his prime is a franchise changer, and it could be what the Mets need to get to the World Series.
All told, the Indians have some pieces the Mets desperately need. Between the Mets need to free up their logjams coupled with the Indians purported need to clear payroll and the Mets newfound financial strength, there is real potential here for a mega-deal. Hopefully, the two sides can get together and get it done.
There are far better reasons to choose who you vote for today (or have already voted for) than how it impacts the New York Mets. However, if that’s going to be your shallow and superficial basis, here is something to consider:
1969 – Richard Nixon’s First Term
1973 – Richard Nixon’s Second Term
1986 – Ronald Regan’s Second Term
1988 – Ronald Regan’s Second Term
1999 – Bill Clinton’s Second Term
2000 – Bill Clinton’s Second Term
2006 – George W. Bush’s Second Term
2015 – Barack Obama’s Second Term
2016 – Barack Obama’s Second Term
After the Mets won the 1969 World Series, their subsequent eight postseason appearances came in a president’s second term.
Of course, this is nothing more than an interesting factoid. There’s no real causation between which term the president is serving and the Mets level of success.
Notably, with Steve Cohen now in charge, we can anticipate they’ll make the postseason at least once over the next four years. It won’t matter if President Donald Trump or Vice President Joe Biden wins today.
When you break it down, that’s the only vote that matters to you as Mets fans. That vote by owners approving Steve Cohen is the only vote which is the true harbinger for future Mets success.
So, if you haven’t already, go out and vote. When you vote, please don’t take the Mets success into account. There are far better reasons to choose which candidate you want to lead the country.
It’s been a beef with Mets fans for a while. The Mets now have a rich history, and we want to see that honored. One way we want to see it is Old Timer’s Day.
It’s something the Mets used to have in the early years, but they haven’t had it in the time the Wilpons owned the Mets. Now, according to Steve Cohen himself, that’s going to change.
Darell, No brainer to have Old Times Day , done
— Steven Cohen (@StevenACohen2) November 1, 2020
With that in mind, let’s take a look at what the prospective lineups could look like. This is a completely unscientific sampling utilizing just my opinion on who is popular, who Mets fans want to see back, and who can still play a bit. There are two for each position as there are two teams playing against one another:
MGR Davey Johnson/Bobby Valentine
1B Keith Hernandez/John Olerud
3B Howard Johnson/David Wright
SS Rey Ordonez/Jose Reyes (I don’t want him there, but he’ll be invited)
CF Mookie Wilson/Carlos Beltran
RF Darryl Strawberry/Curtis Granderson
Of course, this is holding a little too true to the positions these players played in their careers. Due to age and the like, they may move around the diamond. That’s more than alright as we just want to see them again.
Of course, some will understandably opt out of have other commitments. To that end, there are plenty of unnamed options like Al Leiter, Todd Pratt, Carlos Delgado, Jeff Kent, Kevin Elster, Robin Ventura, Kevin Elster, Bernard Gilkey, Lance Johnson, and Benny Agbayani.
For that matter, why not bring Bobby Bonilla. The Mets can have fun with it and hold the game on July 1. Before the game, the Mets could have fun with it and give Bonilla a giant check.
If you think about it, that will finally give Bonilla some of the applause he should’ve gotten as a player, and it will finally put to rest the negative narrative around the day.
The game can also feature the racing stripe jerseys and the black jerseys fans seem to love so much. We can also have cameos from Mets greats from the past like Jerry Koosman who may not be able to play.
Overall, that’s exactly what the Cohen Era is presenting. It’s allowing the Mets and their fans to move forward, enjoy the past, and have some fun.
After nearly 20 years of hell with the Wilpons in charge of the Mets, Steve Cohen is now in charge. With daylight savings time, we’re now being gifted an extra hour of competent leadership.
Mets fans, that’s a gift especially since it gives Cohen an extra hour to prepare to spend money on free agents with free agency beginning tomorrow.
At the 2018 trade deadline, the Cleveland Indians sought to bolster their bullpen. They made the bold decision to trade Francisco Mejia, one of the best prospects in the game, for a pair of relievers in Adam Cimber and Brad Hand.
For his part, Hand has been fantastic for the Indians. Since joining his new team, Hand is 8-6 with 58 saves, a 2.78 ERA, 1.121 WHIP, 2.9 BB/9, and a 13.0 K/9. Honestly, you cannot ask for more from a reliever over the course of 2.5 seasons.
In fact, since the date of that trade, Hand leads the majors in saves. By WAR, he’s been the seventh best reliever in all of baseball. By FIP and K/9, he ranks sixth.
Arguably, this makes him the best pure closet in baseball. If not the best, he’s certainly in the top 5-10. All told, Hand has flat out been a GREAT reliever. Each and every MLB team would be lucky to have him, and at a $10 million team option, he’s a relative bargain.
The Indians didn’t see it that way. All they saw was $10 million being too big for their budget. Worse yet, rather than decline his option and buy him out for $1 million, they put him on waivers. As a result, they now don’t even have to pay him that buy out.
This makes waiving Hand a completely dishonest move made completely in bad faith. If they don’t want him, pay the $1 million. That’s what you agreed to do when you took on that contract.
More than this being bad faith, it’s just plain incompetent. Assuredly, the other 29 teams would’ve had interest in Hand. Someone would have opted to make a trade for him.
More than that, for a team looking to also trade Francisco Lindor or really any player making anything more than $1 million, they could’ve included Hand in that deal to maximize their return. Every which way you look at this, there’s no defending this bizarre and just plain dumb decision.
Looking forward, why not wait for Steve Cohen to officially take over the Mets. It’s likely you could’ve received something in return for Hand while still getting the salary relief. Why not see how much he’s willing to spend instead of just now giving him free reign to grab Hand in the off chance he clears waivers?
As an aside, that’s part of the problem with what Mayor Bill De Blasio is pulling. Understandably, with Cohen not yet having full authorization and the previous deal having fallen apart, you can understand why he and the Wilpons are a little gun shy giving the go-ahead on making moves like these.
In any event, the Indians waiving Hand is bad for baseball. Postseason teams don’t get rid of proven closers for no return. That coupled with the Braves declining Darren O’Day‘s option and the Cardinals doing the same with Kolten Wong is a very bad harbinger for the next CBA talks.
In the end, there is nothing good about the Indians waiving Hand. It is a bad faith and incompetent decision. For the Mets and Cohen, you can only hope he’s approved in time to maximize on all the horrendous penny wise-pound foolish decisions MLB teams already seem to be making.
Looking at MLB’s statement on Justin Turner going on the field to celebrate the World Series, it seems like it’s primed to suspend or fine him. Well, based on their previous inactions, MLB has no right to single out Turner here.
The first known break from COVID19 protocols was Carlos Correa. After Joe Kelly threw up and him to him, Correa started a benches clearing incident. The entire altercation was in violation of MLB protocols, and yet Correa was not fined or suspended for his actions.
Perhaps the most egregious example was Don Mattingly and the Miami Marlins. Miami was a hot spot for the pandemic, and the Marlins knew they had teammates test positive. Rather than follow protocols, they held a team vote and decided to play. This shut down the Marlins and Phillies season for a week, and it was nearly catastrophic to the ability to have this truncated 2020 season.
Neither Mattingly nor the players were fined or suspended for their actions.
You can go further than this. The players didn’t wear masks or maintain social distancing in the dugouts. They threw the ball around the horn. Not everyone adhered to the COVID19 protocols. Essentially, following the season, the protocols were merely weak suggestions.
That was readily apparent when Turner was allowed to play in Game 6 of the World Series despite his first having an inconclusive test. Then, after there was a positive test result discovered in the second inning, Turner was allowed to play through the seventh.
That makes no mention of the fact COVID19 test results are supposed to be anonymous. Despite that, it was widely and immediately published Turner had tested positive.
Now, despite MLB not enforcing any protocols and their failing to take any action on the most egregious of violations, they’re going to throw the book at Turner? The very same Turner they let play in the game and enter the ballpark against their own protocols?
That’s completely and utterly ridiculous and purely reactionary. No, MLB lost the opportunity and the right to penalize Turner when they looked the way on each and every violation which happened during the course of the season.