Stearns Goes All In

Last season, David Stearns had a fairly conservative trade deadline. "No blockbuster moves," was how I described it. And who could blame him? While the Mets were tied for the last Wild Card spot, by no means were they a shoo-in for the playoffs. A year after they sold off Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander to restock their farm system, the last thing Steans wanted was to undo all that progress the organization had made for a team that might not be ready to win. So he hedged his bets, opting instead to add a few complimentary pieces.

There was no hedging this time around. The Mets were in first-place going into the trade deadline; their owner, Steve Cohen, coughed up $765 million during the offseason to sign Juan Soto to a 15 year deal; the expectations could not be higher for this team. Stearns knew there were holes that had to be filled, and fill them he did.

The Bullpen was the number one concern. In April, the Mets overall team ERA was 2.68; in May, it was 3.08; from June 1 to June 12, it was 2.60; but from June 13 to July 31, it ballooned to a season-high 4.94. The major reason for this increase was the bullpen. Put succinctly, it's been overworked. With the exception of Edwin Diaz and Reed Garrett (most nights), every reliever showed definite signs of fatigue. It had gotten so bad that every time Carlos Mendoza went to his pen he was playing Russian Roulette, only with six bullets instead of one. Clearly, the situation was untenable. Failure to act would've been tantamount to executive malpractice on Stearns' part.

So he went out and got one very good, and two exceptional arms. Gregory Soto was the first to arrive. A southpaw, Soto's specialty is dominating left-handed hitters, holding them to a .547 OPS. Righties, however, have an OPS of .726 against him, so Mendoza will have to be careful in how he utilizes him. 

Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley are both right-handers and were acquired within hours of each other. Rogers boasts a 1.80 ERA, while Helsley had 21 saves for the St. Louis Cardinals this season. Both pitchers should make ideal set-up men for Edwin Diaz, while Soto will primarily be used in the 6th or 7th innings.

Centerfield was the next concern. Let's face it: if there's a more automatic out in baseball than Tyrone Taylor, I haven't seen him. Initial reports had the Mets acquiring Luis Robert Jr from the Chicago White Sox, but when Chicago's asking price was too high, Stearns shifted gears and landed Cedric Mullins from the Baltimore Orioles. To be honest, Mullins is the better player. Going into last night's game against the Giants, Mullins slash line was 15 / 49 / .229 / .738, while Robert Jr's was 11 / 44 / .213 / .653. 

In Mullins, the Mets have an exceptional outfielder known for his glove and ability to hit the long ball. He will be a vast improvement over Taylor and allow Mendoza to keep Jeff McNeil at Second Base where he belongs. As for the lineup, since Stearns didn't have to part with any players on the roster, it just got longer. The only casualty was Luisangel Acuña, who was sent down to Syracuse to make room for Mullins. His defense and ability to steal bases will be sorely missed. 

The good news is that Stearns was able to add four very valuable pieces at the deadline without sacrificing any top prospects in the organization.  The only bad news was that he wasn't able to land a starter. While not nearly as troublesome as the bullpen, the starting rotation is, nonetheless, becoming a concern for Mendoza. David Peterson is the only starter who's been able to consistently pitch into the 7th inning. Clay Holmes, the converted closer the Mets stole from the Yankees during the offseason, hasn't gotten through the 6th inning since June 7, and lately has struggled to get through five. In his last outing, Frankie Montas was staked to a 5-1 lead going into the 5th inning and couldn't hold it. His ERA is as high as an attendee at a Grateful Dead concert.

It would've been nice to add someone like a Dylan Cease or Joe Ryan or Sandy Alcantra or Merrill Kelly to that rotation, but I suspect the price tag for those starters was more than Stearns was willing to pay. Indeed, it probably would've been more than what he paid for all three relievers. The logical choice was to fortify the bullpen and hope that Mendoza can somehow manage to get five innings out of his starters.

Last year, I gave Stearns a B+. This year, I'm giving him an A. With the exception of A.J. Preller of the San Diego Padres, no executive had a better trade deadline than Stearns. He identified two critical needs on the roster and he addressed both of them. No, he didn't get everything he wanted; spoiler alert: no general manager ever does. But what he did get should be enough for the Mets to win the National League East, and perhaps advance to their first World Series in ten years.

Lofty goals, to be sure, but as I wrote above, the expectations for this team could not be higher.

For the Mets It's Déjà Vu All Over Again

The New York Mets embark on what will be the most crucial part of their season over the next ten games, which coincidentally happens to be their last ten games of the regular season when they begin a four-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies at CifiField Thursday night. Whether there's a postseason, however, remains to be seen.

The Mets - 84-68 - are tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the second Wild Card in the National League, two games ahead of the Atlanta Braves. They have control of their own destiny. If that sounds familiar, it should. Two years ago, almost to the day in fact, the Mets found themselves in the exact same position. They were two games up on the Braves for first place in the NL East, needing to win just one of three games in Atlanta to wrap up the division. But the Braves swept the Amazins and they were forced to settle for the first Wild Card spot. They then went on to lose to the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card round.

The experience left a bitter taste in their mouths. They knew to a man they were the better team, but the Braves were better when it counted: down the stretch; the Mets folded like a bad poker hand.

Well, here we are two years later. Once again the Mets have their fate in their own hands. Four games against the Phillies, three against the Braves, and three against the Milwaukee Brewers. For what it's worth, this is a much better team than the one that collapsed late in the 2022 season. Both their starting pitching and bullpen (yes, THIS bullpen) are deep, and they are among the best scoring teams in the league. Since June 1, the Mets are 60-35, the best record in the majors. The Houston Astros are next at 57-37. If this team were to make it into the postseason, they would be very difficult to beat.

But that's the catch: they have to get in first. It won't be easy. The Phillies are battling the Los Angeles Dodgers for the overall best record in the National League, which would earn them a bye in the first round. As for the Braves, well, let's just say that the Mets don't have a good track record against them. The last time they bested them in a meaningful series was 1969. They will be battling a lot of past demons when they play them next week in Atlanta.

Regardless of how these next ten games go, David Stearns deserves a lot of credit for not panicking at the trade deadline. The moves he did make made sense and helped solidify the team. By not mortgaging the future, like his predecessor did, he held onto his young players. One of them, Luisangel Acuna, was called up to replace the injured Francisco Lindor. To say he's hit the ground running would be an understatement. He's hitting .467 with 2 HRS, 4RBIs and an OPS of 1.400 in just five games. 

Acuna was the gem the Mets got in the Max Scherzer deal. While Scherzer has been injured most of this season, Acuna had an impressive season at Triple A Syracuse. This kid is going to be a star. Can you see him playing alongside Lindor in the Mets infield? How many owners do you suppose would be willing to eat $88 million just to restock their prospect pool? Steve Cohen also deserves a lot of credit for this turnaround.

For now, though, the Mets future is now. Luis Severino goes up against Taijuan Walker of the Phillies. Severino has been the Mets most consistent pitcher all season long, while Walker - an ex-Met - has struggled. It is vital the Amazins get off to a good start against this Phillies team. A week ago, they dropped two of three in Philadelphia. They would like to exact some payback.

They can start tonight. 

Stearns Did the Right Thing At the Deadline

There were no blockbuster moves for the New York Mets at this year's trade deadline. No, "Oh that's the final piece we needed to put us over the top" pronouncements from the Twitterverse. The fact is there wasn't one player David Stearns acquired that would be described as a needle mover. 

And yet, when you look at the totality of what Stearns accomplished, it was actually quite impressive. Without surrendering a single top 20 prospect in his system, he acquired a proven bat in Jesse Winker, a serviceable starter in Paul Blackburn, and badly needed bullpen help in the form of Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek, Huascar Brazoban and Tyler Zuber. Stanek was a member of the 2022 World Series champion Houston Astros but has struggled of late; Maton and Brazoban had not allowed a run in their last 5 appearances prior to their trade; while Zuber has bounced around and is looking for a home.

Overall, I'd give Stearns a B+. Yes, I realize the Mets are in the middle of a playoff race. Currently, they're tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks for the third and final Wild Card spot. The Flushing Faithful have been very patient with Steve Cohen, but there's a limit to anyone's patience. For a franchise that hasn't won a title since 1986, you can hardly blame the fanbase for being frustrated at the seeming lack of urgency at the deadline.

But here's the thing that most people need to remember. With the exception of Tanner Scott, whom the San Diego Padres sacrificed a lot to get, I didn't see a single reliever on the market that would've magically transformed a bullpen that, sans Edwin Diaz and Jose Butto, has been very inconsistent, to say the least. Face it, every team in contention was looking for pitching. It was a sellers market. Stearns would've been a fool to allow himself to get extorted the way the Padres did.

If 2022 taught us anything, it's that even in baseball, there are no shortcuts. The Mets thought they could buy a World Series. It blew up in their face, and Cohen had to fork over a king's ransom to get Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer off his payroll. Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. 

I said it before and I'll say it again, I like where this team is headed. They're exciting to watch. Winker will add depth to a lineup that has, with a few rare exceptions, been smacking the hell out of the ball. The additional arms hopefully will stabilizing a bullpen that could use all the help it can get.

But basically, to quote the Dramatics, whatcha see is whatcha get. The Mets were already a playoff contender before the trade deadline; and now they're a slightly better playoff contender. It comes down to the athletes in that dugout.

In the end, it always does.

David Stearns' To-Do List

Well, it's over.

The season from hell that started with such high expectations finally came to a merciless end Sunday in typical fashion: with a failure to get a timely hit and an overtaxed bullpen imploding. A team that won 101 games last year and went to the playoffs, limped to the finish line with a measly 75 wins this year. Disappointing doesn't begin to describe it.

And now with the formal introduction of David Stearns as President of Baseball Operations, the Mets most consequential offseason in over a decade begins. Stearns comes with an impressive resume. In his eight years running the Milwaukee Brewers, they made the postseason five times including this year. He will have his work cut out for him here.

At the risk of being presumptuous, I've whittled Stearns' to-do list down to a precious five.

The Manager: The news that Buck Showalter would not be returning next season should come as no surprise to anyone who was paying attention. While Buck was certainly not to blame for the injuries to Edwin Diaz and Starling Marte, or the less than stellar performance of Max Scherzer, some of his moves this season were puzzling, to say the least.

One game in particular stands out. It was against the Rockies in Colorado in late May when the Mets were still in contention. Buck elected to start Marte in centerfield even though he hadn't played there in two years and he was clearly hobbled by a nagging groin injury. When he was unable to catch up to a line drive in the bottom of the 4th inning, three runs scored. The following inning Buck allowed Stephen Nogosek to get smacked around with no one warming up in the bullpen. The Rockies scored five runs in that inning and went on to win 11-10.

Now that Buck is gone, Stearns and G.M. Billy Eppler will be tasked with finding a replacement who can effectively and more consistently manage this team. The obvious choice is Craig Counsell who has piloted the Brewers since 2015, when he replaced Ron Roenicke. In 2018, he took the Brewers to the NLCS, where they lost to the Dodgers in seven games. He has a record of 707-625, and the fact that he worked for Stearns should give him a leg up on the competition.

Pete Alonso: Stearns made it clear in his press conference that he has no intentions of trading the first baseman during the offseason, saying "I expect Pete to be the opening day first baseman." That is certainly welcomed news for a fanbase that hasn't had much to cheer about lately. And by lately, I mean eight years.

But saying you're not going to trade Alonso is one thing; actually signing him to a long-term deal that will keep him in Flushing is quite another. While no one knows exactly where the negotiations left off between Steve Cohen and Alonso's agent, we can assume the sticking point was term. Alonso would obviously like a long-term contract; the Mets would probably prefer a shorter term.

Given that Cohen was willing to give Carlos Correa $315 million over 12 years, it's going to be pretty difficult playing hard ball with a homegrown guy who, as I pointed out in August, might well finish his career with 700 plus home runs. If I had to guess, I'd say both sides settle on 9 years and $300 million. That would put Alonso just behind Francisco Lindor's $34 million annual salary.

The Starting Rotation: The "dynamic duo" of Scherzer and Justin Verlander - at $43 million a piece - was a case study in how not to build a starting rotation. The former never fully recovered from a torn oblique he suffered last season; the latter missed the first month of this season. Eppler was able to get the return he did because Cohen was willing to eat more than $80 million in salary owed both pitchers. It's fair to say the owner would prefer not to do that again.

The Mets have shown interest in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the Japanese ace scouts think could be better than Kodai Senga, who turned out to be one of the best pitchers in baseball this season. A starting rotation featuring these two pitchers would be a formidable one-two punch.

But even with Yamamoto and Senga, the Mets still have questions. Like who's going to be the third, fourth and fifth starter? Tylor Megill had a good second half, so perhaps he could compete for the third or fourth spot. Beyond that it's anyone's guess what Stearns will do.

The Bullpen: It cannot be overstated what losing Diaz for the season did to a bullpen that was already thin to begin with. Getting him back next season will be a huge relief, no pun intended.

But like the starting rotation, the pen has plenty of holes that Stearns will have to fill. Does he bring back David Robertson as a setup man? Does he trade for Diaz's younger brother Alexis, who had 37 saves for the Cincinnati Reds this season and is arbitration eligible, to give the Mets a dual closer threat?

The Kids: One of the few bright spots this season has been the emergence of catcher Francisco Alvarez as a genuine talent behind the plate and the development of infielders Brett Baty, Mark Vientos and Ronny Mauricio. Alvarez looks like the real deal. The rookie hit 25 homers and drove in 63 runs. But while the infielders showed promise, they are still works in progress. Stearns may elect to keep all three or he could dangle one or more as trade bait if he believes he can get a proven outfielder, infielder or pitcher in return.

The good news is the Mets finally have their front office in place. Now it's up to them to build a championship team.

Reality Hits Home in Flushing

In February of 2018, then New York Rangers' GM Jeff Gorton sent out a letter to the fanbase informing them that the current core had gone as far as it could go and that the team was going to be sellers at the trade deadline. True to his word, the Blueshirts had a selloff that would make Charlie Finley proud.

But while Gorton may have turned over the roster, he didn't tear it down all the way to the wall studs and floor joist the way some GMs do. He kept some players around like Mika Zibanejad, Chris Kreider, Ryan Strome, Pavel Buchnevich, and Henrik Lundqvist. The following year he traded for Jacob Trouba and Adam Fox, and in the offseason he signed Artemi Planarian. In short, by opting to do a retool instead of a classic rebuild, Gorton shortened the period of time the Rangers missed the playoffs by as much as two years.

GM Billy Eppler did not send a letter to the fanbase indicating the Mets were going to be sellers at this year's trade deadline. He didn't need to. It was obvious to all but the most incurable optimists that the Amazins were not a playoff team, especially after a brutal 7-19 June. The only question was how big of a selloff were we going to see?

Like Gorton five years earlier, Eppler did not gut the team. Indeed, of the five players the Mets shipped out, three were free agents after this season, one was a free agent after '24 and another had an option for '25. If anything, the Mets are in better shape now than the Rangers were after their selloff in '18.

Not that you'd be able to convince the Flushing Faithful of that. To listen to some of them, you'd think Eppler broke up the 1927 Yankees. Whatever your feelings about Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, David Robertson, Mark Canha and Tommy Pham, they were not Waite Hoyt, Herb Pennock, Wilcy Moore, Tony Lazzeri and Bob Meusel. Anymore than Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor are Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig. 

Far from being a contender, the Mets were a flawed team the moment they left Port St. Lucie in March. Their pitching was inconsistent, as was their hitting and defense. At no point during the season did they give any indication they were capable of going on a sustained run. Just the opposite, in fact. Games they found a way to win last year, they lost this year. The resiliency that defined them all throughout 2022, alluded them in '23.

Scherzer, in particular, was never the same pitcher after his oblique injury last year. He was hit hard down the stretch, including a late-season game against the Braves and a game one shellacking against the Padres in the postseason, where he gave up four homers and seven earned runs. This year in 100 innings pitched he's given up 23 home runs, tied for 7th most in the majors. And what does it say about this team when the most consistent hitter in the lineup -  Pham - was brought in to provide depth.

All Eppler did by acknowledging the painful truth was cut his losses. His deadline moves restocked a badly depleted pipeline with some top-level prospects, two of which could conceivably make the team as early as next season. In less than a week, he transformed one of the thinest farm systems in major league baseball into one of the deepest. I've been a critic of Eppler since his arrival from Anaheim two years ago. Suffice to say, he's converted me.

But while Eppler deserves a lot of credit, it was Steve Cohen's checkbook that made it possible for the Mets to wind up with the likes of Luisangel Acuña, Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford. All tolled, Cohen swallowed some $88 million in salary to facilitate the Scherzer and Verlander trades. To paraphrase a line out of the Mel Brooks movie History of the World, Part One, "It's good to be rich."

And it is that very checkbook that makes me think 2024 won't be a lost season for the Mets, regardless of what Eppler may or may not have said to Scherzer. Somehow I can't imagine someone as competitive as Cohen not being active in the free agent market. Yes, it's unlikely that Shohei Ohtani will want to move all the way to the east coast, but that doesn't mean that there won't be other pitchers and / or hitters out there that Cohen will be able to entice with his millions. The allure of playing in New York does have its appeal.

The fact is, pitching aside, the Mets still have a formidable lineup, capable of scoring runs. It is not inconceivable that Alonso, Lindor and Francisco Alvarez could all finish with 30 or more home runs this year. With the return of a healthy Edwin Diaz and a revamped starting rotation, this team could contend for a wild card in 2024. This isn't the NFL or NHL where rebuilds can take years. If Eppler and Cohen play their cards right, Mets fans might have something to cheer about by '25.

The bottom line is Eppler and Cohen did what they had to do. There was no other option. Sometimes, in order to take two steps forward, you have to take one step back. 

Mets Should Be Sellers at the Trade Deadline

In a way it was probably a good thing the Mets dropped their last two games before the All-Star Break. The six-game winning streak they had in which they swept the Arizona Diamondbacks, while clearly the best and most exciting baseball they had played in over a month, masked the underlying problems that have beset them all season long. Despite having the highest payroll in baseball, the Mets are a deeply flawed team that, in retrospect, were never really a playoff contender.

And that is why Steve Cohen needs to cut his losses at the trade deadline instead of throwing more good money after bad. Yes, it'll signal to the fanbase that for all intents and purposes the season is over. But let's be honest for a moment: the season was over after the Mets went 7-19 in June. Even with their mini-win streak in July, the Mets failed to gain any ground in the standings. Fans who are still hopeful don't put their tickets on StubHub for $11.

Let's face it: This isn't 1973, when the Amazins took advantage of a weak National League East to sneak into the playoffs. The Braves, Phillies and Marlins are all having excellent seasons and show no signs of easing up. And even if by some miracle all three manage to collapse, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga are no Tom Seaver, Jerry Kooseman and Jon Matlack, though Senga certainly has the ability to be a star in this league. And while David Robertson has done a yeoman's job filling in for Edwin Diaz, he's no Tug McGraw either. 

To quote Bill Parcels, you are what your record says you are. And with a record of 42-48, the Mets are a 4th place team, seven games out of a wild card spot with four teams ahead of them. Only an incurable optimist would look at this situation and see a path forward to a postseason berth. 

No, the question isn't whether the Mets should be sellers at the deadline, but to what extent they should clean house. Obviously, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso aren't going anywhere. Neither are Brandon Nimmo, Senga, Francisco Alvarez, Brett Baty and Jeff McNeil. The rest, however, should be up for grabs.

But putting up a for sale sign is one thing; getting a buyer is quite another. Ultimately, everything will hinge on how much money Cohen is willing to eat on his higher priced players. At $43 million a piece, Scherzer and Verlander won't have many suitors. Anything less than 50 percent retention will likely be a non-starter, even for teams with deep pockets like the Dodgers and Yankees. 

As for the haul, as the saying goes, beggars can't afford to be choosy. Tommy Pham may fetch a decent return - perhaps a high end prospect - but players like Starling Marte, Mark Canha, Carlos Carrasco and, well, let's face it, most of the rest, will likely be salary dumps, pure and simple. That's what you get for thinking you can buy a World Series. Cohen may fancy himself a modern day George Steinbrenner, sans the impulsiveness and anger issues, but unfortunately for him, while the Boss had Gabe Paul and Gene Michael as GMs, Cohen has Billy Eppler. I've written ad nauseam about Eppler's deficiencies as an executive. Suffice to say, so long as he is in charge of the Mets front office, Cohen can spend a billion dollars and this franchise will still underachieve.

But that's another story for another time. For now, first things first. The Mets need to sell off what they can, and, as their fans have grown accustomed to hearing, come back and try again next season.

What Planet Is Steve Cohen Living On?

Before I go any further, I want to get a couple things straight: 

First, I am grateful that Steve Cohen is the owner of the New York Mets and not Mutt and Jeff, AKA: Fred and Jeff Wilpon. Their stewardship of this franchise, particularly over the last few years, drove it into the proverbial ground. Cohen has, if nothing else, shown a willingness to invest money, much to the delight of millions of beleaguered fans.

Second, I am also grateful that he isn't "impulsive," like a certain ex-Yankees owner was during the 1970s and '80s. Another George Steinbrenner ranting and raving over Twitter, however gratifying that might've been to some, isn't going to solve the myriad problems besetting this team. And let's not kid ourselves: to call this team flawed would be like calling the Titanic leaky.

But as I was listening to Cohen during his press conference on Wednesday, two things immediately struck me: 1. If he truly believes he was "lucky" to have found Billy Eppler, then he isn't the genius we think he is; and 2. If the above is true, Mets fans are fucked for the foreseeable future.

It is incompressible to me how anyone could objectively look at Eppler's track record and consider themselves lucky to have him running the show. In his five years running the Los Angeles Angels, Billy Boy did not have a single winning season, a fact I brought out after the Max Scherzer signing.

His trade deadline moves last season, for the most part, turned out to be busts. Darin Ruf, Tyler Naquin and Mychal Givens contributed virtually nothing to the Mets down the stretch. Meanwhile, J.D. Davis, who was traded for Ruf, is batting .286 with 10 home runs and 44 RBIs for the San Francisco Giants this season. Imagine him playing 3rd base instead of Brett Baty, who, let's admit it, probably needed another year at Syracuse.

But his offseason decisions were even more bewildering. Chris Bassitt, who won 15 games last year for the Amazins, was allowed to walk and is currently 8-5 for the Blue Jays. Taijuan Walker, who went 12-5 last year, is now 9-3 with the Phillies. Meanwhile, their replacements, Tylor Megill (6-4, 5.17) and David Peterson (2-6, 7.00), are stinking up the joint. Between the starters who can't go more than five innings, and the bullpen that can't get crucial outs, the Mets have the 7th worst team ERA in all of baseball. If this is Cohen's idea of being lucky, Miriam Webster needs to redefine the word.

Yes, Cohen is technically correct when he says it's on the players, especially Scherzer, Justin Verlander - who's been a major disappointment this season - and Starling Marte, who twice Thursday night came up with the bases loaded and grounded into an inning-ending double play in the 7th and struck out in the 9th to end the game. But who is responsible for the players that are on the roster? You can't blame the Wilpons for everything, Steve.

But as bad as Eppler has been in the front office, his aren't the only finger prints on this train wreck of a season. Buck Showalter, who in 31 years as a manager has yet to win a playoff series, is doing his best Casey Stengel impersonation in the dugout. His stubbornness with respect to the lineup and his handling of the bullpen have proven costly. Below are just a few of his more puzzling moments.

• Daniel Vogelbach, despite batting .216, is still the preferred DH. 
• Rather than use his closers in back to back games, he sent a middle reliever in to protect a three-run lead in the 8th inning against Philly. The Phillies scored four runs and won the game.
• In a game in Colorado, Showalter started Marte in centerfield, despite Marte not playing there in two years. When he couldn't catch up with a drive to deep left-center in the 4th inning, the Rockies scored three runs. The following inning, he let Stephen Nogosek get pounded for five runs with no one warming up in the bullpen. Colorado held on to win the game 11-10.
• Thursday night, Buck pulled Baty for a pinch hitter against a left-hander, even though Baty has a higher batting average against lefties and had hit a solo home run earlier in the game.

There are more gems out there, but you get the picture. The point is, this hasn't been Buck's finest hour. By covering for him, as Cohen did, he is all but guaranteeing a lost season. Mets fans deserve better than a white wash here. Showalter's performance is fair game, as is Eppler's.

It is entirely possible Cohen knows his GM and manager are not performing up to expectations; he may even have considered firing both, but hesitated because he feared he wouldn't be able to find suitable replacements. It is no secret that Major League Baseball is no fan of the billionaire and his spending sprees. The fact that it has taken him this long to find a president of baseball operations is a case in point.

But even if Cohen's hands are tied, he still could've been more forceful in his critique of his management. Throwing the Wilpon's under the bus and giving the old "we gotta play better" pep talk isn't gonna cut it for a fanbase that hasn't had a championship since 1986. They're not looking for a temper tantrum; just an acknowledgment that this shit show isn't going to be tolerated.

The Mets have the highest payroll in the history of baseball, and while Cohen's pockets are certainly deep enough to cover whatever losses he might sustain, the same can't be said for the thousands of people who game in and game out fork over a hundred bucks or more per ticket to see a team that at the start of the season was projected to make the playoffs, and is now on target to finish 72-90.

Memo To Steve Cohen: Houston We Have A Problem

With one third of the season already in the books, the New York Mets are 27-27, in third place in the National League East, five games behind the first place Atlanta Braves. After going 2-4 on the road against the Chicago Cubs and Colorado Rockies - two teams nobody expected to be contenders  - the Amazins limp home to CitiField to begin a three-game series against another underperforming team, the Philadelphia Phillies, on Tuesday.

I know what you're thinking. $364 million oughta get you more than a .500 record after 54 games. Steve Cohen should get a refund. This was not how the script was written back in April, I can assure you. Yes, there were some concerns going into the season - like the back end of the bullpen - but surely not this many. Apart from Brandon Nimmo, Pete Alonso - who's on pace to hit 60 home runs this season - and Francisco Alvarez - who smacked his 8th home run of the season Sunday, and is making a case for rookie of the year, there isn't one player on this team that is pulling his weight.

Let's start with the top dogs in order of disappointment. 

Justin Verlander: The ex-Astro and three-time Cy Young award winner was supposed to be the ace of this staff. As of this writing, he is 2-2 with a 4.80 ERA. The only reason he didn't lose his last start was because the Mets bailed him out by scoring six runs. For the $43 million Cohen is paying him, this guy should be much better than he is.

Mark Canha / Tommy Pham: If you combined both these players' stats, you still wouldn't have an everyday left fielder, that's how bad they've been this season. Despite going 3-4 with 4 RBIs Sunday at Colorado, Pham has been, by far, the worst of this uninspiring duo. About the only redeeming quality he has going for him is that he's only costing Cohen $5 million this season, which for baseball players is practically minimum wage these days. It's unfathomable that Billy Eppler couldn't find a legitimate left fielder.

Daniel Vogelbach: Frankly, I'm at a loss to explain how a DH who's batting a paltry .223 with only 2 home runs and 13 RBIs is still in this lineup. The Mets would be better off letting their pitchers hit. Just Imagine what Shohei Ohtani would do in this lineup?

Buck Showalter: While Buck may have been dealt a bad hand courtesy of a putrid bullpen and a starting rotation that has struggled to get out of the 4th inning, he has made some bewildering moves this season. Two of them occurred Sunday. The first was when he elected to start Starling Marte in center field over Nimmo, despite Marte not playing there in two years. It backfired when Marte was unable to catch a line drive to deep left center that led to the Rockies scoring three runs in the bottom of the 4th. He then outdid himself by allowing Stephen Nogosek to get smacked around in the bottom of the 5th without anyone up in the bullpen. The Rockies scored five runs in the inning. That's eight runs in a game the Mets lost 11-10.

Francisco Lindor: Ironically, Lindor is on pace to finish the season with 27 home runs and 117 RBIs. Yet the all-star, gold glove shortstop has been very inconsistent at the plate, batting only .225 with an on-base-percentage of .295 and a team-leading 53 strikeouts. He needs to get back to what he was last season when he batted .270, with an OBP of .339, 26 homers with 107 RBIs. That's the player the Mets were expecting when they signed him to a 10 year $341 million contract.

The Bullpen: Going into the season, the main concern for the Mets was finding someone to replace Edwin Diaz as the closer. While David Robertson has filled in admirably, the rest of this group consists mainly of mop up guys and throwaways from other teams. Another Eppler epic fail.

Max Scherzer: The other $43 million man, Scherzer hasn't been nearly as bad as Verlander, but he's hardly been lights out. The Mets can ill afford to have either of these two starters be anything other than elite.

Tylor Megill: In six starts this season, Megill has gone more than five innings twice. In his last start, he was staked to a 6-2 lead but couldn't hold it. This is Megill's third season with the Mets and he has yet to establish himself as a reliable starter.

The good news is there are 108 games left in the season. No team wins the pennant in May. As bad as the Mets have played, they're only one game out of a wild card spot. The infusion of talent from Syracuse is already making a difference. Brett Baty has supplanted Eduardo Escobar at 3rd base, Alvarez is now the everyday catcher, and Mark Vientos is finally getting a shot at DH.

But it's going to take more than a just few kids to turn things around. The Mets need length out of their starters. They're 13-0 when they go at least six innings. 13 games out of 54 is not gonna cut it. No team can win putting that kind of strain on its bullpen, especially this team with this bullpen.

Both Eppler and Showalter need to step it up, as well. The former needs to fix this bullpen and the latter needs to stop being so stubborn with the lineup. If a player isn't performing up to expectations, he needs to be benched in favor of a player with the hot hand. The Rangers fired Gerard Gallant for basically doing the same thing Buck has been doing all season long. And while Cohen is a patient man, there's a limit to his patience, especially when he's dropping $364 million.

Bottom line: it's still early, but early has a nasty habit of getting late pretty quick.

Play Ball!

Even if you don't think baseball is America's national pastime, you gotta admit there is something special about the start of the season that brings out the optimist in all of us.

Unless you're a Mets fan. For the Flushing faithful, optimism, to paraphrase the late, great John Prine, is a word we seldom use. That's because the boys in the blue and orange, with a few noteworthy exceptions, typically crush our hopes by mid June.

That is until last year. In 2022, the Mets were one of the best teams in all of baseball. And had it not been for a rough patch in September, where they lost some games they probably should've won, they would've run away with the National League East.

As a team, the Mets were second in batting average at .259; sixth in RBIs with 735; seventh in ERA at 3.57; second in fewest errors committed with 67; and tied for third with the Atlanta Braves with 101 wins.

Individually, Pete Alonso tied Mike Trout of the L.A. Angels for third in HRs with 40, and tied Joe Judge of the Yankees for most RBIs with 131; Jeff McNeil led the majors with a .326 batting average; and Buck Showalter was named NL manager of the year.

But as they used to say in Manhattan years ago, that and a subway token will get you a ride on the 7th Avenue Express. 2023 is a brand new year, with brand new expectations. And as good as the Mets were last season, none of that will matter in the slightest if they struggle out of the gate this season.

So how good is this team? Losing Edwin Diaz is huge, I won't lie. Next to Alonso and Francisco Lindor, Diaz was the most valuable Met last year. He was about as automatic as they come among closers. His 32 saves and 1.31 ERA will be next to impossible to replace. Look for Jeremy Hefner to lean on David Robertson, who had 20 saves and a 2.70 ERA last year for the Chicago Cubs and Philadelphia Phillies, to pick up some of the slack. If he isn't up to the task, the Mets might have to look outside the organization. 

As for the starters, Jose Quintana being out until mid July shouldn't be that big of a deal. That's because starting pitching is one of the few areas on this club that has enough depth to withstand an injury. David Peterson can hold down the fort until Quintana returns. With Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander - Jacob deGrom's replacement - Kodai Senga - signed during the offseason - and Carlos Carrasco, the Mets have arguably the best - if somewhat top heavy - rotation in the National League.

If there is any concern - other than the bullpen - it is the bottom half of the batting order. Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte, Lindor, Alonso and McNeil form one of the better 1 thru 5's in baseball. It's 6 thru 9 that's the problem. Daniel Vogelbach is an adequate DH who can't hit lefties. Mark Canha is a good left fielder who had an inconsistent year at the plate. And while Eduardo Escobar is a solid third baseman who hit .321 over his last 30 games, there's no guarantee he can replicate that over a full season.

Now you know why Steve Cohen wanted Carlos Correa. His .291 batting average and 22 homers would've made this lineup a lot more potent, as well as solidified the infield. When the deal to sign him fell through, Billy Eppler was never able to locate that extra bat. That failure could prove costly.

The Mets may have the highest payroll in the major leagues at $340 million, but what most people don't understand is that a good chuck of that payroll went to re-sign players who otherwise might've left or to sign players that replaced the ones who did. The fact is, even before the Diaz injury, this team, on paper, was only marginally better than last year's wild card team. With Diaz out for the season, there's no telling where they may finish.

The optimist in me would like to think they'll find a way; the realist in me has been burned too many times.

Prediction: 90-72, good for third place in the NL East, and the third wild card.

Cohen Made the Correct Call on deGrom

In the end, it didn't come down to the dollars but the term. The Mets had a three-year, $120 million offer on the table to keep Jacob deGrom in Queens. That's $40 million per season. That wasn't good enough. So the two-time Cy Young award winner bolted and signed a five-year, $185 million deal with the Texas Rangers last week. At $37 million per season, deGrom traded $3 million in annual salary for an extra two years of job security.

It was a deal Steve Cohen had no choice but to reject. To commit five years to a pitcher who over the last two seasons started a grand total of 26 games and had only two more innings pitched last season than team closer Edwin Diaz would've been insane. The fact that they were willing to go as high as three years is proof that they were serious about retaining deGrom. 

And while I don't begrudge any professional athlete for getting the most money they can, my gut tells me that this is a move deGrom will come to regret, and probably sooner rather than later. The Rangers were one of the worst teams in baseball last season, and even if the righty regains his Cy Young dominance, the prospects of Texas making the postseason next year or any year in the future are remote at best, especially in a division that already has the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners.

So where does this leave the Mets? Fortunately, we didn't have long to wait for an answer. Monday, they replaced deGrom by signing three-time Cy Young award winner Justin Verlander to a two-year $86.6 million contract. A little more than Cohen probably wanted to fork over, but given the circumstances, necessary. Last season, Verlander went 18-4 with a 1.75 ERA for the World Series winning Astros. In 175 innings pitched, he surrendered only 116 hits while striking out 185.

If there's one concern I have here, it's the age at the top of the starting rotation. Verlander will be 40 by the time he takes the mound for the Amazins next season. When paired with 39 year old Max Scherzer, the Mets will have the oldest one-two punch in the big leagues. And given how Scherzer began to break down near the end of the season, Cohen is taking a huge risk here.

Another concern I have is the amount of money being doled out to Verlander and Scherzer. Last season, the Mets had a MLB high team payroll of $251 million. With the Diaz extension, the possible return of Brandon Nimmo, and new contracts for arbitration eligible Pete Alonso and Jeff McNeil, that payroll will likely swell to $280 million, of which Verlander and Scherzer will command $86.6 million. That's a lot of up front Benjamin Franklins for a team that still needs a third starter and has a lack of depth in the bullpen. The reason the Astros won the World Series last season was because they had the best and deepest pen in baseball. If Billy Eppler doesn't address this sore spot, the Mets will go out early again in 2023.

But for now, at least, Cohen did what he had to do. He replaced an ace with an ace, albeit, one who's six years older. And he has shown the Mets faithful that he is no Jeff Wilpon. He's willing to spend whatever it takes to make sure this team is a contender. 

Good for him.

Mets Go Out with a Whimper

Some postmortems take longer than others to write. This one took five days. The New York Mets season came to a crashing end Sunday night at the hands of the San Diego Padres at CitiField. They didn't just lose the Wild Card round, they were humbled.

The team with the highest payroll in major league baseball was held to exactly one hit and one walk en route to a 6-0 game three drubbing. And while their bats were stymied, their supposed vaunted starting pitching was lit up like a pinball machine in two of the three games. Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt surrendered a combined 10 earned runs in 8 and 2/3 innings pitched. Scherzer's performance was particularly brutal, given the $43 million annual salary the Mets are paying him. All seven of the earned runs he allowed came via the long ball. He looked like he was throwing batting practice out there.

There's no way to sugar coat what happened. This was an epic fail, pure and simple. Yes, the Mets won 101 games, but their flaws were apparent pretty much all season long. You would've had to be blind not to see them. Inconsistent hitting and a bullpen that, sans Edwin Diaz and Adam Ottavino, was unreliable most nights. Why else do you suppose Buck Showalter brought in Diaz in the 7th inning of game two with a one-run lead? He literally had no one else he could count on.

As I wrote earlier, this is all on Billy Eppler. The GM knew there were holes in both the lineup and bullpen and yet, at the trade deadline, he acquired players who did little more than patch them up. Daniel Vogelbach was the cream of the crop, batting .255 with 6 home runs and 25 RBIs over 55 games, but was virtually useless against lefties. Tyler Naquin was supposed to provide Showlater with badly needed outfield depth, but batted .203 with 4 homers and 13 RBIs in 49 games. Not to be outdone, Darin Ruf literally brought up the rear, batting a putrid .152 with zero HRs and only 7 RBIs in 28 games. For the beleaguered bullpen, Eppler's sole acquisition, Mychal Givens, never got untracked. In 19 appearances, he gave up 24 hits, 6 walks and had an ERA of 4.79. 

So, where does Eppler go from here?

Well, for starters, he has some decisions to make about what to do with several of his own free agents. Even though the Mets had the highest payroll in baseball, it will undoubtedly need go up. How much will depend on who they keep and who they let walk. Let's take them in order.

Jacob deGrom: The two-time Cy-Young award winner missed the second half of last season and the first half of this one. He made $33.5 million in 2022 and was set to make $30.5 in 2023, but elected to opt out of his contract. How high Steve Cohen will go to retain the most popular pitcher the franchise has had since Tom Seaver remains to be seen.

Edwin Diaz: The best closer in baseball made $10.2 million this season and will command a very hefty pay raise over the winter. Cohen must not let him skip town, even if it means overpaying.

Brandon Nimmo: The center fielder was a reliable leadoff hitter this season and has outstanding range. He made only $7 million so Eppler should be able to re-sign him for a manageable number.

Then there are the players who are arbitration eligible.

Pete Alonso: The popular first baseman tied Aaron Judge for the most RBIs in the majors at 131 and made a paltry $7.4 million. Figure around $15 million for 2023 gets it done.

Jeff McNeil: The National League batting champ made only $3 million and, like Alonso, will see his salary double.

Now for the players under contract who are owed increases.

Chris Bassitt: Overall, Bassitt had a good year, but wilted in his last two starts against the Braves and Padres respectively. He made $8.65 million this season and is due to make $19 million in 2023. Eppler could include him in a package for Shohei Ohtani over the winter.

Starling Marte: At $14.5 million, Marte was one of the better signings the Mets have made in quite some time. Even at the $19.5 million he is due to make next season, he is still a good value. I doubt Eppler will move him.

Carlos Carrasco: At best, Carrasco is a fourth starter whose salary will increase from $12 million to $14 million. There are cheaper options out there that Eppler can and must explore over the offseason.

If the Mets can work out a deal for Ohtani, it would behoove them to do so. Ohtani kills two birds with one stone. He gives the Mets a solid power hitter who could smack 35 plus home runs per season and who makes the lineup deeper and less vulnerable to the types of ups and downs that plagued it throughout the season. As solid a season as Alonso had, there were too many times he struggled at the plate. Having Ohtani batting fifth behind him would force pitchers to throw him more strikes.

As a pitcher, Ohtani went 15-9 with 219 strikeouts in 166 innings pitched and a 2.33 ERA on a really bad Angels team. Imagine what he could do on a winning team. He just signed a $30 million contract extension for 2023, so if the Mets do acquire him, they would have to move out some contracts. That's why I think it's very possible that deGrom has pitched his last game as a Met. The money he would command could easily go to Ohtani.

But if there's one thing Eppler must do, it's fix the bullpen. A team with championship aspirations cannot let the likes of Tyler Megill (5.13), Trevor May (5.04) and Joley Rodriguez (4.47) take the mound next season. Showalter desperately needs relievers he can rely on. Just look at the job the Cleveland Guardians pen has done. In four postseason games, it hasn't allowed an earned run.

Bottom line, the way the Mets went out with a whimper will stick in the craw of the fans, as it should. If Cohen is serious about his commitment to make this team a legitimate contender, he needs to prove it. It is simply unacceptable for this franchise to have only two World Series championships in 60 years.

So Much for Control

No, the season did not come to an end Sunday night in Atlanta. The Mets clinched the playoffs two weeks ago in Milwaukee, so there will be at least two postseason games at CitiField after the conclusion of the regular season Wednesday night against the Nationals.

What did come to an end Sunday night is the illusion that this resilient team, which had turned so many heads this season, is a genuine threat to win the World Series.

Let there be no ambiguity about what happened here. The Mets rolled out their top three starters and the Braves treated them like they were rookie league pitchers. Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt collectively surrendered 17 hits and 11 earned runs in 14 and a third innings pitched for a combined 6.91 ERA. For a team built on starting pitching, that's about as ugly as it gets.

And while Seaver, Koosman and Matlock were getting their bells rung by the likes of Dansby Swanson and Matt Olson - both of whom smacked homers in each of the three games - Pete Alonzo and Francisco Lindor were held in check. Neither had so much as a single RBI the entire series.

There are sweeps and then there are beat downs. This was a beat down. The only matchup the Mets won was when Edwin Diaz took the mound in the bottom of the 8th of the third game. He struck one of the two hitters he faced. A small consolation prize in an otherwise abysmal weekend.

So now it's come down to this. If the Mets take two out of three from the Nats they will secure their fourth 100 win season in franchise history. Then they host the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card round starting Friday. 

But before you go reserving your NLDS tickets, it's worth noting that, apart from having home field, there is little evidence that this team is capable of winning a best of three series. Yes, on paper, they should be favorites, but then if paper meant anything at all, the Mets wouldn't have gone a collective 6-8 against the Nats, Marlins, Cubs and A's in September (0-3 against the Cubs). Indeed, the only reason they had a winning record at all last month was because they took six out of seven against the Pirates. And to think, September's schedule was suppose to be a breeze.

Clearly, the loss of Starling Marte took its toll. An already top heavy lineup was made even more so after the right fielder fractured a finger on his right hand September 6. For the last four weeks, Buck Showalter has had to shuffle his hitters around, looking for the right combination, with mixed results. And with Marte doubtful for the playoffs, Buck will have his hands full. The Padres pitching staff may not be able to exploit the advantage; I can assure you the Dodgers staff will.

To some extent, Atlanta might've done the Mets a favor by sweeping them. With the division now gone, Buck is free to set up his pitching rotation the way he wants. deGrom, Scherzer and Bassitt will have a full seven days rest and should be ready to go. The Padres hitters are good but they're not nearly as potent as the Braves. This is the one matchup that actually favors the Mets.

The lion's share of blame for what went wrong must go to Billy Eppler. His trade deadline acquisitions just haven't panned out. Daniel Vogelbach has been ok against righties but dreadful against lefties; Darin Ruff, who was suppose to platoon with Vogelbach, has been an unmitigated disaster; and Tyler Naquin, who was suppose to provide much needed depth in the outfield, of late, has been an automatic out. Had Eppler acquired a legit bat to hit behind Alonso, there's no telling what could've been.

But the lineup wasn't the only area Eppler dropped the ball on. The bullpen, aside from Adam Ottavino and Diaz, has been a sore spot all season long, and yet while the Braves plucked Raisel Iglesias from the Angels, the Mets overpaid to land Mychal Givens. Going into Sunday night's game, Iglesias had a 0.36 ERA as a Brave while Givens had a 5.03 ERA as a Met.

Regardless of what happens over the weekend, Eppler must shore up the bullpen and add a bat. He also has to re-sign Diaz and figure out whether or not to keep deGrom. Both are free agents after the season and will cost an arm and a leg to retain. Steve Cohen will have to pony up some big bucks this winter.

Apologists might argue that going into the 2022 season, most people didn't expect the Mets to be a playoff team, much less a division winner. That may be so, but after leading the Braves most of the year, it will be a bitter pill to swallow if the Braves go on to repeat as champions, especially knowing how well they played against them earlier in the season.

Mets fans are used to being disappointed. This disappointment will sting for a long time.

Mets Have Control of Their Own Destiny

Wednesday night, the New York Mets avoided yet another humiliating loss and pulled out an extra-inning victory over the lowly Miami Marlins at CitiField, thanks to a five-RBI performance by Eduardo Escobar. Coupled with the Washington Nationals extra-inning win over the Atlanta Braves, the Amazins now have a one-game lead in the National League East with six games to go.

Heading into this weekend's three-game series against the Braves in Atlanta, the Mets are in the driver's seat. If they sweep, they clinch the division; if they take two out of three, their magic number would be one; and even if the Braves take two out of three, the Mets, by virtue of a tie-breaker, could still win the division if they sweep the Nationals next week. The only possible way the Mets would lose control of their own destiny is if they themselves got swept. In that event, they would have to sweep the Nats and hope the Marlins do the same to the Braves. Not very likely.

We've been here before. Only a week earlier, the Mets were up two and a half games over the Braves after a 9-2 shellacking of the Oakland A's. All they had to do was sweep that series and take both games against the Marlins and they could've gone into this series needing to win only one game to clinch the division. Then again, if the Mets had swept the Cubs two weeks ago, instead of getting swept, this race would be over by now and Buck Showalter would be setting up his starting rotation for the upcoming NLDS.

But that's water under the bridge. What's done is done. Besides, the Braves have had their own share of missed opportunities in this pennant race. Before they dropped Wednesday night's game to the Nats, they split a four-game series against the struggling Phillies, and a week before that, they lost two out of three to the Giants. Whichever team winds up losing this division will have plenty of time for recriminations during the offseason should it prove costly in the playoffs.

Right now, though, the Mets need to put all that behind them and focus on the series at hand. They have their top three starters going for them. Jacob deGrom has struggled over his last three starts, giving up eleven earned runs in fifteen innings, but dominated the Braves earlier in the season; Max Scherzer has allowed only four hits and one earned run in his last twelve innings; and Chris Bassitt has been the team's most reliable starter all season long. There will be no excuses if the Mets let this opportunity slip through their fingers.

The good news for the Metropolitans is that their offense has come alive of late. Since the Cubs swept them, they've scored four or more runs in eleven of their last twelve games. The other good news is that Edwin Diaz has been lights out all season. If the Mets have a lead going into the ninth inning, they can count on him to seal the deal.

The problem, however, is getting to Diaz. The rest of the relievers, save for Adam Ottavino, have been inconsistent at best. Showalter has done his best trying to navigate through the minefield GM Billy Eppler laid for him. While the Braves fortified their bullpen at the trade deadline, Eppler picked up retread Mychal Givens from the Cubs, who has been a big disappointment. Neither of the starters Showalter has used in middle relief have proven reliable. If deGrom, Scherzer or Bassitt can't go at least six innings, the Mets will be in trouble.

Why is it so important for the Mets to win the division? After all, as the top wildcard, they'd host all three games at CitiField. And based on how the other two wildcard teams are playing, the Mets would be the clear favorites to prevail.

True enough, but winning the division would give them an extra five days off. And that could be critical for Starling Marte. The all-star right fielder suffered a fractured finger on his right hand in a game against the Pirates on September 6 and has been out of the lineup ever since. His absence has forced Showalter to play Tyler Naquin in right. Naquin has been another of Eppler's disappointing trade deadline acquisitions. It's possible Marte might be ready to go by the divisional round. I can't see this team going to the World Series without him.

So, it's come down to this: two of the best teams in baseball battling it out for the National League East division title. It doesn't get any better than that.

Why Aaron Judge Deserves the A.L. MVP

Just so we're clear, Shohei Ohtani is that most unique of baseball players; a gifted power hitter who is also an accomplished pitcher. He won last season's A.L. MVP award and is making a pretty strong case to at least be considered for it again this year. Players like this don't grow on trees. Check out the slash line below:

BA: .271, HRs: 34; RBIs: 89, OPS: .892

W-L: 13-8; ERA: 2.43; IP: 148; SO: 196

Those are pretty good numbers, if I do say so myself, and if Perry Minasian happens to call up Billy Eppler over the winter to inquire if the Mets would be interested in obtaining the 27 year old, anything other than an unqualified "who do I have to kill?" should get Eppler committed to Bellevue indefinitely.

On day one, Ohtani would instantly become the Mets best player. Just imagine a pitching rotation that includes Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, Chris Bassitt and Ohtani. Then imagine a lineup that consists of Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte, Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso and Ohtani. The Braves can kiss the N.L. East goodbye for the foreseeable future.

But here's the thing: as good a season as Ohtani is having for the Angels, it doesn't come remotely close to the season Aaron Judge is having for the Yankees. There's no other way around it: Judge is having the kind of season baseball players dream about. You want a slash line? Try this one on for size.

BA: .316 (1st), HRs: 60 (1st), RBIs: 128 (1st), OPS: 1.125 (1st)

The last player to win the triple crown in the American League was Miguel Cabrera for the Tigers in 2012. Before that, it was Carl Yastrzemski for the Red Sox in 1967. As you can see, it doesn't happen very often. Judge would be the first triple crown winner to smack 60 plus home runs. Not even Mickey Mantle and Lou Gehrig did that. He's just one home run away from tying Roger Maris's single season record and two away from breaking it. Thurman Munson, Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield, Don Mattingly, Bernie Williams, Derek Jeter, none of them had the kind of year Judge is having. Even when Maris broke the Babe's record in 1961, he still only hit .269.

No, Judge doesn't wear multiple hats like Ohtani, but he personifies in every way imaginable what it means to be a most valuable player. Think about it. If the Angels didn't have Ohtani on their roster, they would still be a lousy ball club. But if the Yankees didn't have Judge on theirs, they wouldn't even be in playoff contention. Just look at the lineup. Yes, it's encouraging that Stanton is finally starting to hit, but throughout this entire season, when his team has needed him most, Judge has come through in the clutch. Last night, he threw out a runner trying to stretch a single into a double. The man does it all. He's the epitome of a five-tool player. I say this as a Mets fan, it has been a joy to watch the professionalism he brings to the game. If Steve Cohen could afford him, he'd be a fixture at CitiField for the next decade.

Look, in any other year, Shohei Ohtani might be a deserving candidate for MVP. Not this year; not with the kind of season Aaron Judge is having. If the term MVP means anything, then the decision should be a no-brainer.

Baseball How It Oughta NOT Be

It's time to face facts. The New York Mets are in a slump; the worst slump they've been in all season. After taking two out of three against the National League best Los Angeles Dodgers at CitiField and entering what many consider to be the easiest September schedule of any team in the division, the Amazins' dropped two out of three to the lowly Washington Nationals.

Only a month ago, the Mets were sitting pretty in the NL East. They had just swept the Cincinnati Reds at home and were 73-39, seven games in front of the Atlanta Braves. Since then, they've gone 12-11 and their lead has been whittled down to a mere one game. While the pitching - particularly the bullpen - has been sporadic, it's the hitting that's been problematic.

Over the last 23 games, the Mets have scored a total of 75 runs, for a 3.2 runs per game average. If you think that's bad, when you subtract the 26 runs they scored in the four-game series against the Phillies in Philadelphia, that average goes down to 2.5 runs per game!

There's plenty of blame to go around. For starters, Pete Alonso continues to be susceptible to pitches out of the strike zone. Since hitting home runs in back to games against the Nats and Braves in early August, he has only three home runs and 15 RBIs in his last 30 games. Over a 162 game schedule that would come out to 16 HRs and 81 RBIs. That simply is not good enough.

Next up, Francisco Lindor. The gold glove shortstop has only one home run and four RBIs in his last 18 games. Lindor, on the whole, has had a solid season. Batting third in the lineup, he's been a productive run producer and he's been solid in the field. But like Alonso, he's picked a particularly bad time to go into a slump.

When your top two run producers are struggling to generate runs, it puts extra pressure on the rest of the lineup. And let's be honest, even with Starling Marte and Jeff McNeil having good seasons, we're not exactly talking about the 1927 Yankees here. The acquisitions by Billy Eppler at the trade deadline are turning into pumpkins. Daniel Vogelbach hasn't driven in a run since he smacked a two-run homer at Yankee Stadium on August 22. That's nine games. Tyler Naquin has only two hits and no RBIs in his last 17 games; and Darin Ruff has two hits and one RBI in his last 13 games. The decision not to go big at the trade deadline is coming back to bite this organization.

Throughout much of this season, the secret to the Mets success was their ability to extend at bats and make opposing pitchers work hard, especially in the first inning. No team in the majors has been better at it. Of late, though, Mets hitters have been anything but patient at the plate, swinging at pitches they have no business swinging at and letting opposing pitchers off the hook. That's led to a lot of three up and three down innings, which has forced Buck Showalter to go to his bullpen earlier than he would like to.

With so much going wrong lately, the news that yesterday's game against the Pirates in Pittsburgh was rained out was probably the best thing that could've happened to this team. And if the weather report for tonight proves accurate, the Mets may have consecutive days off for the first time since the Allstar Break. Hopefully they can put the time to good use.

Regardless of what happens tonight, the Mets must find a way out of this funk and fast. The winner of the the National League East will likely earn a first round bye and a ticket to the divisional round, while the loser will have to take its chances in a best of three wild card round.

Why is that significant? Let's assume that the Mets and Braves are tied for first going into the last three games of the regular season. Buck would undoubtedly be forced to use his top three starters in order to clinch the division. And if it works out, he would then be able to rest Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Chris Bassitt and start them in the NLDS. But should the Braves prevail and the Mets wind up as the wild card, Showalter would have a decision to make. Does he start deGrom and Scherzer on short rest or does he go with his fourth and fifth starters? Either way, it's risky. 

That's why it's imperative that the Mets, if they have any hope of advancing deep into the postseason, win the division. Their one lone advantage is their starting rotation, especially the top two, who when they're on, are arguably the best one-two punch in baseball. 

The good news is the Mets are still in first place and between them and the Braves, they have the easier schedule. The bad news is the Braves are clicking on all cylinders while the Mets are sputtering. As of now, if you had to pick a favorite, it would be the Braves.

From this point on, the Mets have to assume their season is on the line, because it is. Alonso and Lindor have to snap out of their funk and start producing. Everything hinges on what those two do. As for Vogelbach, he has to do something other than strike out and ground out, which is what he's been doing a lot of lately. Marte, McNeil and Mark Canha - who's been the most consistent hitter in this lineup - will be just fine. And if Luis Guillorme comes back soon, that will be a tremendous help.

With 27 games left in the regular season, the Mets are 85-50, only 15 wins away from their first 100 win season since 1988. As good as that would be, it still might not be enough to beat out the Braves. 

Time For the Polar Bear to Come Out of Hibernation

Beginning tonight, the New York Mets enter their most important stretch drive since 2015. With a record of 79-46, they currently sit in first place, one and a half games in front of the Atlanta Braves, who, since they got spanked in a five-game series against the Amazins' at CitiField, are 14-2 in their last 16 games.

Meanwhile, since that series, the Mets have gone 9-7 over their last 16, including a two-game sweep at the hands of the Bronx Bombers at Yankee Stadium. I'm sure I don't need to remind the reader what happened last year. August has habitually not been a kind month to the Mets.

The good news? The Mets schedule for the rest of the season isn't all that difficult. In fact, it's pretty damn good. After they host the Colorado Rockies for four games, the Dodgers come to town for three games. After that, the Mets don't play another team with a winning record until September 19, when they head to Milwaukee to play the Brewers. They then play another five games against losing teams before their last series with the Braves in Atlanta. They wrap up the season at home against the Nationals. All told, the combined won-loss record of these losing teams is 197-300. That's a winning percentage of .398. If the Mets can't make some hay with a schedule like that, they don't deserve to be in the postseason, much less advance in it. 

But here's the thing. Even if the Mets play .800 ball against those teams, that still might not be enough to beat out Atlanta for the division. That's because the Braves schedule is almost as good. In fact, the toughest part might be their upcoming three-game set against the Cardinals in St. Louis. As hot as the Braves have been, the Cardinals have been almost as hot. They're 17-5 in the month of August. So if you're the Mets, you're hoping St. Louis can win at least two out of three.

So what do the Mets have to do to right their ship?

It all comes down to the 800 pound gorilla in the room. Pete Alonso has been in a funk the last few weeks. The cleanup hitter has hit only one home run in his last twenty games and has only four for the month of August. That is simply not good enough. Almost as bad as his lack of power is the fact that he's falling into old habits by swinging at pitches out of the strike zone. He is particularly susceptible to pitches that are low and away. There isn't a pitcher in the majors who doesn't know how to pitch to Alonso and the more he continues to swing at those pitches, the longer he will be in a slump.

If Alonso is looking for a way out of his doldrums, he might want to start taking notes from Mark Canha. The left fielder has been on a tear of late; during the ten-game road trip, in which he played in nine, Canha hit .417, with ten hits - seven for extra bases - in twenty-four at bats. Three of those extra base hits were home runs. Think about it. Over his last nine games, Canha has hit only one less homer than Alonso has hit for the entire month.

The difference between the two players could not be more apparent. Canha, though not nearly the player Alonso is, is far more disciplined at the plate. He looks for his pitch and isn't afraid to take a strike if it's not the pitch he wants. Conversely, Alonso will often reach for a pitch that he knows is out of the strike zone. As a result, he either strikes out or grounds out. Every once in a while he manages to get just enough of the ball to get one by the infielders for a single, and he's even managed to draw the rare walk or two.

For a Mets team that isn't exactly blessed with an over abundance of power to begin with, that won't do. As good as Francisco Lindor and Daniel Vogelbach have been - and they have been solid, particularly Lindor who is having a career year both at the plate and in the field - without Alonso's bat, they have no chance at the division. The way this lineup works is that Alonso carries the bulk of the load; the rest of the hitters compliment him. If he becomes an easy out - like he has of late - then the whole team struggles to score runs, as they did in three of the four games in Atlanta and both games in the Bronx. In multiple situations during the road trip, Alonso came up with men in scoring position. Only twice - game three in Atlanta and game one in Philly - did he come through.

Something has to give. Either hitting coach Eric Chavez can somehow get through to him or manager Buck Showalter has to move him down in the lineup. With the Mets only two games up on the Braves in the loss column, they cannot afford to let his slump continue to plague the offense. Maybe batting fifth or sixth will take some of the pressure off Pete. One thing's for certain: the status quo is unacceptable. This isn't April or May, it's late summer and the heat is on.

Yes, the bullpen could be deeper, but it is what it is. Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Chris Bassitt are about as automatic as any starters in the game. And when Carlos Carrasco comes back in late September, Buck will have himself one helluva starting rotation going into the playoffs. But the sixty-four thousand dollar question that remains to be answered is whether the Mets will go in as a division winner or a wildcard. Right now, it's 50 / 50 at best.

Look, all players - even the great ones - go through slumps from time to time. And without exception, all of them snap out of it. It's time for Pete Alonso to snap out of his slump and be the leader this team needs.

It's time for the polar bear to come out of hibernation.

Mets Put On a Clinic and School the Braves

Sometimes stats can be a little misleading, and sometimes they can nail it on the head. When it comes to the 2022 New York Mets, clearly it's a case of the latter. Don't believe me, just ask the Atlanta Braves, last year's World Series winner. In 12 games against the champs this season, the Amazins are 8-4, 4-1 in their last five. 

The Mets put on a clinic in these five games. They outscored Atlanta 31-22. Mets starters had a better ERA than Braves starters: 4.68 to 6.75, and that was with game-two starter Taijuan Walker getting lit up for eight runs in the first two innings. Even the Mets relievers - which I still contend is a concern that could undermine their postseason aspirations - were better than their Braves counterparts: 4.05 to 5.29; though I suspect a lot of that had to do with Edwin Diaz's three stellar appearances in which he didn't allow a run and struck out seven in 3 and 2/3 innings.

Bottom line, the Mets were simply the better team in this series. Their top stars outperformed the Braves top stars. They out hustled Atlanta on the base paths and played much better defense. The Mets made every big play there was to be made in this series; even the trade deadline acquisitions that Bill Eppler brought in made significant contributions. This team can hit, it can pitch and it can play defense. And with Jacob deGrom now back in the starting rotation and pitching as if he never left, they are going to frustrate opposing teams the rest of the way.

These aren't the 2021 Mets; not by a long shot. That team collapsed in August and wound up in third place with a record of 77-85. Not only aren't these Mets wilting, as Ethan Sears of The New York Post writes, they're getting better. At 70-39, they are tied with the hated Yankees for the second best record in major league baseball. Only the L.A. Dodgers have more wins. They are 12-2 in their last 14 games; they lead the Braves by six and a half games - seven in the loss column. And with the lowly Cincinnati Reds coming to town to begin a three-game set, the Mets are in excellent position to build on that lead.

There are many reasons for the success of this team. They are deeper than last year's team, that's for sure. Starling Marte and Mark Canha have been valuable additions and have vastly improved an outfield that was average at best last year. Chris Bassitt has been an excellent pitcher all season long and has a 2.52 ERA over his last eight starts. With deGrom and Scherzer serving as a one-two punch, he rounds out the best starting trio in the National League. Eduardo Escobar and Luis Guillorme make for an excellent platoon at third base, and Jeff McNeil has rediscovered his hitting stroke while playing a solid second base. After a woeful first year, Francisco Lindor has become the player the Mets were hoping he'd be when they acquired him from Cleveland. And as for Alonso, the Polar Bear, as he is affectionally known, is leading the National League in RBIs with 95.

But by far the biggest reason for the Mets success this season has been the re-emergence of Edwin Diaz as an elite relief pitcher. Since his arrival from Seattle, along with Robinson Cano, he has struggled to regain the form that made him the best closer in baseball in 2018. This year he's been lights out for the Mets, saving 26 of 28 save opportunities and posting a league-best 1.39 ERA. In a best of seven series, with Scherzer, deGrom and Bassitt starting and Diaz coming out of the pen, this team will be very tough to beat come October.

And there will be an October for this team. It isn't bravado, or cockiness. This team believes in itself, and with each passing game they are making believers out of skeptics. Even when they fell behind 8-0 in game two against Atlanta, they refused to give up. They scratched and clawed their way back into the game. And if Ronald Acuna doesn't rob Pete Alonso of a two-run homer, and if third-base coach Joey Cora doesn't foolishly challenge center fielder Michael Harris's arm with the bases loaded, the Mets might've swept all five games against the Braves. Think about that.

Credit Buck Showalter for the way in which this team comports itself both on and off the field. They play the game they way it's supposed to be played; the way it used to be played: executing both offensively and defensively. They extend at bats better than any team in baseball. Three of the five Atlanta starters never made it out of the fifth inning, that's how patient and disciplined the Mets hitters were at the plate. 

The fact is this team doesn't beat itself; it's one of the reasons why they haven't gone through a prolonged slump. The outfielders hit the cutoff man, the pitchers cover first base, ground balls are run out. Despite being in the middle of the pack in home runs, they are third overall in runs scored. That doesn't happen by accident. And to think, George Steinbrenner fired this man after the 1995 season.

Look, there's still a lot of baseball yet to be played; anything can happen. But for the Flushing faithful things are looking up.