The Crossroads

Whether or not Jacob deGrom elects to return after this season, the Mets' future still looks great.

As I watched the New York Mets drop Saturday's contest in Oakland, the more hopeless the game became, the more my mind drifted to other thoughts. Watching Jacob deGrom struggle brought me back to the early years of my baseball fandom. Specifically, I recalled how it felt watching the great Tom Seaver occasionally toss up a stinker. Actually, that was even tougher because I was a kid and truly worshipped Seaver as a hero. There's nothing tougher than a kid witnessing a hero unmasked as a mere mortal. Hell, I still felt some of that seeing deGrom battered around by a bunch of palookas, and I'm in my 60s now. But that's baseball.

Savor the Moment

The Mets earning a playoff berth was special. Make sure you enjoy it.

When the Mets beat the Brewers to clinch a playoff spot last night, it affected me more deeply than I expected. After all, despite their stumble against the Cubs last week, I've known the Mets were playoff-bound for quite some time. But I shouldn't have taken for granted the meaning of just earning a playoff spot when your team has only accomplished that feat 9 times in the previous 60 seasons. Therefore, I will ignore anyone who tries to crash this party and put a damper on the significance of last night's achievement.

A Distant Trumpet

Some Chicken Littles out there endlessly proclaim that the sky is falling, but this has already been a great season for Mets fans.

Some Mets fans are still blaming radio and tv "personality" Sal Licata, who infamously declared the NL East "over" on May 31, for the Mets eventually losing their division lead to the Braves last Friday night. Other, more famous, Mets fans think Timmy Trumpet is the culprit. But neither Licata's silly hubris nor any residual "[b]ad Mojo" from Mr. Trumpet's performance for closer Edwin Díaz has cost the Mets a single game of that precious lead. The Braves managed to sustain a .727 winning percentage over an 87-game stretch. Winning at that pace pretty much cancels out any other mojo, good or bad.

The Party Crasher

Please don't show up at someone else's party just to rain on their parade.

If you'll indulge me for a minute, I'd like to start this post by throwing some numbers at you: 1-6, 2-5, 2-4, 0-7, 3-4, 4-3, 2-4, 1-5, 3-4*. Those numbers represent the New York Mets' regular season record against the Los Angeles Dodgers for every season from 2021, going back to when the Dodgers were sold to their current ownership group early in the 2012 season. (They didn't play at all in the 2020 pandemic season.)

Jon Daniels

Jon Daniels is looking for a new job. Should the Mets consider him for their PBO?

The Texas Rangers fired their president, Jon Daniels, last Wednesday. That ended Daniels' run of almost 17 years at the helm of that club. When he was first promoted to replace John Hart as GM in October 2005, the then 28-year-old Queens, NY native was a true baseball wunderkind. He was the youngest team GM in MLB history. Interestingly, one of Daniels' deals in his first winter as GM was to trade pitcher Chris Young to the Padres. 17 years later, Young is taking over the top role with the Rangers.

How the Dominoes Fall

More thoughts on constructing a Mets starting rotation in 2023. Is exercising Carlos Carrasco's $14 million option for next season really a no-brainer?

The New York Mets had a rough time down in Atlanta this week. They lost starting pitchers Carlos Carrasco and Taijuan Walker to injuries in the first two games of the Atlanta series, although it looks like Walker will only miss one start. Their infield defense took a big hit, losing Luis Guillorme and Eduardo Escobar to the I.L. The Mets' offense seems to be in hit-or-miss mode since the series against the Cincinnati Reds with run totals of 1, 1, 6, 1, 0, 9, 2, 7, 8, and 1 through Saturday's doubleheader split with the Phillies. They lost all but one of the games in which they scored 2 runs or fewer.

August and Everything After

In balancing the needs of the present with those of the future, the Mets are doing right by their fans.

Things have been fairly hectic for me lately. I haven't been able to post here as often as I would wish. More on that later, but first, let's catch up on some Mets thoughts. My last post was a week before the trade deadline. Although I did expect the Mets to make a stronger push for a left-handed reliever, I wasn't surprised that the Mets didn't make a huge splash in the deadline market. The brain trust had pretty well telegraphed their thinking ahead of time, and it was clear they weren't going to trade top prospects for rentals.

The Case for Promoting Francisco Alvarez

At the beginning of this season, I was convinced that the Mets should let their uber-prospect have the entire year in the minors. Now I'm beginning to see a path to the big leagues opening up for the young star.

When the year began, and Francisco Álvarez had an all-too-brief opportunity to participate in major league training camp, Francisco didn't hide his feelings that he was ready to play in the majors this season. Besides possessing a strong, mature body and an enviable work ethic, the young catcher also has a deep belief in his abilities that should stand him well. The physical and mental rigors and demands of being a major league catcher, along with the pressure cooker atmosphere of New York City, will provide plenty of tests of the young man's mettle.

Enjoy a Great Read and Help Out a Fellow Mets Fan

My brother, George Steffanos, has been going through a bit of a tough time lately. He recently developed a serious infection in his foot that required surgery. It has left him temporarily unable to work. I know — this is the point in one of these stories where someone asks you to donate to a "Go Fund Me" page. I'm not asking you to do that. I get those requests often, and it's impossible to help out everyone unless you happen to be a hedge fund billionaire.

My brother published a book about his 1983 thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. It's a really good story. The book has received excellent reviews. It's for sale on Amazon as a quality paperback for $18.95 or a Kindle e-book for $9.99. Your money helps out a fellow Mets fan who is enduring some tough physical times. In return, you get a great summer read in return along with sincere thanks.

Decisions, Decisions: Position Players

We complete our three-part series on the player decisions the Mets will face after the 2022 season, focusing on position players.

In parts one and two of this series, we looked at New York Mets starters and relievers that would be free agents following this season. Today we wrap up with a look at the position players. Unlike the pitching staff, where the Mets front office will be forced to make several important decisions, there is only one significant position player reaching free agency: CF Brandon Nimmo. But Nimmo is an important player, indeed. Brandon is one of the offensive catalysts for this club and, as a bonus, turned himself into an excellent center fielder.