Mack's Open Thread for Hot Stove Season

 

The regular season is done (and so are the Mets & Yanks), so it is officially "Hot Stove" season in New York.  This is our daily open thread to discuss the many possibilities in the Mets' first off-season headed by a President Of Baseball Operations (POBO).  There are many intriguing story lines and rumors already spinning around in the media, so this is your opportunity to weigh in with your thoughts. 

Today's topic: What do you think is the right approach to re-build the Mets' relief pitching for 2024?

Reese Kaplan -- A Rocky Start But a Strong David Stearns Addition

As a child growing up watching the Mets and listening to somewhat obscure music I became a huge fan of the late Harry Chapin who was known to many for his two hit songs, "Taxi" and "Cat's in the Cradle", but that's about as far as most would go.  He was a unique performer whose story songs would paint a word picture musically and as such achieved a much stronger impact than the usual popular stuff hitting the airwaves.  

He had one tune that kept running through my head whenever I saw press conferences with Sandy Alderson entitled, "Dance Band on the Titanic" and today it finally clicked about the connection.  As you suspect the song profiles doing all the right things while the ship is indeed capsizing.  Wow, that nailed the Alderson era, but to be fair his team owners during the Wilpon years were the cause of it.

On October 2nd the Mets finally officially annouced what everyone in the media and fanbase assumed was happening.  David Stearns made his way from NY Mets intern to stalwart and savvy baseball executive in Milwaukee whose small town success leading an organization will hopefully translate onto the biggest stage of all as he joins Steve Cohen in righting the apparently sinking ship.  

Many questions were asked about when each side became aware of one another and how long it had taken to get things done.  Both men did a commendable job of skirting around the issue but more than once Steve Cohen said he hadn't met Stearns until mid August and apparently in the time between then and the end of the season they came upon a deal both found equitable.

Of course, like slipping on a banana peel, embarrassing moments happen to everyone and the Buck Showalter cessation was certainly one of them.  Steve Cohen during the Stearns press conference pointed out that he had a very short window between the season's end and the postseason beginning to bring in David Stearns and make a managerial change.  

While Stearns was indeed a breath of fresh air in the media gathering, he seemed to find that banana peel once again when he confessed that while he was unable to talk to Buck Showalter while a member of the Brewers organization, he indeed reached out to him now and that he hopes the "will be able to connect."  

That's a major F-U from Showalter to Stearns and somewhat understandable.  After all, when given the choice by Billy Eppler to resign or be fired, Showalter was adamant that he would never quit on his team and thus forced the Mets' hand.  If the new boss of your old team wanted to shake hands and say happy things, well, that's just not going to be high on anyone's to do list.

Much like when (ironically) Buck Showalter was brought into the fold, this transactional move to secure Stearns was greeted with universal acclaim.  Cohen spoke about talking to various people within baseball while doing his due diligence and they all came back with a "hire this guy" response.  He reiterated that you can't really get to know a person, how they communicate, what values they possess and whether or not his goals mirror your own until you meet.  

Stearns took the same type of question in stride and said that even after talking at length to Steve Cohen you have to understand that "until you have a deal you don't have a deal."  He said that the opportunity to work in a bigger market with a more sizable budget and being able to return to his home in New York would enable him to spend more time with his family.  

Perhaps the most interesting thing Stearns said was that there were no shortcuts nor secret sauce he could use to guarantee Mets success.  That level of candor was a refreshing change instead of the more conventional, "We're in it to win it" and "This year is our year" platitudes spouted by most people atop a sports organization.  

Another theme that was recurring from Stearns was "sustainable success."  He reiterated that while it would be good to have the capital to do things differently than had been done for the Brewers, that didn't necessarily mean you sell off your future if indeed you want more than a single competitive year.  That philosophy about preserving the most highly regarded prospects was consistent with what Eppler had said earlier in the season about plans for the future and should make some Mets followers feel a little more reassured.  Of course, how it makes veteran underperformers feel is another matter entirely.

The question of Pete Alonso naturally arose and Stearns said all of the right things.  He espoused Alonso being an integral piece based upon his talent, being homegrown and good in the clubhouse (which counters the toxic fit rumors heard at the midseason trade deadline).  He said he expects Pete Alonso to be the opening day first baseman, but to use his own words once again, it's not really a deal until a deal is made.  Here Stearns who has not yet even met the majority of people associated with the club was as candid as he could be but there obviously is something to be said for getting to know Alonso and his agent.

Regarding the Craig Counsell question, neither Cohen nor Stearns could address it directly since he is still a member of the Brewers and heading into the postseason.  Stearns did suggest that a good manager is a partnership that involves managing people and personalities as well as imparting and facilitating organizational culture.  He reiterated the idea of a formal process involving everyone from veteran skippers to newcomers though many probably feel it's what needs to be said rather than the actual truth.  How newcomers Eric Chavez and Carlos Beltran feel about their chances would most likely be the proverbial snowball's chance in hell.

Steve Cohen purported not to have had serious discussions with anyone else.  Stearns said he looks forward to having more resources but not to let anyone confuse correlation with causation which I interpreted to mean you can't automatically spend your way to a championship.  That's a true but less than tactful thing to say to your new boss.

Aside from tap dancing around the Showalter and Counsell issues, the overall introduction of Stearns was a success.  No one seemed put off by Cohen's hiring decision and the media seemed to be on alert not to harp on the abrupt termination of the current manager.  There's a ton of work that needs to be done and to echo Stearns, he has really just the next 3-4 weeks of the postseason to get up to speed until the World Series ends when actual deals can start to take place.  Good luck to you.  You're gonna need it.

Mack's Open Thread for Hot Stove Season

The regular season is done (and so are the Mets & Yanks), so it is officially "Hot Stove" season in New York.  For the next few weeks we will run an open thread at 11am to discuss the many possibilities in the Mets' first off-season headed by a President Of Baseball Operations (POBO).  There are many intriguing story lines and rumors already spinning around in the media, so this is your opportunity to weigh in with your thoughts. 

First topic of the off-season: What do you think is the right approach to re-build the Mets' starting pitching for 2024?

Mike's Mets - Welcome to the David Stearns Era

 

By Mike Steffanos

The new President of Baseball Operations is officially on the job. Here are some quick thoughts on Day 1 of the David Stearns era.

We've been talking about David Stearns for a while in this space, particularly since the Mets announced on September 12 that Stearns would, indeed, be taking the PBO job. What was especially gratifying was that, after almost three years of constantly reading why potential targets were afraid of taking on the job, Stearns confirmed today that he was eager to accept the position. This is even though Stearns — a native New Yorker who grew up a Mets fan — understands all too well the pressures of the top job in this market.

If you're new to this site, you can look at my last half-dozen posts to see my hopes for what David Stearns might bring to the table running the New York Mets, in particular, my most recent. Regular readers don't need me to rehash those thoughts here again. Now that Stearns is officially in charge, I very much look forward to checking out the moves Stearns makes to try to fulfill the goals he articulated at his press conference: being immediately competitive while not sacrificing the long-term goal of sustaining winning. That mandate has been around since Steve Cohen purchased the ballclub. Having a talented leader like Stearns in charge makes that ultimate goal feel closer to attaining.

Of course, we won't see much in the way of moves until the playoffs end. If the World Series goes all the way to Game 7, that won't be until November 4 — and that date is contingent on not having rainouts push things a bit later. So David Stearns has a month to dive in as deep as possible on the Mets organization and prepare for free agency and potential trades.

For now, here are a few quick thoughts after watching the introductory presser:

• Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I thought this piece by Joel Sherman in the Post was unfair, particularly accusing Stearns of ordering a "hit job" on Buck Showalter while being "not present at its execution." As Stearns noted at the press conference, he was officially a Brewers employee until today and could not talk to Showalter. Stearns did reach out with a phone call today to Buck, although he has yet to speak to him. Decisions to let a manager go are part of baseball. I feel bad for Showalter, who seems like a fine man, but Stearns didn't act improperly here, and Joel Sherman has been doing this job long enough to know better.

To finish reading this article on Mike's Mets, please click here.

Tom Brennan: How Did Top 4 Mets Power Bats Do, Home v. Road?

Looking for valid explanations; sadly finding none.

The power segment of the Mets’ line up (Lindor, Pete, Francisco, Nimmo)? 

Let’s recap.

How did those dynamic 4 Mets stars do, home vs. road? 

A pretty important question, one might say.

Lindor Home:  15 HRs, 38 RBI, .225.

Lindor Road: 16 HR, 60 RBI, .281.

- Huge Difference. Better on thr road, by a lot.

Alonso Home: 22 HR, 64 RBI, .206.

Alonso Road: 24 HR, 54 RBI, .230

- Closer than in years past but still, except for RBIs; superior on the road.

Alvarez Home: .204, 9 HR, 29 RBI, 

Alvarez Road: .217, 16 HR, 34 RBI.

- His 2 HR, 6 RBI Saturday game at home closed the gap somewhat.

- Still significantly better on the road.

Nimmo Home: .251, 13 HR, 29 RBI.

Nimmo Road: .294, 11 HR, 39 RBI.

- Much better on the road.

But your stars should be hitting better at home, right? Home, sweet home.

Home field advantage and all.

Overall, though? 

Statistically significantly better on the “hostile” road for the 4 stars.

- About 35 to 40 points lower in the aggregate home v. road average for 4 stars. 

- A lot less home RBIs, too. 

59 HRs, 160 RBIs in Queens.

67 HRs, 187 RBIs in other cities.

Big difference.

Gee, I wonder why? 

Head scratcher, for sure. Inexplicable. Has to be a sheer anomaly, right? 

Wait, wasn’t it pretty much the same thing in 2022, 2021, 2019, 2018, etc.

I think the answer is YES.

How do offensive stars of other teams hit, though, when they are in the friendly fair environs of their own home parks?  I’d guess “better”. 

Home field ADVANTAGE. Not disadvantage.

Should Stearns look at that huge disparity to determine what may be multiple reasons for causation?

Why the Phillies scored 40 more runs at home, while the Mets scored 17 fewer.

Why Bryce Harper, for instance, went deep 16 times at home vs. 5 at home.

I sure would want to look into that negative, repetitive deficit if I were him. 

You know what some say.  A few more wins, here and there, go a long way.

I’ll bet you would want David to pry open that lid and try to diagnose why the Mets engines sputter at home, too.

Mark Canha was loving life in Milwaukee after his trade - and hitting much better.  Maybe the grass really IS greener in Milwaukee.

Something is rotting in Queens.

Paul Articulates – Arizona Fall League begins

The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is one of the most highly regarded development platforms in Major League Baseball.  Teams from around the league send their young talent to showcase their skills and to develop their abilities against other talented players.

This year, the AFL is set to kick off on October 2nd (today) with all six team seeing action.  The 30 game season will last through the November 11th championship game and will also include an all-star competition and home run derby.  Games are played at the Cactus League stadiums in Arizona.  Check the menu bar above for links to some AFL information.  

Among the players who will compete in the AFL this year, the Mets are sending nine players to the Glendale Desert Dogs.  

That list includes Catcher Kevin Parada (Binghamton); Pitchers Nolan Clenney, (Syracuse), Tyler Thomas (Syracuse), Brendan Hardy (Binghamton), Jordan Geber (Binghamton), and Trey McLoughlin (Binghamton); Outfielder Rowdey Jordan (Binghamton); and Infielders JT Schwartz (Binghamton) and D’Andre Smith (Brooklyn).  Here are a few things to know about the Mets’ prospects in the AFL:

Kevin Parada is the highest rated prospect among the Mets’ entries, currently listed as the fifth highest Mets prospect and number 89 in the MLB top-100 list.  Parada was the Mets’ first round pick in 2022, going as the 11th player selected overall.  In this 2023 season, he spent time with the St. Lucie Mets (low A), Brooklyn Cyclones (A), and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies (AA) during the 2023 season, slashing .248/.324/752 in 105 games.

JT Schwartz was a fourth round pick in 2021 out of UCLA where he brought home a Pac-12 batting title in 2021.  Schwartz played the majority of the 2023 season with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, slashing .302/.383/.437 and playing outstanding defense as their starting first baseman.  He rarely strikes out and has the kind of swing that translates to higher levels.  Think John Olerud without the batting helmet.

Rowdey Jordan was an 11th round pick out of Mississippi State.  He spent the 2023 season with the Rumble Ponies and slashed .230/.344/.367 in 119 games.  A versatile player, Jordan played several positions for the Ponies in both the infield and outfield while also serving as a DH in 9 games.  His speed makes him a fun player to watch.

D’Andre Smith was the Mets fifth round pick in 2022 out of USC.  He spent the 2023 season as the Brooklyn second baseman, slashing .234/321/.353 in 64 games with the Cyclones.

Nolan Clenney was signed as a free agent in 2021 by the Mets.  The 27 year old right hander has spent three years in the Mets system, including 37 games this year with the Binghamton and Syracuse squads.  He posted a 5.63 ERA with a 1.53 WHIP for the season.

Tyler Thomas had a very solid 2023 season in the Mets’ system.  In 24 games between the Binghamton and Syracuse teams, Thomas posted a 2.86 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP.  He converted 4 of 4 save opportunities and also contributed two holds.

Trey McLoughlin, a 16th round pick in 2021, hurled for both the Brooklyn Cyclones and the Binghamton Rumble ponies this year.  In 35 games pitched for the two teams, he registered a 2.79 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP, striking out 64 and walking only 16 in 51 innings pitched.

Brendan Hardy was drafted out of high school by the Mets in 2018.  The 23 year old moved up this year from St. Lucie to Brooklyn to Binghamton and compiled a noteworthy 1.80 ERA in 24 games across the three teams.

Jordan Geber was signed as a free agent by the Mets in 2022.  In an abbreviated season due to injuries, Geber pitched 15 games in the Mets’ minor league system.  He finished strong with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, giving up zero runs in 18 innings and pitching to a 0.82 WHIP.  

So there you have it - nine Mets on the Glendale team working to refine their skills prior to the 2024 season.  Lets go Dogs!!

Reese Kaplan --- A Season In Review and Needs to Address for 2024

With the New York Mets season of 2023 coming to a conclusion there are any number of issues and questions to consider for the near future.  First let's look at the good...

Rookie Catcher

Francisco Alvarez was force fed into the majors ahead of schedule and with 25 home runs threatening to tie Johnny Bench for the all-time power for a 21 year old backstop, you have to smile about his future.  His defense improved dramatically over the course of the season.  The only real issue for the future is a more consistent non-power bat to elevate his AVG into a respectable number.

Rookie Starting Pitcher

What can you not like about the acquisition of Kodai Senga?  His ERA is under 3.00.  He fanned more than 200 batters.  He achieved a 13-7 record on a decidely weak team.  He cost what now seems like a bargain price of $15 million per season.  He's the Mets' best starter right now for 4 more years.

Run Production from Shortstop

Francisco Lindor may not have the highest batting average of any shortstop in the game, but a 30-30 season near the century mark in RBIs has to make you smile.  He might be slightly overpaid, but his contributions on defense and his professionalism help make the investment seem far more equitable. 

Run Production from First Base

Assuming the Mets work out some kind of contract extension for the final year of Pete Alonso's pre-free agency year, you have to be happy with the home runs and RBIs you're getting out of your 3rd or 4th member of the batting order.  He's near the top of all of baseball in both home runs and RBIs.  

Hot Finish for Jeff McNeil

While a .272 average isn't going to be one for the record books, it's actually quite a good achievement considering how substandard McNeil had hit for most of the season.  It's not good hearing about his UCL injury that terminated his season a few days early, but his versatility playing all over the field defensively along with the strong finish to his batting average number suggest he was well worth the new contract he received this past off season.  

Free Agent Southpaw Reliever

I've said it before and I'll say it again...when the Mets offered up a solid but unspectacular contract for little known Brooks Raley, no one was doing cartwheels.  Yes, he was coming off a remarkable 2022 season but it seemed an outlier after an unspectacular career.  At age 34 people didn't know if he would repeat.  He did.  That should make everyone happy.

Return to Competence for Adam Ottavino

While everyone was very happy with the job Ottavino did in the past, no one knew what to expect upon his return to Queens.  He seemed to alternate great years with average ones but by the end of 2023 he was delivering consecutive great ones.  

Home Run Barrage from Center Field

Brandon Nimmo was also the recipient of a generous contract extension and he has continued to play a superb center field.  This season with the bat was a little different as he has dropped a tad in the on base percentage was was always his forte, but his home run barrage was at a new level.  Adding more speed to his game will make him even more valuable in the future.

Surprising Output from Right Field

Although in the past week or ten days DJ Stewart's amazing and long string of competence seemed to hiccup, no one can argue with the job he did when forced into regular work with the disappearance of Mark Canha, Tommy Pham and Starling Marte.  He's never going to remind anyone of Juan Lagares with his outfield glove and he runs with the same grace as Daniel Vogelbach, but at what he was being paid his offensive assault was most welcome indeed.

Late Arrival But Competent Southpaw Starter

Everyone didn't know what to expect from lefty Jose Quintana whose season started with a very long stint on the IL, but when he arrived it was most welcome to see him come up with an ERA that would play well near the top of any rotation.  Having him back for 2023 if healthy is going to make Jeremy Hefner smile a lot.

Reinforcements in the Minor Leagues

The midyear selloff delivered quite a few outstanding prospects like Luisangel Acuna, Drew Gilbert and others to the club in addition to their homegrown ones like Jett Williams and Tyler Stuart.  The future's so bright I gotta wear shade.

Of course, for all those things that went right, there are an awful number of questions about what didn't progress as hoped...

The Rest of the Starting Rotation

2024 means no pair of future Hall of Famers joining veteran Carlos Carrasco to form the starting quintet.  While Tylor Megill and David Peterson have had flashes, overall they have shown more bad than good and after as long as they've taken to fail to establish consistency, it looks as if the club would benefit most from them in their usual AAAA mode of backup and emergency starters.  

Jose Butto has been more good than bad, but his soft repertoire suggests he is not a solution either.  The most surprising member of the incumbent quarter is veteran southpaw Joey Lucchesi who could function as a 4th or 5th starter, but that still would leave the rotation short of two more regulars with competence. 

The Rest of the Bullpen

To call it weak is to grade on a major curve.  Other than perhaps Drew Smith, no one else out there is ready to accompany Edwin Diaz, Brooks Raley and Adam Ottavino in support of the as yet unidentified starting rotation.

The Rest of the Outfielders

Almost as forgettable as the bullpen, don't expect return engagements for Rafael Ortega, Tim Locastro nor any others who racked up Uber bills between Syracuse and Flushing.  Mark Canha and Tommy Pham are both gone though also both free agents.  Starling Marte's health crippled his season but he's under contract for two more years, so they desperately need help for Brandon Nimmo and whomever else is out there.

The Bench

As weak as the starting lineup turned out to be, that's nothing compared to the folks available in the lesser role of backups.  Between health issues and aspiring even to achieve AAAA level of production, it was a huge dropoff from below average to "Who?" in this department.

Health

Starting with Edwin Diaz, then adding in Justin Verlander, Jose Quintana, Carlos Carrasco, Starling Marte, Omar Narvaez and a slew of others, the club seemed to get more than its fair share of games lost due to illness and injury.  They really need to work significantly better in scouting out healthy players and figuring out how best to help them recover when disabled.

Defense

For every wow kind of play you saw from the likes of Francisco Lindor and sporadically from some others, no one else on the club is threatening to bring home a Gold Glove.  With porous offense and suspect pitching a significant improvement in this area would help immensely.  

Third Base

The mighty quartet of Jeff McNeil, Ronny Mauricio, Brett Baty and Mark Vientos all could lay claim to the spot but none is a certainty based upon 2023 output and 2024 positional need.

The Middle of the Batting Order

After Lindor and Alonso thus far there is not much else there.  The DH role has provided nothing to the Mets, Starling Marte was not himself and aside from some consistency from since departed Tommy Pham the left field spot was also not very solid when it came to the batting side of the game.

Who Holds the Lineup Pencil?

Well covered territory already is what will happen with Buck Showalter's third year of his three-year deal.  Will he return to help transition a highly uncertain roster back into a formidable one or is it time for a fresh start from someone else?

How Much More of Steve Cohen's Money Will Be Spent?

Everyone has already assumed Billy Eppler will convince top Japanese free agent Yoshinobu Yamamoto to join the Mets on a more expensive deal than was given to Kodai Senga given his five years of youth he brings as an advantage of the now 30 year old Senga.  

Rumors also proliferate that the Mets will make a trade proposal to land Juan Soto from the Padres.  There are any number of other high priced players and free agents who could help but no one is sure what approach will be taken by the front office this time around.

Yes, David Stearns is going to earn his hefty paycheck for sure.

Mike's Mets - Finding Value

 

By Mike Steffanos

If the Mets are to take a step forward under David Stearns, it will be because the organization finally figures out how to unearth value in building a deeper roster.

With the regular season all but over, we await the official beginning of the David Stearns era with the Mets. Although there has been plenty of speculation regarding what that might mean for the club, we won't really know what sort of changes Stearns might bring to this organization until the new PBO officially takes over. That should happen sometime on Monday. The time will depend on whether the suspended Mets-Marlins game from Friday needs to be completed to determine a Wild Card spot or seeding.

I hope Stearns's arrival will help the organization kick things up to the next level. There has already been a lot of improvement. The Mets team Stearns will take control of in October has been on an upward trajectory for a while despite this season's disappointing performance on the field. They've become a club that handles itself well in the MLB draft — no small achievement when you look at how bad they were in drafting amateurs in the early years of this century. Under Steve Cohen, they're also finally being aggressive with international signings. The Mets are looking to build on that strength with all the upgrades they made to player development over the last couple of years. Finding talent is nice, but the real goal is to take those talented kids and turn them into Major League ballplayers.

Even for a club that drafts and develops well, it's crucial to be adept at getting talent onto the roster in other ways. An essential method of accomplishing this is to turn other teams' trash into your treasure. This is a subject that I've been writing about here for a while. The Mets have been mainly on the wrong side of this: Justin Turner, Paul Sewald, and Rafael Montero are former Mets who went on to great success after the club cut them loose. This has been happening to the club for a while. I wrote a piece in February about Darren O'Day and Dan Wheeler, a couple of young relievers the Mets had in the aughts who went on to great success with other teams.

Tim Healey wrote a piece in Newsday a couple of weeks ago, "The Mets' Paul Sewald lesson isn't what you think." In it, Healey made a point about the club's mishandling of the reliever that captures my feelings:

You might think you know what comes next here. It should be a roasting of the Mets for letting another One Who Got Away get away, for not knowing how to get the most out of their own players, for being so inept or so enamored with others’ players that they don’t understand what is right in front of them.

Wrong. Maybe the above is true, but their real Paul Sewald lesson is different — and crucial to incoming president of baseball operations David Stearns' overarching goal of building a perennial playoff team. The Mets need to be much better at turning fringe players into impact players.

The "One Who Got Away" is a popular subject for the New York media, whether it's about Major League ballplayers like Paul Sewald and Justin Turner or prospects like Jarred Kelenic. The Mets haven't covered themselves in glory over the past couple of decades in identifying these players. For instance, the Mets had a bunch of possibilities for the bullpen at the beginning the year, some quite interesting. As the season concludes, none of them looks like a long-term answer. But, as Healey points out, "[The Mets] beefed-up analytics department ... and newly opened pitching lab in Port St. Lucie, Florida, are reasons to believe that can change.

To finish reading this article on Mike's Mets, please click here.

Tom Brennan - Quite a Steep Hill for the Metsies to Climb

Braves’ HOF Mets Killer Greg Maddux. 

Is the Current Braves Team an Even Tougher Hill to Climb? 

As the season for the Mets draws to a disappointing close:

The Atlanta Braves are the intra-Division team the Mets are hoping to someday overtake.

The magnitude of that “overtake” task, however, seems extreme. Why?

Well, heading into Wednesday’s action, with 5 games left, the Braves had hit 301 HRs, far beyond the Mets’ single season record of 242.

916 Braves runs scored, a huge number. Mets at 691, 225 runs behind.

And a Braves’ .501 TEAM slug %.

.501??  The whole team??

How high is that? 

Highest in baseball history, brother/sister/mister, that’s how high.

Heck, the murderous 1927 Yankees of Ruth and Gehrig had “just” a .488 team slug %.

The Mets’ highest in a full season? Just .445.

The 1986 Mets?  100 slugging points lower than these Braves, with Darryl and Keith’s team clocking in at .401.

And the 2023 Mets? .407, or 94 points behind the Braves.

Heck, there are many Mets seasons where not even a single player achieves a .501 slugging %.

And the Mets’ greatest, David Wright, over his career? Just .491.

How David Stearns is going to truly narrow that humongous slugging/scoring gap, and with it the teams’ equally huge win gap, is beyond me. 

His executive actions will have to be drastic, and he’ll have to be lucky, too.

However…

Some positive signs Saturday in the sweep:

Megill dazzled in game 1, going 7.1 IP and  the Francisco’s took over, with Lindor smacking a 2 run shot, and Alvarez slamming 2, a 2 runner and a grand slam. Maybe there is hope.