Paul Articulates – The new direction

Much has been written recently about the trade deadline deals.  Most of those write-ups grade the Mets very highly for the manner in which they advanced (re-built) their player development pipeline by adding several highly rated prospects.  I agree with the opinion that the Mets did the best they could with a very unfortunate situation.  

However, to use an old adage, “A bird in hand is worth two in a bush”.  The Mets were a better team (on paper) before the trades than they are today.  The probability of winning a championship this year or next went down when players like Scherzer, Verlander, Robertson, and Pham exited the stadium in street clothes.  There should be no uncertainty about the fact that watching Mets baseball in the near future is going to be more about seeing how quickly the young talent can mature rather than admiring their path to the World Series.

I also would bridle the optimism with the understanding that a prospect is just someone with the potential to be a very good MLB player.  Whether they will depends on many factors, including their mental toughness, the quality of their instruction, and the influence of those around them.  Many prospects flame out.  Some of these recently acquired players will not become impact players in the major leagues.

This is not meant to be a wet blanket – just a reality check.  There is a long road ahead to develop all these players, identify the best of them and when they are ready, and work them into a high level of play without damaging their confidence.  If and when that occurs, there will be joy in flushing and everywhere else in the country where orange and blue are worn.

Our favorite team has gone from the pre-season optimism of a championship caliber team to a younger re-building team that is at least a few years in the making.  The reason this happened is that despite the strong finances and stronger will of the owner, you cannot guarantee a championship by just pushing the best players out onto the field.  

For whatever reason, this team did not click and when their fate was inevitable, the leadership trust made the best of it by re-prioritizing their assets.  It was a bold move, but a good move.  If you can’t build a guaranteed championship through free agency, you can build a lasting development system that churns out quality players year after year. This is a must for sustained excellence.  The Dodgers, Braves, and Astros have that and we see them in the playoffs year after year.  Do they always win?  No.  But it takes very little for them to re-load and go after it again.  The Mets took a big step towards this kind of sustainability in the last week.  It came at the cost of near term success, but we really didn’t have that anyway. 

This is a great time for you to grab tickets to a minor league baseball game and watch this newly fed machine at work.  There are future stars out there at several levels, so come see them in action.

Tom Brennan - Mets Prospects List is in Total Upgrade Mode

THE PROSPECT SKIES OVER QUEENS ARE BEAMING BRIGHTLY

Well, the Mets have had some seemingly good prospects in 2023, to be sure, but simply too few, as the org’s overall significantly losing overall record in the minors attests to.

With the last week’s trades, that quantity issue has clearly changed. For the much better. The influx in talent this year via veteran trades got them a new # 2, 4, 6, 9, 15, 16, 22, and 25, and another very young SSguy likely to be in the top 30 by next year, perhaps before he turns 18. Which also means 8 guys who were in the Mets’ top 30 have been bumped out of it by the talent influx. They are now in the lower echelon of the Mets Top 40.

Let’s run the 9 new guys through…

Luisangel Acuna, Ronald’s little brother. Acuna Jr Jr is aged 21, came in the Max deal, and was hitting .315 in AA with over 40 steals, and is a fine fielder to (not) boot.. He goes straight to being the Mets’ # 2 prospect, ahead of Ronny Mauricio and Jett Williams. My guess is he will be a starting Mets infielder by mid-2024.

Verlander was hot of late, and hence very attractive, and as a result, the Mets garnered much booty:

Houston’s # 1 prospect, 22-year-old OF Drew Gilbert (their first rounder in 2022) and their high A lefty slugging # 4 prospect, OF Ryan Clifford (18 HRs this year already).

Gilbert, described as a well-rounded CF,.was having a .274/.363/.458 season mostly in AA in his first full season. Gilbert, in my estimation, will be a starting Mets outfielder by mid 2024, Clifford by mid 2025.

They are the new Mets 4th and 6th prospects.

Marco Vargas is another infielder at age 18 whose bat is exciting folks. Brought in for David Robertson. Immediately ranked the Mets’ # 7 guy…now the # 9 guy after adding Gilbert and Clifford. Must be real, real good to be ranked so high at age 18. He is expected to have 55 power, he was hitting a shade under .300 this year in FCL league ball. Seems like a 2026 guy. His first 3 FCL games for the Mets, he got on base 6 times.

Coleman Crow, a righty in AA who was cooking until he got hurt in late April, with elbow issues that have had him out 3+ months, is slotted in at # 16. Came earlier this year in the Escobar deal. If healthy, a potential back-end rotation piece by 2025, maybe late 2024.

Ronald Hernandez, an 18 year old catcher with a .483 OBP in the FCL who came over in the Robertson deal, is ranked 21st. Future Alvarez back up?  Parada, keep in mind, is still the # 1 Mets prospect. Catching is STOCKED in Metsville.

Landon Marceaux also came over in the Escobar deal. A righty who stats-wise is not having a good 2023, but is nonetheless listed as the # 25 prospect. Perhaps a pen arm for the Mets?

And the Mets got a 23 year old righty, Justin Jarvis, in the Mark Canha deal. He was # 12 for the Brew Crew and having a decent season in AA. Recently struggling in his first 3 AAA outings. 102 Ks in 86 IP this year, and a 55 grade FB.  Must see something they like, as he is now the Mets’ #15 prospect in their suddenly stocked system.

For Tommy Pham, the Mets got just-turned-17 year old SS Jeremy Rodriguez from Arizona. Not in the top 30, but so young. Hitting .250 with some power and a good OPS.  Perhaps Lindor’s replacement in 5 years? He got a $1.25 million lion bonus when signed, and was ranked # 47 in international signings at that time.

For Dominic Leone, lastly, they got righty hitting OF Jeremiah Jackson, good power and speed and hitting .250 in AA. Ranked now as the Mets’ # 22 prospect.

The Mets’ top 30 prospect list does not even yet include the newly drafted Mets prospects!

It seems that after a few of them are added, the Top 30 will be very deep and very strong. Perhaps stronger than ever.

P.S. A few of the 2023 draftees just started playing.

As of Sunday, the 3 current prospects-turned-major-leaguers, Alvarez, Baty, and Vientos, have combined as 2023 Mets to have 576 at bats, 20 doubles, 29 HRs, and 74 RBIs. What on earth will they do, all broken in, in 2024? At least we all know one thing…Alvarez is friggin’ good and most likely will be great. The other two, with no Canha and Pham competing for ABs, will get ample at bat opportunities, and perhaps # 3 Ronny Mauricio, too, if they call him up.

Tumultuous times.

My guess is the Mets are overstocked now, and hence in a position to use some of their prospects to acquire talent at the right time, perhaps this off-season.

Two ugly losses to the 1962 KC Mets. The Mets prospect, Brett Baty, is six for his last 41 dropping him to .225. Don’t be too hard on him though; on Wednesday night, Alonzo and Lindor went 0 for eight and they’re combined hitting .225. Also, did you notice that Ronny Mauricio wasn’t called up - they did play Mendick, Ortega, and Arauz, however. 

Which means that prospect Mauricio just isn’t ready, as much as we want him to be.  Vientos has shown some signs of offensive life, but he is hitting…well, like Baty.

Gosh, I hope Vientos, Baty, and Mauricio turn out to be for real. Or we will end up with an extraordinary draft slot.

VASIL LAST NIGHT:

In 3.1 innings for Syracuse, 7 Ks (yay), 4 BB, 3 H, 1 HBP, 1 HR, 4 runs (ugh). Not ready to replace Verlander yet. Zoolander, maybe.

Trade Grades by David Jacks

  

    This isn't how anyone foresaw the Mets 2023 trade deadline (I did, I always maintained the Mets would acquire Dominic Leone then trade him for a top 30 prospect, I SAID IT!). 

Yes there were concerns, the aces ages, needing one more bat, how they'd replace their stud closer, but 6 games out of the wildcard, not the division, THE WILDCARD is still stunning. So like it or not Steve Cohen decided to go all in (or all out in this case), and dump his chips in a sellers market, and beef up a once mediocre farm system. 

Max Scherzer spoke with Steve Cohen this weekend, and allegedly he told him they are looking to 2025 at the earliest as their next push to win. And with that, the no trade clauses were rescinded and the ancient aces were gone. Sidenote - I find it hard to believe that Cohen will sit idly by as pitchers like Ohtani and Yamamoto are up for grabs this off-season, but we shall soon see. 

In one of the biggest sell offs in Mets history there were enough trades to break them down, and grade them by category. 

The Heaveyweights

Rangers get: Max Scherzer and 36 million dollars (for 2023 and a portion of his 2024 opt in)

Mets get: Luisangel Acuna (ss/2b/cf)

As Cohen stated in an earlier press conference, if the Mets aren't competing he's willing to buy down player contracts to get better prospects in return, something the Wilpons wouldn't have dreamed of. This is where Mets fans are lucky to have the richest owner in the game, and in this case Acuna is the result. 

Like it or not Max's days as an ace are behind him. While he had an excellent 2022' he also missed a chunk of time due to injury, he never pitched into the 8th inning, and wilted in the biggest games of the year.  In 2024 he looked more like a 3/4 starter, still above league average, but his velocity was down across the board, his home run rate soared (23 in total to lead all NL pitchers) and his slider just ain't sliding no more. 

So when twitter, excuse me X was ablaze on Sunday it was shocking to see the prospect names being mentioned: Acuna, Walcott, Porter. These are some of the best prospects in the Rangers system. And that's what paying down a contract does for you. 

The Mets ended up with Luisangel Acuna (you might know his big bro Ronald) who immediately slotted in as the Mets #2 overall prospect according to MLB prospect rankings. At 21 years of age he was in AA for Texas, and was more than holding his own with an 830 ops and a whopping 42 stolen bases. 

At 5'8'' 181 pounds he does have some pop but it's unlikely he's anything more than a 15/20 homer player in the pros, if that. He's also 21 so there’s still room for growth, which could lead to more power but he seems to be more of a doubles threat. His glove could stick at SS but most likely he slides over to 2b. He has the athleticism to play center field but with Nimmo around that’s unlikely. Acuna’s ETA is late 2024/ early 25. 

Mets Grade:  A-  

To get a player of Acuna’s caliber for a starter with a +4 era and leading the league in HR's given up is a steal, even if his name is Scherzer and he's headed to the hall of fame. That said the Mets did send 36 million dollars over to the Rangers and without that this trade never happens. 

The other heavyweight card

Astros get - Justin Verlander - 35 million and half of his vesting option. 

Mets get - Drew Gilbert (of) and Ryan Clifford (of)

I didn’t give Max or Verlanders position. I’m NOT sorry about that.  

Justin Verlander ends up pitching 4 months for the Mets. In the future his brief stint will be nothing more than a trivia question. He wasn’t bad, in fact he’s been pretty hot lately, but he missed the start of the year with an injury, he has more walks then he did all of last year, his strikeout rate is his worst in a decade, his velocity has dipped and his hard hit rate against is sky high. 

Mets fans were clutching their pearls, fearing a non competitive 2024 without Verlander, and they may not be wrong, but if the 2023 season proved anything it was relying on old aces (even hall of famers) is a recipe for disaster. On top of it Verlander is showing all the signs of getting dangerously close to the cliff Max is already having off of. It may indeed affect 2024 but the first rule of hedge funds is: it's better to get out a year too early then two years too late. I made that up. I stand by it. 

So what did the declining ace and loads of cash get the Mets? According to MLP Prospect rankings Gilbert ranked as Houston’s  #1 and Clifford as their  #4. It should be noted that the Astros farm isn’t loaded, and Gilbert slotted in as the Mets #4 and Clifford as their #6. Still both prospects project as starters, with the higher potential upside being Clifford who has raw power. 

Gilbert, like Acuna, is on the smaller side 5’9’’ 195 pounds and isn’t a big home run threat (15-20 max) but he does barrel up balls and hit for a high contact rate. In center he has a plus arm (former pitcher) and flies all over the field. He reminds me of a Hunter Pence/ Lenny Dykstra  type, a guy who’s gonna give it his all and usually ends up being a fan favorite. 

Clifford is the more intriguing prospect in my eyes. He was an 11th round pick but teams shied away from him thinking he’d head back to Vanderbilt. The Astros paid him first/second round money to sign and he showed his worth in his first stint in pro ball. He ops’d 900 this year in high A and at 6’3’’ 200 pounds he has loads of raw power and a mature approach at the plate. If he can keep his K rate down and show that he can hit lefties (lefty bat) then he could become a very valuable piece as a corner outfielder by 2026. 

Mets Grade:  B+ 

I like both of these prospect but I do wonder if Gilbert ends up as a 4th OF and Clifford becomes the star of the trade (but that’s a big if at this point.) As I said earlier I don’t see how the Mets would have trusted a veteran ace AGAIN going into 2024, especially one who has worrisome underlying stats and will be turning 41.  

The middle weight division 

The Marlins Get: David Robertson (rp)

Mets get: Marco Vargas (ss) Ronald Hernandez (C) 

While this trade wasn’t nearly as big as the two above it was the catalyst that enraged a bad Mets team that didn’t seem to know they were bad. Once the Mets traded their 38 year old closer it seemed as though the dam broke and all the vets were washed away.  

The Mets shipped off yet another aging vet but this one was pitching extremely well. But what does a bad team need with an old closer on a one year deal? ANSWER ME!

In a sellers market many fans were expecting a top prospect close to major league ready, and in some ways that was a reasonable expectation. Robertson had just been traded for SP Ben Brown in 2022 and Brown was approaching AAA. But the Mets took a different approach. They took a shot on two very young prospects(18 and 19 years old respectively)  with higher ceilings who currently rank as the Mets #9  (Vargas) and #21 (Hernandez). 

Vargas is  a lefty bat who's been impressive early on with a near 900 ops in rookie ball, fringy speed and enough athleticism to stick at ss or 2b. His pro comp, if all goes well,  is Ozzie Albies.  Hernandez appears to be working diligently to stick at C and his bat has picked up in rookie ball where he is currently at a 928 ops in a small sample. 

Both players have a long runway before they get anywhere near the pros but this is the Mets taking a gamble that one day, one of these two might end up in their top 3. It’s a gamble worth taking when you’re selling off a host of players and you can find helium prospects (like these two) and ones closer to the pros. 

Mets grade: B+ 

I do think the Mets could have opted for a prospect higher up in the minors,  but this is the type of gamble that gives you a chance to hit it big. Instead of a solid back end guy they took the chance on two lottery picks.  Francisco Alvarez was also once a lottery pick and if it works out you’re suddenly adding a blue chip prospect for a rental. 

Brewers get: Mark Canha (of) and 3.5 million

Mets get: Justin Jarvis (sp) 

This one is simple,  Canha wasn’t in the Mets long term plans so once the dam broke the writing was on the wall. Canha was a solid if not unspectacular player for the Mets. He came to them in the free agent  frenzy of Marte/ Escobar/ Canha,  and no Met fan will ever forget his dominance over Philly and the two home runs he hit in their epic comeback last July, or was it August? I forget. 

The Mets needed depth in their pitching prospect pool and Jarvis will provide just that. Jarvis slots in as the Mets #15 rated prospect according to MLB and will report to AAA. Jarvis (23) projects as a back end starter who could be ready as early as next year. Jarvis has a sneaky fastball which sits at 94 but can get up to 96, a plus slider, and an average splitter. The Mets certainly needed some more options in their starting rotation and Jarvis gives them one. 

Mets Grade: B-

Most years I would give the Mets a higher grade for this move, but right handed bats were sparse in this market and the Mets paid down another salary. Jarvis is a decent prospect, and it’s a decent move. 

This category is the: I regret using a boxing category with Tommy Pham in the upcoming category

Diamondbacks get: Tommy Pham (of) and $1.7 million 

Mets get: Jeremy Rodriguez (ss) 

Pham like Canha was always going to be traded once the firesale started. A rental, Pham has posted above average hard hit rates for years but it hasn’t always translated to success. This year it sure has. Pham posted an 820 ops and at times was the Mets best hitter. Just think of how off the 2023 season has been that Tommy Pham, who most fans bemoaned upon his signing, ended up being Mets best hitter for a big chunk of the first half. Well anyway, it upped his value and allowed them a chance to get a prospect.  

Jeremy Rodriguez is another international signing, and another lottery ticket for the Mets. Maybe he cashes in, maybe he never gets to aa, but it’s worth a shot. Rodriguez was no slouch in the international signing pool, ranking 47th, and given a 1.25 million dollar signing bonus. He currently has a 751 ops with 12 steals in the DSL league. Rodriguez is not on the mets top 30 list yet, but he’s worth watching as he matures. 

Mets Grade: B+ 

Tommy Pham bringing in a prospect is pretty damn good after he was ignored by almost every team in the majors this offseason.

The Leightweights 

Angels get: Dominic Leone and cash

Mets get: Jeremiah Jackson 

This was was a surprise. The Mets signed Leone in May and he’s been....everything you’d think a May signing would be, absolutely fine. In recent weeks his velocity has picked up a tad and his been on a nice run, but overall he sports a 4.4 ERA and he’s been up and down, serving as a middle man, eating innings. The Angels may be looking for some lightning in a bottle but to give up one of their top 30 prospects was a bit surprising. 

Jackson (23) is in AA and was originally drafted by Billy Eppler in 2018 in the second round. Jackson has battled injuries and a high k rate. Still the ball jumps off his bat, when he makes contact, and he is a power threat. He’s also increased his versatility, playing 2b, SS, 3b and of. 

Mets Grade: A

Getting a warm body for Leone is surprising, getting one that has some potential is pretty shocking. Jackson may not make the pros but he has enough tools to take a chance on. 

Bantam weight. 

Mets get: Phil Bickford and Adam Kolarek. 

Dodgers get:  Some cheddar 

Bottom line, Mets took a chance on some DFA’d players. Bickford has a wicked heater but he throws it far too often (68%). He’s a guy worth taking flyer on, low risk, high reward. Kolarek was in the Mets minors for 5 years so there’s that. 

Grade - Yeah sure take a chance why not - I don't know is that a C? B?

All in all the deadline was one of the Mets biggest sell offs in their history. This is certainly not what Eppler and Cohen had in mind when building the 23’ team. In that way today was the culmination of an epic failure, but the Mets did do a great job turning those failed veteran pieces into blue chip prospects, lottery prospects and depth prospects. The Mets went from an average prospect pool into a top 10 pool in one weekend. Not too shabby. 

Reese Kaplan -- The Sellers Get a Positive Incomplete

I’m not in the same time zone as the rest of our readers living on the opposite side of the world, so while the natural inclination today would be to do a summary and analysis of the Mets pre-August 1st trades made by GM Billy Eppler, I am writing this piece on what would be early evening on Monday on the east coast of the USA.  Consequently the last action I’ve seen was the salary-paid trade of outfielder Mark Canha to the Milwaukee Brewers for pitching prospect Justin Jarvis. 

So let’s recap...

• Eduardo Escobar gone.  Not much in return but the deal opened up the 3rd base position for Brett Baty to play regularly, so it would be addition by subtraction.
• Then there was the David Robertson deal to the Marlins.  This one hurt a bit as he was a fantastic pickup who was forced into becoming the closer in place of Edwin Diaz.  Money went in this deal as well, but in return the Mets got some decent offensive prospects to help fortify the farm system.
• Next came the huge move of sending Hall of Fame caliber pitcher Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers to replace (ironically) former Met Jacob deGrom.  In this deal the Mets got a single player, Luisangel Acuna, who was regarded as the Rangers’ top offensive prospect.  This move cost a fortune as it meant paying down Scherzer’s contract plus half of what he’d be earning in 2024.  Still, the player obtained in return has the good baseball genes of his brother on the Braves who claims Luisangel is actually a better ballplayer than he is.
• That brings us to the Mark Canha deal.  Losing him isn’t on par with losing a Starling Marte caliber of player as Canha is a mostly platoon player who can field his position and draw a lot of walks.  Unfortunately he doesn’t hit for a high average and his 1.5 years as a Met were more interesting for his restaurant opinions than for his on-field performance.  The pitcher obtained struck on 91 in 70+ innings, so the potential is there for someone who could be a major leaguer someday even after his poor initial appearance at the AAA level.

Then came the hectic August 1st express lane to prospect acquisition:

• Tommy Pham to Arizona for youngster Jeremy Rodriguez.  This high dollar international signee shortstop is regarded as a wildcard asset who is probably a good roll of the dice considering Pham was going to be gone at the end of September for nothing.
• Justin Verlander to Houston for outfielders Drew Gilbert and Ryan Clifford.  When you consider the Mets have no one better than limping Tim Locastro in the minors to help cover the outfield grasses, it's not a bad return.  Both players are highly regarded but in Scherzer-methodology Steve Cohen paid down salary significantly to entice this return. 
• Dominic Leone to Billy Eppler's former employer for infielder Jeremiah Jackson, a power hitter who swings and misses quite a bit, but anything you get with potential for a fringe player counts as a positive.

So in Billy Eppler’s case, I’m willing to give him something of a pass thus far.  It makes sense to try to jerry-rig the roster given how what was planned for 2023 didn’t work due to injuries and performance issues.  As Steve Cohen expressed in his public press conference, the money has already been budgeted and spent, so it there’s any way to obtain pieces to build for the future then you could take that statement to mean a roster renovation was going to be happening.

The real media focus, however, will continue to be the Justin Verlander soap opera.  By initial feedback he was pleased to be a Met (as was his bride, the former Kate Upton).  However, after the David Robertson deal was made you could see the wheels start turning.  Then when Scherzer went off to find yellow roses in Texas it became clearer that the no-trade clause in Verlander’s contract would be open to being waived.

In Verlander’s case, it’s a little more complicated.  Although he’s been pitching like a three-time Cy Young Award winner lately, the fact is that the acquiring team needs to pay him for the remainder of this year, next year and can be forced to retain him for 2025 if he completes 140 innings in 2024.  Consequently the Mets had to pay down a HUGE chunk in order to make the deal executed with the Astros.  

Then let's look at what hasn't been done:

• Ronny Mauricio remains in Syracuse because...ummmm...any clue as to why?
• Omar Narvaez, the projected starting catcher for 2023, is still a member of the team.  I can't believe no one in baseball couldn't want an above average option to don the tools of ignorance unless it was his salary obligation for the remainder of this season and 2024 was the immovable obtacle.
• Daniel Vogelbach is still on the roster.  Sparing the obvious heft jokes about not fitting through the exit door, what opportunities are we going to get to see what Mark Vientos and others can do if Vogelbach continues to steal at-bats from players who should be seen to help evaluate the future?

Keep your eyes on the press for Mets news...what’s begun is not likely yet over. 

Tom Brennan - The Dust Is About to Settle in Metsville

There is no jumping for joy in Metsville in 2023.

Today is August 1. The trading deadline is today at 6 PM. 

So be it.

In the movie The Sum Of All Fears, a nuke erupted in Baltimore.

This year, it erupted in Queens.  Cohen hit the destruct button.

Simply, the primary year this team was built for was 2023. Meanwhile…

Because baseball (foolishly in my opinion) has the trade deadline at July 31, when about 35% of the season is yet to be played, teams have to guess whether they’re in or out after just around 105 games played.

Cohen realized he had a very old and hugely expensive team with just a 17% chance of a Wild Card, and a lot of that “expensive” would drift over to 2024, when it is quite reasonable to question whether the likes of Verlander and Scherzer would show sign of age degradation.

So Cohen nuked the Mets, to reset the players and $$$.

Had he had until August 15, perhaps he’d have done differently. 

Maybe the Mets would go on fire and quickly close the Wild Card gap.

But smartly, he realized that given the July 31 deadline, a sharp redirect right now was the most logical and appropriate tactical approach.

Many disappointments - try these 13 for starters:

1) If Edwin hadn’t gotten hurt, they’d be squarely in the WC hunt right now, and none of this would be happening.

2) Two normally fine hitters in Nimmo and McNeil who are sitting in or around the mid .250s, when one would have expected them combined to be hitting .300.

3) Pete and Lindor knocking in lots of runs, but hitting combined in the low .220s. Again, probably 40+ points below expectations.

4) Marte and Escobar sliding sharply, and well below 2022 levels due to injury and age.

5) Megill and Peterson having a very unexpectedly rough first 4 months.

6) Baty hits in a sub-par fashion, leaving us to wonder what his ceiling is.

7) Vogelbach one dimensional mediocrity.

8) Canha sub-par, too, to a lesser degree.

9) Nido’s impotence when Narvaez naturally got hurt badly at the start of the season.

10) Not enough bullpen depth, resulting in more losses.

11) The lowly Nats hitting 24 points higher than the Mets, and scoring the same number of runs. Crazy. Marlins outhitting them, too. Who woulda thunk it?

12) A barren minor league system, so there was no real supply chain.

13) The talented duo of Verlander and Quintana missing so much time in the first 4 months.

Every season has its ups and downs. This season has plenty.

I do not blame Cohen one bit for his course change.

I just wish the trade deadline was August 15, when there is still 25% of the season to be played. More rational, less guesswork.

Because maybe he would have seen a hot Mets team heading into August 15 and been a BUYER instead.

But maybe it is all for the best. 

Or…maybe not. 

That’s baseball, folks.

Of course, the factor no one but me likes to add in. The pitchers’ park and its retarding factor for Mets hitters.

.248 on the road, 13th best in baseball.

.226 at home (28th).

SMALLER HOUSES ARE LESS COSTLY, STEVE

STEVE COHEN, SAVE MILLIONS IN BREAKING-UP-IS-EXPENSIVE-TO-DO MONEY BY MOVING IN YOUR FENCES AND HAVING LESS DEPRESSED (AND HENCE MORE WINNING-ENABLED) HITTERS. 

SIMPLE: 7-8 FEET FURTHER IN ALL AROUND.

Yanks? 87 HRs in 57 home games, but just 59 HRs in 49 home games. Where do you think their hitters are happier?

P.S. Only the Mets’ 2 DSL teams and its FCL team played Monday in the minors, but they managed to compile 34 runs. Nice.