I’m not entirely sure if I’m happy to be back writing about this cities baseball teams. I usually look forward to it but it’s mostly just more negativity, especially after Tuesday’s bizarre proceedings. I’d like to thank the readers that were asking for some Yankees and Mets content for waiting patiently. I put off writing this piece for a while because I was waiting to hear from the Yankees, and boy did we ever? There hasn’t been much in the way of news, though we’ll cover the Mets changes here too. With the Texas Rangers winning it all last week the off-season is upon us, so let’s dive in!
Mets
We’ll kick things off with the Mets, since they feel like a lighter story to write about on my morning commute. The Metropolitans wasted no time this winter as they made several changes to the organization. These changes began with the hiring of new team President, David Stearns. Stearns arrives in the Big Apple after an eight year stint as the GM and President in Milwaukee. In his time running the Brewers, he assembled a consistent winner on a limited budget. His teams qualified for the postseason five times, winning 90+ games three times, and making a trip to game seven of the NLCS in 2018.
Stearns fine work with the Brewers never went unnoticed around the game, as he became a highly coveted team builder. He’s been on the Mets radar for what feels like 2-3 years now and Steve Cohen was determined to get his man. When the hire became official the attention shifted to how Stearns and Cohen would handle the incumbent GM and manager. The answers came quickly as Billy Eppler resigned following the season while under an MLB investigation and Buck Showalter was relieved of his duties. Their brief tenure certainly was interesting as there were “high highs” and “low lows.” Eppler’s poor 2022 trade deadline will haunt him and Mets fans for years to come as he didn’t do enough to help a strong team. Meanwhile, Showalter remains a bit more of a sympathetic figure. Endlessly likable and unquestionably gifted in the dugout, Buck’s time was a mixed bag, and he unfortunately still hasn’t won the big one.
With the house cleaned attention quickly shifted to a managerial search. Stearns and Cohen worked together to speak with a number of candidates, but one above all seemed to be the top choice. That man was Brewers manager Craig Counsell, who Stearns enjoyed his success in Milwaukee with. Counsell was still in the playoffs at the time the search began so it was expected to take time. For over a month the media reported on the delicate dance Counsell and the Mets were doing. However, this past Monday in a shocking twist the Mets announced it wouldn’t be Counsell after all, as he was set to replace outgoing Cubs skipper, David Ross.
With their top pick off the market, the Mets moved quickly to hire their second choice, Yankees bench coach Carlos Mendoza. The new skipper played 13 minor league seasons before becoming a coach in the Yankees system in 2009. After moving through the ranks at various posts, he was promoted to the major league staff in 2017, and became bench coach in 2020. It’s hard to say what exactly he did as Aaron Boone’s lieutenant considering Boone doesn’t do much himself. He is said to be a great communicator and someone who works well with players, but only time will tell if he can do the job.
If I sound unenthusiastic, I am not, unlike the rest of Mets nation. I don’t blame Mets fans for feeling underwhelmed by the hire, as they had been convinced they were getting a “top” manager in Counsell. It now feels like they’re settling, something that feels foreign to Steve Cohen and his vast wealth. It’s made worse by Mendoza being a former Yankee coach, as the Mets have a mixed history with Yankee coaches (Joe Torre and Dallas Green). But that doesn’t mean Mendoza shouldn’t be given a chance to succeed here. It has become harder and harder to evaluate current and prospective Major League managers.
With the new found prominence of analytics in the game, many skippers are little more than caretakers. Tasked with managing personalities and the media, while having varying degrees of autonomy in the dugout. To be Frank, this is why I’m skeptical the Mets “lost out” on Counsell. He was successful in Milwaukee but at times seemed too married to the numbers, making bizarre decisions that cost his team. He doesn’t have the resume of Bruce Bochy, Dusty Baker or even guys like Dave Roberts and Alex Cora, something that is getting lost in the fallout of this. If Cohen and Stearns felt comfortable enough to hire Mendoza, he should be given the chance to take on the job.
With the manager sorted out, Stearns announced the club will not bring in a GM this winter. This will put the new team president solely in charge of roster decisions, so hopefully he hits the ground running, for his sake. This roster needs work, ironically enough in the pitching department, an area it hasn’t needed to be bolstered in some time. As wonderful as Kodai Senga was, he needs help in this rotation. With few decent in house options beyond Jose Quintana, the Mets will have to shop around for arms.
While the Mets will undoubtedly check in on Shohei Othani, the early rumor mill seems to have them on the outside looking in. Aaron Nola and Blake Snell are the other free agent headliners, but it’s hard to imagine Nola leaving Philly for the Mets, and Snell is wildly overrated in my book. This brings me to Japanese import Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who will be highly sought after. The Mets finally made in roads in the international market with Senga’s arrival and are said to be competing with the Yankees for Yamamoto’s signature. He’s already one of the top young pitching talents in the world and if he delivers on his promise the Mets could have their 1-2 punch for the next decade.
Beyond going big on Yamamoto I could see the Mets look into Eduardo Rodriguez, along with buy low options like Lucas Giolito, Michael Wacha, and a reunion with Seth Lugo. I think the most likely scenario is them landing two of the four aforementioned names and then going big on the bullpen. If you want to compete and lack depth in the rotation, you have to shorten games with a deep pen. With Edwin Diaz coming back, the Mets will automatically improve on the back end, but they have to build a bridge to him.
Lefty flame thrower Josh Hader would be a great addition. While Matt Moore and Jordan Hicks would also greatly improve this unit. The Mets will need a host of relievers to try and get the pen back on track, so expect them to be active in this area.
While arms will certainly be the priority, I expect David Stearns to look for some offensive help too. The hitting core is anchored by Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Alvarez, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso. Those four are great options but they need backup desperately. Jeff McNeil’s name is once again in trade rumors, and while I’m a fan of his, I’m not sure his teammates are. Ronny Mauricio looks primed to inherit the second base role, which adds speed and contact, but this team needs more pop. I’d keep an eye on free agent Teoscar Hernandez, who would provide major power in left field. Lefty Cody Bellinger could also be a fit though he seems caught between a Yankees and Cubs bidding war at the moment. There are options that could arrive through free agency and trades, but none of those will matter if the Mets don’t retain Alonso. With one year left on his deal, rumored trades away from the Mets have persisted. In my book this would be a mistake, number 20 is the beloved face of this team. 40 homers and 120 RBI’s don’t grow on trees. The Mets must extend Alonso and continue to build around him this winter, not give him away.
One thing is clear, David Stearns has his work cut out for him this winter. To me the Mets must at the minimum return to playoff contention next season. It will take some really aggressive and smart moves to get them there. Fortunately the Mets have the resources to get them there, and they may just have the brains now too.
Yankees
Well well well, it’s about time. After a month of cowering behind a non-existent “audit” the Yankee brass emerged from their lair to address the disaster that was the 2023 season. I delayed writing this piece largely due to them making us all wait. I held my breath hoping there would be news of a firing or some sweeping organizational restructure. I was even willing to settle for them saying they were developing a new approach to team building. I’ll let Wednesdays New York Post back-page tell you how that went for me and my fellow Yankee fans.
Simply put these were the two worst possible press conferences the Yankees have held in a long time, maybe in franchise history. They illustrated a number of things, ranging from how dangerously insular they are to how divided they are in the front office. Every fear and supposition that has been had or made about them was confirmed. That confirmation is far from a good thing, it is only cause for further concern as they show no ability to dig out of their current predicament.
Let’s start with Hal Steinbrenner’s address…it was only slightly less bizarre his GM’s. Hal began by saying everything that happened last year was completely unacceptable and that the fan base deserved better. These words of course ring hollow because we already know, nothing is changing and there are no consequences for this failure.
He then went on to say that there is in fact no audit of the front office taking place. Instead the Yankees are simply looking to see how Zelus Analytics firm “does analytics.” What the hell that means I’m not sure, but the notable piece of that anecdote was Hal saying Zelus was recommended by Michael Fishman. For those who don’t know, Fishman is Brian Cashman’s analytics driven assistant GM. Fishman and his team by all accounts have the ear of Brian Cashman and Hal Steinbrenner above all others in the organization. So the question becomes, how does a member of a floundering front office get to pick who reviews his or her performance? We’ll answer that in a bit, but let’s play some of the other greatest hits from this presser.
– Despite the medical staff being unable to diagnose basic injuries, Hal isn’t concerned about the team treating his perennially walking wounded roster.
– Apparently Aaron Boone, genius that he is, just discovered that bunting may be a valuable skill to employ in the game of baseball.
– Hal decided to throw gasoline on the fire when he elaborated by saying Aaron Boone in fact makes a lot of the baffling in game decisions on his own.
– This one is the cherry on top, as it seems the Yankees owner can’t get up the nerve to fire someone he likes so he sought the answer he wanted to hear.
These are really a stunning sequence of answers to questions. The last one takes the cake because it is evidence of the paralysis this team lives with everyday. If Hal Steinbrenner feels the need to ask if Aaron Boone should keep his job, then it sounds like he already has his answer. Take the aforementioned Cubs for example. Craig Counsell is replacing their previous manager David Ross, who is eerily similar to Aaron Boone. Ross was a well liked journeyman player who became a broadcaster. He then left the booth to manage one of his former teams. He guided the Cubs through a rebuild and actually had them right on the cusp of making the playoffs this year. But when owner Tom Ricketts and GM Jed Hoyer reflected on their team, they reached the conclusion that if they could upgrade the skipper they would. That opportunity came along and they seized it. Cold blooded? Yes. But frankly it’s the kind of move Hal’s dad would have made himself.
Further adding to the concern over this odd process is who Hal spoke to and what it continues to say about the Yankees. Steinbrenner reportedly reached out to Andy Pettitte and Nick Swisher, who spent time around the team this year to ask for their thoughts on Boone. I can certainly understand Pettitte as he, much like the rest of the old guard, bring a certain gravitas to proceedings. Swisher is a bit more out of left field but when Derek Jeter won’t return your calls anymore what can one do?
With all due respect to “Swish” (I have an autographed Swisher ball I cherish) its odd to end up in a Yankee world where the cult hero has the owners ear. But Swisher reportedly has joined the army of “yes men and women” that surround Yankee leadership. Steinbrenner said he went on to speak with Brian Sabean and Omar Minaya from the front office for their opinion. While they also agreed that retaining Boone was the right play, they are detached enough that it makes some semblance of sense. But this wider culture of appeasers has created an echo chamber of people who tell Steinbrenner and Cashman what they want to hear.
This is how Cashman, Boone, Fishman and the rest of evaded blame for years. The cronyism in this organization has gone on so long that it has turned to outright rot. Yes many of these people have had a hand in winning several championships, fielding consistently contending teams and more. I am thankful for all of that. But the comfortability they have in their roles has bred complacency on several levels for years now. The Yankees refuse to clean house so they continue to let that complacency fester.
Speaking of refusing to clean house, as Hal finished his remarks it was time for Brian Cashman to take center stage. If you thought the owners availability was bad, this one blows it out of the water. Cashman’s 90 minute rant was full of arrogance, foolishness and outright lies. Perhaps the best thing it did was was fully confirm the long surmised thoughts of the Yankee fan base about the GM. They are so out of touch that even PR director Jason Zillo (seen over Cashman’s shoulder) smug grin says it all. Here are some of the worst moments.
I mean where do we even begin here. The delusion is horrifying. Nothing about these clips show a man willing to change what is clearly broken. While he does have a right to defend the process they undertake, the panicked standoffish approach is a window into how wrong they are. Cashman has become the face of this mess and he clearly doesn’t enjoy it. For years he and the rest of the front office have gotten used to not being attacked like this. But now the fans are the angriest they have been in a long time and the media has taken the gloves off. This will only get uglier. He can’t hide anymore from outright lies like, having the “smallest” analytics department, the truth is out there.
As far as some of the points being made, one of the most head scratching is the argument he made in favor of Joey Gallo. Saying Gallo has been acquired by two teams since leaving New York as if that means anything is stunning. He was an analytically driven acquisition that has failed to perform since leaving Texas. “See I’m not alone” isn’t a defense for a move that mad no sense. Nobody wants to hear about being unlucky when it comes to Montas injury when he balked at the price for Luis Castillo, a superior pitcher who he could have had. All it would have taken was giving up the prospects he spent his press conference knocking.
As far as what the next moves are, it at least seems Cashman is planning to attack the teams weaknesses. They need to become more left handed offensively, and there are players available to address that. While they have been linked to some interesting under the radar players like AL East regular Kevin Kiermaier and the Cardinals Brendan Donovan, it’s time to go big game hunting.
Which brings me to two huge names. The first is free agent outfielder/first baseman, Cody Bellinger. The former NL MVP had a bounce back campaign last year with the Cubs, who are seeking to retain his services. The Yankees are reportedly the front runner for him, should he leave Chicago. “Belli” checks a lot of boxes as he is a plus defender at two position and he has real pull side power. Some concern about consistency is valid given him performing in a “contact year,” but he feels like a clear upgrade. One thing is for sure, it will take a brinks truck full of money to land him.
Behind door number two is the dynamic Juan Soto. While the Padres reportedly have no plans to trade him (those reports have been disputed), the Yankees remain interested. Soto is one of the most talented hitters in the game and he would be an instant impact player. He is coming off of a “down year” in which he hit .275, with 35 homers and 109 RBI’s. It will take a of a haul of prospects to bring him to New York but lord knows the Yankees have plenty they don’t plan to develop anyway. There is no price I wouldn’t pay for Soto, especially if the Yankees can extend his expiring contract.
While my dream is to see the Yankees acquire both players, I don’t think that’s likely or even feasible. My best guess is the Yankees acquire one of them to play in left field, while they sign Kiermaier to hold center field down until Jasson Domínguez returns from his injury. I expect Gleyber Torres to be traded away to bolster another area of need, so they will likely be in the market for an infielder as well.
The aforementioned pitching staff definitely needs help. I expect them to retain stud reliever Wandy Peralta, and they are reportedly looking to bring back Frankie Montas (shaky move). If Michael King survives the off-season he may be taking Luis Severino’s place in the rotation, a move I’m leery of as I feel his is of more use in the bullpen. They are also reportedly the favorites for Yoshinobu Yamamoto. In the end though, the most important development would be a bounce back season from Carlos Rodon. The Yankees didn’t get a return on their investment last year, so he needs to deliver in 2024. If Rodon bounces back the Yanks will have a real 1-2 punch in the rotation.
This is the most critical Yankee off-season since 08-09. That winter was full of uncertainty and concern, much like this one. They responded with a haul that added CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Nick Swisher and Mark Teixeira. They need to deliver a similar kind of winter this time out. If they do, the championship window will be extended and this team can push forward. If they don’t I fear some lean years are ahead. It’s put up or shut up time.
We’ll have continuing baseball off-season coverage here at the site as it plays out. It feels like it will be a busy one for the locals so it’s definitely an exciting time. Stay tuned for more football talk this week and another Rangers/NHL recap. Follow me on Twitter @YNWA9623 and subscribe to the site by hitting the follow button in the bottom right corner of your screen and entering your email address. Stay tuned everyone!
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