Threeunassisted

The Temporary Breakup of the Baseball Family

September represents the last full month of the Major League Baseball season. Depressing for sure because it means the leaves will soon turn colors and the weather will begin to get cooler. September also means that this baseball family gets a temporary breakup. We dropped off Ryan yesterday at Siena College, now University, for his senior year. Though we will be in contact to discuss the playoff fortunes of our favorite teams, it won’t be the same not having him around discussing how he thinks the Yankees will flame out this year.

No Ryan means no discussing in person how good Cam Schlittler is. Credit: Northjersey.com

It won’t be long before we see Ryan again. Family weekend will be the first Saturday in October. Perfect timing to discuss the Wild Card round. There is a good chance that the Yankees, Mets and Phillies will all be playing that weekend. Two weeks after that he will be visiting for four days. At that time, we should be knee deep in the Divisional Round or potentially the League Championship Series. When Ryan was a freshman, he came down for his first visit and was able to witness Caitlyn’s favorite baseball moment. In Game 3 of the 2022 NLDS, Rhys Hoskins hit his famous bat slam home run off of Spencer Strider. To this day, Caitlyn says she called a home run as the pitch left Strider’s hand. Ryan backs her up.

When the Yankees made the World Series last year for the first time in Ryan’s era, I was a little sad I wasn’t able to enjoy it with him in person. I wasn’t that broken up too much, because, well, you know how the series turned out. At least the magic of texting will allow us to keep our group chat going. Before we know it, Ryan will be back home for good in May, and we will once again be complete.

The One Thing That Unites the Family

Three kids, three teams, one family. That is us in a nutshell when it comes to Major League Baseball. Ryan, Caitlyn and Matthew have different fandoms, different ways to express happiness and different ways to cope with tough defeats for their teams. However, there is one thing about baseball that they are 100% in lockstep. It’s the commodity that is talked about the most at the trading deadline and honestly, it is probably the thing that gives most fans the most agita.

Yes, bullpens were different (and better) in Bruce Sutter’s day. Credit: Redbird Rants

The dislike of the Major League Baseball bullpen unites the Lynch family.

I mean just now, while watching Phillies-Mariners for 15 seconds, the following conversation took place as the Mariners pulled to within 7-4:

Ryan: “Is this a bullpen guy?” (he didn’t look up at the TV, he just heard Caitlyn rant)

Caitlyn: “Yes” (it was Jordan Romano)

Ryan: “Not surprised”.

I’ve tried to explain that bullpens were never like this. Once upon a time, bullpens were comprised of guys who were not effective starting pitchers but found a home as a reliever. Teams had maybe four or five relievers on a staff and there were no set roles for them. Even the closer would come in at odd times, sometimes appearing as early as the seventh inning. Prime examples included Rollie Fingers, Rich Gossage and Bruce Sutter. Today, it is rare for relievers to pitch more than one inning, even when one of them needs only ten pitches to record three outs. That is the biggest reason why fans hate bullpens. Eventually, when you go through four relievers, one of them inevitably will get touched up, resulting in a loss. Ryan says there are no good bullpens. Caitlyn doesn’t forgive the Phillies’ bullpen for last year’s NLDS loss. Matthew holds his breath for every reliever not named Edwin Diaz.

Bullpens are like offensive lines in football. The loudest complains about teams (after managers) are bad bullpens. In about three weeks, football fans will be screaming to guys like Al Dukes that their team needs to fix their offensive line. I don’t want to be the guy to say, “back in my day….”. However, it is not a bad idea to re-think the role of relief pitching in 2025. The more pitchers you use, the likelihood of bad things happening increases. Let starting pitchers go longer. Don’t remove an effective reliever who strikes out the side. Listen to my kids. Do something differently with bullpens.

Ryan Helsley Will Figure It Out

At the trading deadline, all three of our teams strengthened their bullpens. The Yankees led the way with three additions (David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird), the Mets brought in Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers while the Phillies acquired Jhoan Duran and his interesting game entrance. Not all trades work out; Bird has already been sent to the Minors, hopefully he will be back before the end of the season. Bird’s troubles pale in comparison to those of Helsley. In six games covering five innings, the right-hander has surrendered seven total runs. The latest debacle was giving up two runs to the Braves in Thursday’s 4-3 loss. Things look bleak.

I am here to say Ryan Helsley will be much better from now on.

Ryan Helsley will be better. Credit: Rising Apple

Maybe that very sentence dooms Helsley to a miserable two months in New York. I doubt it. He is too good, too talented to be down for very long. This guy had 49 saves last year and is armed with a 100 MPH fastball. It’s only a matter of time before Helsley realizes he is one of the top relievers in baseball. He has admitted that he is still “trying to figure out” pitching as a setup man in the eighth inning. I have no doubt he will. After all, the thrill of a playoff chase and impending free agency is more than enough motivation for Hensley to revert back to his 2024 form. A brief story from almost 30 years ago also convinces me Helsley will be better.

In 1996, at right around this time, the Yankees made a trade for left handed reliever Graeme Lloyd. You couldn’t have pitched any worse than Lloyd did in the regular season: 13 games, 5 2/3 innings pitched, 11 earned runs. But once the playoffs began, he was a different animal, allowing one hit in eight games. Perhaps the comparison isn’t 100% accurate as the Mets are not guaranteed a playoff spot. However, the idea that Ryan Hensley is an automatic failure as a Met is way too premature.

Where Have You Gone, Jasson Dominguez?

Remember the good old days of “The Martian”? No, I am not referring to the 2015 movie starring Matt Damon. I am talking about Jasson Dominguez. You know, the guy that once upon a time was the most talked about player in the New York Yankees’ minor league system. Heck, the only other player with more hype in the entire organization was Aaron Judge. We loved his September 2023 callup at the age of 20, finally getting a glimpse of the player we had heard about for four years. He did not disappoint, slugging four home runs in 33 plate appearances.

What a difference two years makes.

Will we ever see Jasson Dominguez in a full time role with the Yankees again? Credit: Yahoo

Dominguez has had seemingly nothing but issues since his highly anticipated debut. His 2023 campaign was cut short because of a torn UCL. When he returned the following May in the Minors, he appeared in 23 games before an oblique strain sidelined him. He finally returned to the Majors in August and received significant playing time in September. However, a .179 batting average made him a spectator for the Yanks’ World Series run. Fast forward to today, and Dominguez has once again been relegated to the bench. He has not started any of the games against the Minnesota Twins this week and most likely will be the odd man out until Judge returns to the field full time.

Actually, there is no guarantee Dominguez becomes a regular for the rest of the season. No way Cody Bellinger and Giancarlo Stanton are coming out of the lineup. Trent Grisham seems to be more trusted than Dominguez. It feels as though he will get one, maybe two starts per week from now until October. In fact, Domingez may not even be on the team in 2026. Even though Grisham will be a free agent and Bellinger could very well opt out of his contract, can’t you see the Yankees attempt to re-sign both players? That would once again relegate Dominguez to a part time role, a return to the Minors, or a trade out of town. Any of those three scenarios seemed laughable two years ago.

Should Domiguez fail to earn a full time role in 2026, he will just be another in a long line of “can’t miss” Yankee prospects that did not pan out in the Bronx. Think of guys like Everson Pereira, Deivi Garcia, Estevan Florial and Oswald Peraza. You can argue that none of these players were given a long enough rope to see whether or not they could play at the Major League level. They certainly were not allowed to fail and try to get back up like Anthony Volpe. Unfortunately, it appears Jasson Dominguez is headed for the same path as the aforementioned Pereira and company. Is his trade value cooked? Maybe not as toasted as the other players. However, Dominguez’s best chance to land an every day role in the Show may only come with a change of scenery.

Pete Alonso and the Home Run Record: Bad Timing

Records are made to be broken. It’s a tired and worn cliche that happens to be very true. When a record is broken, there should be ample time to celebrate it. If you tie or break an organization’s career home run record, there should be a period of time to reflect on the achievement of greatness. On Saturday, Pete Alonso tied Darryl Strawberry atop the career home run leaderboard for the New York Mets. It came during the team’s 7-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, the middle game of a series in which the Mets were swept. New York has now lost seven consecutive games and have dropped 11 of their last 12 contests.

Pete Alonso’s next home run better come during a Mets’ victory. Credit: Sports Illustrated

Tying a record that is 35 years old is special. The timing of it is not.

I mean how happy are you as a Mets fan? During this stretch, do you care about the home run record? I think maybe today’s day off allowed fans to focus on Alonso’s special moment………for about five minutes. Then, it will be back to the floundering of the starting rotation and the ineptness of the offense. Sure, it would be nice for Alonso to grab sole possession of first place sometime during these next six home games. However, I would venture to say winning five of six games outranks the home run record right now by a mile. This week, the Mets are playing the Atlanta Braves. How meaningless would an Alonso home run be Tuesday night if the team loses yet again? Who cares about the record when the pitiful Braves continue to dominate the Amazins in 2025? I get it, if you have a ticket to the game, being in attendance and witnessing club history would be cool. But then, if you leave the stadium after another loss, anger returns, a painful reminder that the season might be slipping away.

My ideal scenario would be the following: The Mets get down early, say 2-0. Alonso comes up with two runners on in the bottom of the eighth inning. He puts one over the left field wall. The apple rises. Flashbulbs light up Citi Field. The stadium acknowledges the moment. Alonso gets a curtain call. And finally, most importantly, Edwin Diaz slams the door for a 3-2 victory.

Philadelphia Phillies Are the Bright Light in Our House

The last time I posted, I detailed our most recent trip to Citizens Bank Park. The Philadelphia Phillies lost that day to the Los Angeles Angels. The date was July 20. Since that Sunday, the Phillies are the team that are keeping the baseball end of the house from disintegrating. They are in first place by 3.5 games and are 10-6 since that fateful day. Caitlyn is loving it. It’s a far cry from Ryan and Matthew who are enduring the dual trainwrecks that are the New York Yankees and the New York Mets. We don’t need to detail their play over the last two months. We are living it and we hate it.

Let’s bring back some positivity.

What’s not to like about the Phillies right now? They have a legitimate MVP candidate in Kyle Schwarber, who is a free agent at the end of the season. He leads the National League in both home runs and RBI’s and is enjoying the best season of his career. He became a Phillie in 2022; since his arrival, all the team has done is win. Schwarber will get paid, whether it is Philadelphia or somewhere else. In keeping with today’s theme of brightness, let’s say he re-signs with the Phillies. The team also has a legitimate Cy Young candidate, Cristopher Sanchez (also on my fantasy team). I mean, at what point do we put Sanchez in the class of best pitchers in baseball? Teammate Zack Wheeler is the bigger name but Sanchez has had the better season. That is quite the 1-2 combination in a playoff series. The one glaring hole was in the bullpen which the team addressed by acquiring Jhoan Duran. Now, the hard work of the rotation will be picked up an by an excellent closer and his unique entrance. Old Yankee and Met Harrison Bader also arrived at the trading deadline, providing another useful bat and Gold Glove caliber defense.

Right now, the Phillies have to be considered a World Series contender. Sure, they still have flaws such as overall bullpen depth and spotty offensive games. However, name a team that looks unbeatable. There isn’t one. It’s why the Yankees and Mets still have time to break out of their respective funks. However, no team in the house looks better than the Philadelphia Phillies.

When Will Caitlyn See the Phillies Win In Person?

On July 20, the family ventured to Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia in the hopes of seeing Caitlyn’s beloved Phillies win a ball game. It marked our third trip as a family to the Bank with this trip the first time we saw them play an American League team, in this case the Los Angeles Angels. Hopes were high that the Phillies would win for the first time in Caitlyn’s presence. Both teams won one game each in the series, making Sunday’s contest the rubber matchup. Could Philadelphia send us back home with smiles on our faces?

In a word, no.

A beautiful stadium, an ugly game. Credit: My picture

The Angels romped on that sunny, hot Sunday by a score of 8-2. It felt more like 15-2 as Los Angeles had multiple base runners seemingly every inning. We should have known something was up when the game was delayed for a half hour by rain. Luckily for us, a nice couple allowed us to use their towel to wipe down our seats. It quickly went downhill from there. Zach Neto belted the first pitch of the game from Ranger Suarez to the deepest part of the park only to have Brandon Marsh make a great catch. At that point, I knew it was trouble. Suarez simply didn’t have it. Los Angeles did not score in the first inning despite heavy traffic. They effectively ended the game in the following inning by scoring five runs. The only highlights from the Phillies on this day were two great catches from Marsh and a solo home run by Otto Kemp. Not even the antics of the Phillie Phantic could save us. At least I got to see Mike Trout bat six times. Max Kepler and Jordan Romano both received boos, though Romano pitched a scoreless eighth inning. The bright sun and lack of sunscreen gave all of us different colors. And of course, the cheesesteak was golden.

The Phillies are now 0-5 when Caitlyn is in attendance. That comprises three games at the Bank and two games at Citi Field. 2026 has to be different, no? She deserves better than to see her favorite team lose repeatedly with her in attendance. What would make her feel better? A Phillies World Series Championship in 2025.

New York Yankees and Their New House of Horrors

Maybe it has to do with the timing of our trips to Lake George. Maybe it’s because they are spending too much time on South Beach in August. Whatever it is, the New York Yankees have a new house of horrors and it is the most unlikely of places. Loan Depot Park, home of the Miami Marlins, has turned into a graveyard for the Yankees as their last two trips down to South Florida can attest. These games have resulted in a couple of hard to believe defeats and overall lackluster play. How can this be, since 65% of the building is filled with Yankee fans? Their journey down in 2023 was during a rare playoff miss for New York and a rare playoff appearance for Miami. 2025 can’t be a repeat, can it?

The Marlins have made Loan Depot Park a nightmare for the Yankees. Credit: USA Today

On Sunday, August 13, 2023, we were driving home from Lake George. The Yanks and Marlins split the first two games, as New York won Friday night by a score of 9-4. Sandy Alcantara tossed a complete game on Saturday for a 3-1 victory, setting up the rubber game on Sunday. The Yankees amazingly blew a 7-1 on that drive home, as a Clay Holmes throwing error allowed two runs to score before a Jake Burger single drove in the winning run with a single. Fast forward to this past Friday night. The Bombers surrendered leads of 6-0 and 9-4 but managed to push across two runs for a 12-10, 9th inning lead. Incredibly, another error, this one by Jose Caballero, helped the Fish score three times for a stunning 13-12 victory. Ironically, the Saturday game was another gem thrown by the Miami’s pitching staff (much like 2023) as three pitchers held New York to only two hits for a 2-0 victory. The drive home Sunday was much less dramatic than two years ago, but no less infuriating as the Marlins swept the Yankees into the Atlantic Ocean by a score of 7-3.

After the game, there was this stat thrown about how the Marlins are the only team with a winning record against the Yankees. More insults. Perhaps in 2027 when we again go to Lake George, we schedule it around the Yankees’ trip to Loan Dept Park. Maybe Major League Baseball can do us a solid favor and make that series in April.

MLB Trading Deadline: We Are Lucky

With the Trading Deadline almost over, I decided to have the “talk” with the three kids. Namely, I had to remind them that they are lucky that each of their teams spend most trading deadlines as buyers as opposed to sellers. This indicates that the New York Yankees, New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies are in it to win a World Series year after year. This, as opposed to teams I highlighted earlier in the week that, despite having good, controllable players, are willing to move them, punting on this season and potentially next season.

Ryan McMahon, now a Yankee. Credit: Sports Illustrated

For most of this decade, all three of our teams have decided to make moves to try and enhance their playoff chances. The one exception was the Mets in 2023 when they dealt David Robertson, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander among others at the deadline during a lost season. It is an exciting time for all of us, as we each discuss what our teams need and what players we would be willing to give up. We scour mlbtraderumors.com for the latest news and potential deals. I get asked sometimes how certain deals sound as they are pitched to me. Most of the time, they are lopsided in favor of their teams. In Matthew’s opinion, what the Mets gave up for Tyler Rogers earlier this week was fair, even though Drew Gilbert was included. He was the outfielder that came to New York for Verlander two years ago.

In addition to Rogers, the Mets added fellow relievers Gregory Soto and Ryan Helsley. The Yankees have acquired Ryan McMahon, Amed Rosario and Austin Slater. The Phillies got on the board by adding Jhoan Duran. See, all three teams are active. Whether they contribute to a World Series Championship or not remains to be seen. At least all their teams are giving them reasons to be excited.

MLB Trading Deadline: The Things That Annoy Me

I like the MLB trading deadline as much as the next. The speculation, the potential deals and the names discussed make for great conversation. However, I do get annoyed, perturbed, bothered, name the adjective when I hear certain names and teams mentioned. This usually involves teams that are deemed as “sellers” and players that are viewed as “available”. Now, there is a good chance that all three of our teams will benefit from these conditions. As a fan of the game, these situations still bother me because we have fan bases involved that have been repeatedly kicked at this time of year.

Here are my three items for this deadline that really make me frown. Keep in mind I don’t speak for the fans of the teams involved so maybe they don’t have an issue with what is going on. I speak from an outsider’s perspective.

Enough of the Mitch Keller trade talk. Credit: Forbes

Pittsburgh Pirates

The first domino fell with third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes being sent to the Cincinnati Reds earlier today. The name that has been talked about seemingly since May is pitcher Mitch Keller. Why, Pittsburgh, why? Keller does not become a free agent until 2029, so yes, he theoretically can bring back a great return. But again, why? Do Pirates’ fans trust that the players coming back will actually pan out? Even more of a problem for me is the Bucs have assembled a solid rotation with Keller, Paul Skenes and Bailey Falter. If they can manage to put a decent lineup around this trio, then we are talking about a team that contend in 2026. That also means keeping closer David Bednar, also mentioned in trade discussions and is controlled through next season. Fans of the Pittsburgh Pirates deserve much better than seeing their team raided year after year at the deadline.

Miami Marlins

Maybe it is just a rumor but the Marlins did make the playoffs in 2023. They took a giant step backwards last season because their entire starting rotation landed on the injured list. Pitcher Sandy Alcantara has been seemingly been talked about in trade rumors for the last four years. You would think that with Miami going 28-22 since June 1 to crawl their way to the fringes of a playoff spot that any talk of Alcantara being moved would die down. You would be wrong. It is the Marlins so nothing is off the table when it comes to player movement. I don’t expect them to become buyers which is fine. However, it would be a big disappointment to trade the former Cy Young Award winner just as his team is turning things around.

Cleveland Guardians

Did we forget that it was just last year that the Guardians reached the American League Championship Series? So a semi lost season later, there is this need to tear the thing down? I get it, outfielder Steven Kwan may command a significant return with him being under control until 2028. But this team still has Jose Ramirez, one of the best players in baseball. Perhaps the investigation into Emmanuel Clase‘s alleged gambling activities, himself the subject of trade rumors, has forced Cleveland into the possibility of selling. However, with Ramirez at 33 years old, the Guardians should be doing everything in their power to add help for him, particularly since he signed the most club friendly contract in baseball history. Suck it up, Guardians, keep Kwan, hope Clase gets cleared and take a run at 2026.